The Black Washingtonians: The Anacostia Museum Illustrated Chronology Hardcover - 2005 - 1st Edition

First line

Before the District of Columbia was chartered, Congress wrangled over where to put it.

From the rear cover

African Americans have been a vital part of Washington's life and culture since the beginning. Now, the Smithsonian Institution's renowned Anacostia Museum brings the rich history of black Washington to life in this comprehensive and authoritative history.

Lavishly illustrated with hundreds of photographs, period paintings, and drawings, as well as a fascinating collection of historical documents, this striking volume puts the resources of the world's finest museum of African American history at your fingertips. It offers a detailed chronological account of African American contributions to the birth, growth, and complex social fabric of our nation's capital and explores the achievements of black Washingtonians in politics, business, education, religion, sports, entertainment, and the arts.

Central to the complex and inspiring story of The Black Washingtonians are the thousands of African American men and women who made major contributions to the city's physical, economic, social, and cultural development. You'll meet Benjamin Banneker, the self-educated clockmaker, writer, and astronomer who took part in the initial survey of the District's boundaries; the thousands of African American laborers, both slave and free, who literally built the city; and the three uneducated black men who founded the city's first free black academy in 1807.

You'll also meet the founder and first president of Howard University; the first African American ever elected to the United States Congress; and scores of celebrated musicians, artists, scholars, scientists, doctors, architects, activists, politicians, and other black Washingtonians, whose energy, imagination, and hard work have made the city what it is today.

Featuring an insightful foreword by Eleanor Holmes Norton, District of Columbia Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, and an afterword by Howard University's E. Ethelbert Miller, The Black Washingtonians offers fast, easy access to authoritative information on every aspect of African American life in Washington, D.C. It is a valuable resource for scholars, historians, students, and anyone interested in African American history, the history of Washington, or the people and events that have had a profound impact on our nation as a whole.

From the jacket flap

African Americans have been a vital part of Washington's life and culture since the beginning. Now, the Smithsonian Institution's renowned Anacostia Museum brings the rich history of black Washington to life in this comprehensive and authoritative history.

Lavishly illustrated with hundreds of photographs, period paintings, and drawings, as well as a fascinating collection of historical documents, this striking volume puts the resources of the world's finest museum of African American history at your fingertips. It offers a detailed chronological account of African American contributions to the birth, growth, and complex social fabric of our nation's capital and explores the achievements of black Washingtonians in politics, business, education, religion, sports, entertainment, and the arts.

Central to the complex and inspiring story of The Black Washingtonians are the thousands of African American men and women who made major contributions to the city's physical, economic, social, and cultural development. You'll meet Benjamin Banneker, the self-educated clockmaker, writer, and astronomer who took part in the initial survey of the District's boundaries; the thousands of African American laborers, both slave and free, who literally built the city; and the three uneducated black men who founded the city's first free black academy in 1807.

You'll also meet the founder and first president of Howard University; the first African American ever elected to the United States Congress; and scores of celebrated musicians, artists, scholars, scientists, doctors, architects, activists, politicians, and other black Washingtonians, whose energy, imagination, and hard work have made the city what it is today.

Featuring an insightful foreword by Eleanor Holmes Norton, District of Columbia Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives, and an afterword by Howard University's E. Ethelbert Miller, The Black Washingtonians offers fast, easy access to authoritative information on every aspect of African American life in Washington, D.C. It is a valuable resource for scholars, historians, students, and anyone interested in African American history, the history of Washington, or the people and events that have had a profound impact on our nation as a whole.

Media reviews

Citations

• Booklist, 02/15/2005, Page 1054