Popular Entertainment

Early entertainment in America has a terribly sad and repulsive history. The "minstrel" shows are one such low points. As show in Blacks and Vaudeville gives a depressing account of the humiliating performances which depicted African Americans as people not to be taken seriously or treated as equals. It evolved to include black actors playing actual African Americans, even through for a long time they still needed to wear "black face". This did lead to actual "black" entertainment though, which was a step in the right direction, while these actors still used stereotypes put in place by their white predecessors, the content was able to appeal to the African American community more so then the significantly more offensive white performances.