The Octoroon, only considered second amongst antebellum melodramas, is a play written by Irish author Dion Boucicaut. The play focuses on the Plantation Terrebonne, the Peyton estate and its residents, namely it's slaves. During the time of its premiere, The Octoroon, inspired conversations about the abolition of slavery as well as the overall mistreatment of the African Americans. Derived from the Spanish language, the word 'octoroon' is defined as one who is 1/8th black. Zoe Peyton, "The Octoroon", is the supposedly "freed" biological daughter of Judge Pey...

• Word Count: 1218
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School