Dion Boucicault's drama was inspired by his visit to the American South and The Quadroon (1856), a novel by Thomas Mayne Reid. Ironically, The Octoroon premiered in New York four days after famed abolitionist John Brown was executed for his October 16, 1859, raid at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Boucicault's play, which focuses on the denial of liberty, identity, and dignity, opened during a period in American history when antislavery and pro-slavery sentiments were at near-zenith level.
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Dion Boucicault's drama was inspired by his visit to the American South and The Quadroon (1856), a novel by Thomas Mayne Reid. Ironically, The Octoroon premiered in New York four days after famed abolitionist John Brown was executed for his October 16, 1859, raid at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Boucicault's play, which focuses on the denial of liberty, identity, and dignity, opened during a period in American history when antislavery and pro-slavery sentiments were at near-zenith level.
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