Transcription: Minstrels and cakewalkers. Ragtime like blues, jazz and rock that followed had deep roots in both American and Afro-American culture. In the wake of their devastating Civil War, Americans looked for new forms of entertainment but the principal form they adopted for almost half a century was neither an American nor an Afro-American invention. This was minstrelsy. Minstrelsy had come into prominence in London during the waning years of the 18th century when songs about South sea savages were invoked in London's theaters to amuse the bored upper classes.
(.mp4)