The Nigger

{{Short description|Stage play by Edward Sheldon}}

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{{Other uses|Nigger (disambiguation)}}

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{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}

The Nigger is a play by American playwright Edward Sheldon (1886–1946).[http://www.ibdb.com/Show/View/6528 The Nigger; IBDb.com] It explores the relationship between blacks and whites in the melodrama of a politician faced with a sudden, personal dilemma. The play was first performed on Broadway in New York City at the New Theatre on December 4, 1909.Anthony Slide, American Racist: The Life and Films of Thomas Dixon (University Press of Kentucky, 2004), p65 The play was adapted to a novel, and a film adaptation, directed by Edgar Lewis, was made in 1915.[http://www.novelguide.com/a/discover/dfs_18/dfs_18_00018.html novelguide.com] Because the title was controversial, the film was released in some markets as The Governor or The New Governor.