Washington, D.C., is home to the most influential power brokers in the world. But how did we come to call D.C.—a place one contemporary observer called a mere swamp "producing nothing except myriads of toads and frogs (of enormous size)," a district that was strategically indefensible, captive to the politics of slavery, and a target of unbridled land speculation—our nation's capital? In Washington , acclaimed and award-winning author Fergus M. Bordewich turns his eye to the backroom deal making and shifting alliances between our Founding Fathers and in doing so pulls back the curtain on the lives of slaves who actually built the city. The answers revealed in this eye-opening book are not only surprising and exciting but also illuminate a story of unexpected triumph over a multitude of political and financial obstacles, including fraudulent real estate speculation, overextended financiers, and management more apt for a "banana republic" than an emerging world power. In this page-turning work that reveals the hidden and somewhat unsavory side of the nation's beginnings, Bordewich, once again, brings his novelist's sensibility to a little-known chapter in American history.
Fergus Bordewich Ordre des livres (chronologique)
Fergus M. Bordewich est un auteur dont les ouvrages de non-fiction plongent dans des moments et des figures cruciaux de l'histoire américaine. Son écriture explore souvent l'interaction complexe entre le pouvoir politique, les changements sociaux et les questions raciales, découvrant des facettes moins connues de la formation de la nation. Grâce à de nombreux voyages et à un profond intérêt pour les dynamiques culturelles et politiques, Bordewich crée des portraits vivants et perspicaces du passé et du présent. Son style narratif se caractérise par une recherche méticuleuse et un talent pour rendre les sujets complexes accessibles et captivants.
