The minstrel show occupies a complex and controversial space in the history of American popular culture. Today considered a shameful relic of America's raci

In Birth of an Industry, Nicholas Sammond describes how popular early American cartoon characters were derived from blackface minstrelsy. He charts the industri

Rap music empowered people during its heyday. However, some elements within hip-hop music date back to slavery. The formation of baggy pants, gangs, glorificati

A sourcebook of contemporary and historical commentary on America's first popular mass entertainment.