Although early blackface minstrels claimed to have learned their trade by watching African-American slaves on the plantation, and later minstrels could claim to have learned from these early masters, some minstrelsy passed through print. This manual offers instructions for mounting a minstrel show, particularly for amateurs who have never performed before, and with the assumption that they are doing it to raise money for a charity. This manual was published in the late 19th century, but these manuals were common well into the 1930s, especially after the success of Amos n' Andy.

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