Minstrels

From the Paper:

"Minstrelsy was a product of the slave era and set a pattern whereby white musicians and performers would borrow heavily from black music and make it into a popular and commercial success. Minstrelsy in any form has fallen into disfavor with the success of the civil rights movement and with changed attitudes toward blacks. This was a type and style of performance that originated among slaves and was then adopted by white performers. Commercial minstrel shows began with white performers who blacked their faces; however, minstrelsy was not entirely a white prerogative as there were black minstrel troupes after the Civil War. Black minstrel performers also blacked their faces. Many of the performers, both black and white, became very well known in their day and influenced later performers and musicians in popular music into the beginning of this century."

More papers on Minstrels:

• Analytical Essay # 134847 : "African-American Performers and the Minstrel Tradition"
• Essay # 3290 : "The Perpetuation of Minstrel Images"
• Term Paper # 117032 : "Dixie": From Minstrelsy to Political Anthem"

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