The Cloud With Silver Lining (America 2)

James Hewlett at the African Grove
Slavery, Black-Face, and Minstrel troupes are only a handful of negative outcomes of racism during America in the 19th Century. At this time African Americans were not given a voice but were spoken for by ignorant and racist white men, such as Thomas D Rice (creator of Jim Crow) and Stephen Foster (composer of Minstrel and Black-Face music) who commercialized racially demeaning stereotypes.
Through all of the hardships that African Americans faced however, came the beginning of change. "In 1821 the first known company of African American actors in the United States was assembled in New York by William Henry Brown, who presented occasional theatrical performances at the African Grove, an outdoor tea garden, and later at an indoor theatre"(Brockett, 311). I consider this to be an important beginning to a turning point in America's history because for the first time African Americans were able to speak through their art. They formed a cultural movement which would soon lead to slavery becoming abolished on December 18, 1865 when the 13th Amendment was created.

Reference: PBS, Brockett, History.com