empires in Perspective Empires in Perspective

The Theatre of empire: Frontier Performances in 13

america, 1750–1860
Douglas S. Harvey

The Theatre of Empire

Up to and following the War of independence, the new american republic expanded across
the appalachian mountains. to achieve this, the new nation embarked on a programme of
ethnic cleansing and displacement of the indigenous population while relying heavily on slave
labour. This was legitimized by the assumption of anglo-Saxon supremacy. harvey argues
that all types of performance including traditional theatre, circuses and redface and blackface
minstrelsy were used, both consciously and unconsciously, as a means of conforming public
opinion to these aims. often these forms of entertainment drew directly from the stock plays of
the first British empire, adapting them to meet new needs.
This study traces the translation of ideas of imperial and economic expansion from London,
at the hub of the British empire, to the great plains of america, and shows how forms of
entertainment played a key role in shaping concepts of nationhood.

empires in Perspective
The Theatre of Empire
Series Editors: Tony Ballantyne, Duncan Bell, Francisco Bethencourt, Douglas S. Harvey
Caroline Elkins and Durba Ghosh
Advisory Editor: Masaie Matsumura
This important series publishes monographs that address significant dimensions of imperial
history, from the early modern world to the twentieth century.
ranging across diverse imperial histories, books published in the series are not limited to
any geographical area, state or empire. Drawing on works of political, social, economic and
cultural history, the history of science and political theory, the series encourages methodological
pluralism and does not impose any particular conception of historical scholarship. While

Douglas S. Harvey
primary-research based and focused on particular aspects of empire, works published seek to
address wider questions on the study of imperial history.

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