In the early 1830's, a type of theater was born. Four white men, faces smeared black with burnt cork, would prance about a stage. Their acts consisted of song, dance, and comic skits, all centered around the life of the African-American slave. The actors, or blackfaces as they were known, were part of a new genre of entertainment, the minstrel show. Minstrel shows were all the rage and reached peak popularity by the 1840's. After the Civil War, black actors would replace the white ones, but they still covered their faces with burnt cork. The minstrel shows continued even until the turn of ...