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Peak of traveling circuses and amusements featuring disabled people as part of "freak shows."

1840s

The Story of Disability Justice
CCMS
DCRJ
SRA
MED

The "freak show" becomes a prominent form of entertainment, as circuses and other traveling shows feature acts by people with disabilities, who are presented as "perverse" and "abnormal." This perpetuates the continued exploitation of people with disabilities, while building capital for circus managers (including Barnum and Bailey), and becomes a central foundation of the ableist supremacy culture that will shape the medical model.