The America Play

The America Play is about US history and the way it shapes ideas of American national identity and belonging. The mainstream narrative of US history has been whitewashed, omitting contributions by African Americans and glossing over hardships caused by slavery and racism. The Foundling Father is afraid of being erased. But when he looks back for an idol in Black history, he lands on Abraham Lincoln because he is credited with freeing the slaves, arguably the most significant event in the history of African Americans. By assimilating into White-dominated history, the Foundling Father becomes overshadowed by Lincoln, just as White narratives overshadow minority voices in the US historical record. The Foundling Father is the “Lesser Known” to Lincoln’s “Great Man.”

In addition to the whitewashing of history, one of the oppressive tactics of slavery was the deliberate and malicious erasure of African American culture and history as well as the disruption of familial lines. Children were taken from their parents and couples were separated. Slave owners forced slaves to practice Christianity and prohibited cultural customs, and most enslaved people were kept illiterate and forbidden to keep written historical records. Consequently, the play emphasizes the importance of alternative historical records, as much of Black history was passed down through the oral tradition.