Blackface minstrelsy was the first American theatrical form, incubating the entertainment industry

Evidence

In the decades leading up to the Civil War, blackface minstrelsy became the first American theatrical form, the incubator of the American entertainment industry. Exported to excited European audiences, minstrel shows remained mainstream in the United States until around 1920 (when the rise of racist films took their place). — Ibram X. Kendi, Stamped from the Beginning, 453

Categorization

• SHARE: A startling fact for anyone interested in American cultural history — the U.S. entertainment industry’s founding form was blackface.