Capitol Men: The Epic Story of Reconstruction Through the Lives of the First Black Congressmen - Softcover

Dray, Philip

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0547247974 ISBN 13: 9780547247977

Verlag: MARINER BOOKS, 2010

Inhaltsangabe

Book by Dray Philip

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Críticas

"Pulitzer finalist Philip Dray's Capitol Men: The Epic Story of Reconstruction Through the Lives of the First Black Congressmen is a history of an often overlooked chapter. The stories of men like Hiram Revels of Mississippi, the first black senator, are all the more powerful from some 140 years before Barack Obama began his presidential quest." --The Washingtonian

"Absorbing ... Dray devotes the majority of his pages to a significant minority: some of the first African Americans ever to serve in Congress. A few, such as Robert Smalls and Blanche K. Bruce, have been the subject of recent, thorough biographies. Others, such as Robert Brown Elliott and John Roy Lynch, emerge here as fascinating figures deserving full-length studies."

Reseña del editor

In this grand and compelling new history of Reconstruction, Philip Dray shines a light on a little known group of men: the nation's first black members of Congress. Neglected by most historians, these individualssome of whom were former slavesplayed a critical role in pushing for much-needed reforms in the wake of a traumatic civil war, including equal rights, public education, and protection from Klan violence. Most important, their example laid the foundation for future black political leaders.Drawing on archival documents, newspaper coverage, and congressional records, he shows that P.B.S. Pinchback (who started out as a riverboat gambler), Robert Smalls (who hijacked a Confederate steamer and delivered it to Union troops), and Robert Brown Elliot (who bested the former vice president of the Confederacy in a stormy debate on the House floor) were eloquent, creative, and often quite effectivethey were simply overwhelmed by the forces of Southern reaction and Northern indifference. Covering the fraught period between the Emancipation Proclamation and Jim Crow, Dray reclaims the reputations of men who, though flawed, led a valiant struggle for social justice.

Über diese Auflage

• Verlag: MARINER BOOKS
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0547247974
• ISBN 13: 9780547247977
• Einband: Tapa blanda
• Auflage: 1
• Anzahl der Seiten: 463