Capitol Men

An award-winning historian offers a sweeping new look at the tragic era of Reconstruction. In this grand and compelling new history of Reconstruction, Pulitzer Prize finalist Philip Dray shines a light on a little known group of men: the nation's first black members of Congress. These men played a critical role in pushing for much-needed reforms in the wake of a traumatic civil war, including public education for all children, equal rights, and protection from Klan violence. But they have been either neglected or maligned by most historians -- their "glorious failure" chalked up to corruption and "ill-preparedness." In this beautifully written, magnificently researched book, Dray overturns that thinking. He draws on archival documents, newspaper coverage, and congressional records to show that men like P.B.S. Pinchback of Louisiana (who started out as a riverboat gambler), South Carolina's Robert Smalls (who hijacked a Confederate steamer and delivered it to Union troops), and Robert Brown Elliott (who bested the former vice president of the Confederacy in a stormy debate on the House floor) were eloquent, creative, and often quite effective -- they were simply overwhelmed by the brutal forces of reaction. 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.