The first person known to describe himself as "the queen of drag" was [[William Dorsey Swann]], born enslaved in [[Hancock, Maryland]], who in the 1880s started hosting [[Ball culture|drag balls]] in [[Washington, DC]] attended by other men who were formerly enslaved. The balls were often raided by the police, as documented in the newspapers.<ref name=":6">{{Cite news|last=Joseph|first=Channing Gerard|date=31 January 2020|title=The First Drag Queen Was a Former Slave|journal=The Nation|language=en-US|url=https://www.thenation.com/article/society/drag-queen-slave-ball/|access-date=4 February 2020|issn=0027-8378|archive-date=2 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202152031/https://www.thenation.com/article/society/drag-queen-slave-ball/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1896, Swann was convicted and sentenced to 10 months in jail on the false charge of "keeping a disorderly house" (a [[euphemism]] for running a [[brothel]]). He requested a pardon from [[Grover Cleveland|President Grover Cleveland]], but was denied.<ref name=":6" />
==== Minstrel shows ====
The evolution of drag in the United States was influenced by [[minstrel show]]s.<ref name=":0">{{citation |last=Boyd |first=Nan Alamilla |title=Wide-Open Town: A History of Queer San Francisco to 1965 |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/book/25351 |year=2003 |access-date=1 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200730041610/https://muse.jhu.edu/book/25351 |url-status=live |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=9780520938748 |archive-date=30 July 2020 }}</ref> These shows were an example of how [[Blackface]] was used in a racist form of entertainment where the performers would mock African American men, but as time went on they found it amusing to mock African American women as well. They performed in comedic skits, dances, and "wench" songs.<ref name=":1">{{citation |last=Bean |first=Annemarie |title=Female Impersonation in Nineteenth-Century American Blackface Minstrelsy |date=2001 |publisher=[[New York University]] |id={{ProQuest|304709304}}}}</ref> Black people themselves were largely excluded from being performers as at this point in history.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web |title=Blackface: the Sad History of Minstrel Shows |url=https://www.americanheritage.com/blackface-sad-history-minstrel-shows |access-date=2022-12-02 |website=AMERICAN HERITAGE |language=en |archive-date=24 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230324135449/https://www.americanheritage.com/blackface-sad-history-minstrel-shows |url-status=live }}</ref> Blackface in minstrel shows emerged in {{Circa|1820}}, but became more established with the creation of the character of [[Jim Crow (character)|Jim Crow]], which was first performed in 1828.<ref name="auto1"/> After the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], performance troupes began to be composed of Black performers. The shows maintained popularity in American entertainment into the 1920s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Minstrel Songs {{!}} Popular Songs of the Day {{!}} Musical Styles {{!}} Articles and Essays {{!}} The Library of Congress Celebrates the Songs of America {{!}} Digital Collections {{!}} Library of Congress |url=https://www.loc.gov/collections/songs-of-america/articles-and-essays/musical-styles/popular-songs-of-the-day/minstrel-songs/ |access-date=2022-12-02 |website=Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA |archive-date=9 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409214831/https://www.loc.gov/collections/songs-of-america/articles-and-essays/musical-styles/popular-songs-of-the-day/minstrel-songs |url-status=live }}</ref>
