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