Why is Hattie McDaniel considered a great actress? And by whom?

She played a large black woman who was a mammy on a plantation.

She was a large black woman who played an oppressed woman. Guess what,
she was an oppressed woman.

So why would a person that would have most likely been a maid considered
a great actress for acting like a maid.

That's like saying roseanne barr should have an award for playing obese
white trash when she was, in fact, obsese white trash.

or like saying that Kirstie Alley should have won an award for his
series "Fat Actress" for playing a .... Fat Actress.

Angela bassett forgot more about Acting then Hattie McDaniel ever knew.

Gufone...

Winning the Oscar aside, I don't really know many who would consider
McDaniel a "great actress," per se, but surely a well-loved one. I
think she belongs in that class of actor who make a movie that much
better just by being in it. (See also, "Alice Adams" and "Since You
Went Away.") She was often a domestic in the movies, it's true, but I
think affection for her crosses many lines because she was endearing,
homey, and heartfelt in her feelings. I think many admire her as a
groundbreaker. If her roles make us a little uncomfortable today,
remember the huge cultural advance made by a black woman in 1930s
mainstream film who not only demanded respect, but received it from
some of Hollywood's biggest stars.