The first minstrel show in the United States, The Virginia Minstrels, opens (Bowery Amphitheatre in New York City).

The minstrel show, also called minstrelsy, was an American form of theater developed in the early 19th century. The shows were performed by mostly white actors wearing blackface makeup for the purpose of portraying racial stereotypes of African Americans. There were very few African-American performers and black-only minstrel groups that also formed and toured. Minstrel shows stereotyped black people as dimwitted, lazy, buffoonish, cowardly, superstitious, and happy-go-lucky. A recurring character was Jim Crow, an exaggerated portrayal of a black man in tattered clothes dancing, whose name later became synonymous with the post-Reconstruction period in American history. Each show consisted of comic skits, variety acts, dancing, and music performances that depicted people specifically of African descent. Minstrel shows aimed to confirm racist beliefs that black people were not civilized enough to be treated as equals. Often, the humor centered on situations where, whenever black characters tried to become citizens, they would fail, and fail comically.

The Virginia Minstrels or Virginia Serenaders was a group of 19th-century American entertainers who helped invent the entertainment form known as the minstrel show. Led by Dan Emmett, the original lineup consisted of Emmett, Billy Whitlock, Dick Pelham, and Frank Brower.

The Bowery Amphitheatre was a building in the Bowery neighborhood of New York City. It was located at 37 and 39 Bowery, across the street from the Bowery Theatre. Under a number of different names and managers, the structure served as a circus, menagerie, theatre, a roller rink, and a branch of the Peniel Mission. The site is now part of Confucius Plaza.