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For one hundred years (1840 - 1940) the freak show was one of America's most
popular forms of entertainment. Today the same shows would be considered
unacceptable and cruel, or as one disability rights activist put it, "the
pornography of disability." In the mid 19th century, however, Americans
were beginning to move from the farms and a family-based society to one
which relied more on organizations, including institutionalized
entertainment. It was at this time that P.T. Barnum brought the freak
show to prominence through the American Museum in New York City.
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