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Minstrel shows

They should have been taught better.

Regarding "Blackface: the Sad History of Minstrel Shows" in your Winter 2019 issue, I applaud American Heritage for providing a historical context to the current controversy about the use of blackface by Governor R

For most of the 1800s, whites in blackface performed in widely popular minstrel shows, creating racist stereotypes that endured for more than a century.

For most of the 1800s, whites in blackface performed in widely popular minstrel shows, creating racist stereotypes that endured for more than a century.

In the 19th Century, white performers invented the minstrel show, the first uniquely American entertainment form

 

NOTE: this article has been updated and reissued in the Winter 2019 issue. Click for the new version.

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