Slavery on Stage: Black Stereotypes and Opportunities in Nate Salsbury's "Black America" Show

After exposing the public to a huckstered version of life in the West--via his Wild West Show featuring Buffalo Bill Cody--Nate Salsbury initiated a new production called "Black America." Black America set out not merely to entertain, but to educate the public about the lives blacks had led in the antebellum south.

Among the singing and dancing performances were examples of black culture that had developed under slavery, as well as newer creations. Show business considerations, as well as st...