Thomas D. Rice

Thomas Dartmouth Rice (May 20, 1808 – September 19, 1860) is a white performer and playwright who uses African American vernacular speech, song, and dance to become one of the most popular minstrel show entertainers of his time.

Though his act draws on aspects of African American culture and popularizes them with a national, and later international, audience, Rice’s “Jim Crow” persona is a racial caricature contrived to flatter contemporary belief in white superiority.

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