An Example for All the Land: Emancipation and the Struggle over Equality in Washington, D.C.

by Kate Masur

Overview

An Example for All the Land reveals Washington, D.C. as a laboratory for social policy in the era of emancipation and the Civil War. In this panoramic study, Kate Masur provides a nuanced account of African Americans' grassroots activism, municipal politics, and the U.S. Congress. She tells the provocative story of how black men's right to vote transformed local affairs, and how, in short order, city reformers made that right virtually meaningless. Bringing the question of equality to the forefront of Reconstruction scholarship, this widely praised study explores how concerns about public and private space, civilization, and dependency informed the period's debate over rights and citizenship.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807899328
Publisher:	The University of North Carolina Press
Publication date:	10/04/2010
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	376
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Kate Masur is associate professor of history and African American studies at Northwestern University.
Kate Masur is assistant professor of history and African American studies at Northwestern University.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Kate Masur takes us to a distinctive place where the local and national struggles of Reconstruction coincided, and where the promises and limits of change—and the new meanings of equality—foreshadowed political dynamics on the many stages of late nineteenth-century America. An Example for All the Land is, for us, an example of freshly conceived and very thoughtful historical writing.—Steven Hahn, University of Pennsylvania

This is a model study, integrating social and political history, on an important but under-examined topic. Masur skillfully explores the implications of race and development politics in Washington, D.C., drawing a clear connection with the broader fate of Reconstruction and the public perception of urban corruption. I'm astonished that no one has tackled these issues before, and I'm pleased that Masur has done so this well.—Michael W. Fitzgerald, St. Olaf College

Until now, Washington, D.C. has been considered anomalous and marginal in the history of Reconstruction. But Kate Masur's study of the turbulent, and ultimately tragic, struggle to define and expand equal rights in the District will change that perception dramatically. This is an important and intriguing contribution to the scholarship on Emancipation and Reconstruction.—Michael Perman, author of Pursuit of Unity: A Political History of the American South

An Example for all the Land, clearly argued and deeply researched, represents a significant breakthrough in the crowded field of Reconstruction scholarship. Showing how Washington, D.C. became a laboratory for political experimentation, Masur reveals important new facets to the process of emancipation, the fight for racial justice, and the reconstruction of democracy for all Americans.—Laura F. Edwards, author of The People and Their Peace: Legal Culture and the Transformation of Inequality in the Post-Revolutionary South

The constriction of citizenship rights in the nation's capital is a story little told but rich with both symbolic and practical meaning. Masur's intriguing history of Reconstruction in the District is justified and fruitful.—Jane Dailey, University of Chicago

Editorial Reviews

Masur's elegant, nuanced study . . . is both a superb social and political history of the nation's capital during this crucial period and a significant contribution to the scholarship of race and Reconstruction. . . . Rich, well-researched, and well-conceived. . . . A sophisticated and fascinating treatment deserving of a wide audience. Highly recommended.—Choice



Kate Masur's original and widely ramifying study of post-emancipation struggles over equality in Washington, D.C. . . . [is] powerful indeed.—American Historical Review



[A] deeply researched, beautifully written narrative. . . . A must-read book, not only for those interested in the emancipation and Reconstruction but for anyone interested in the long, complicated, and contentious story of equality in the United States.—Civil War History



In all, Masur sets a new standard in Reconstruction historiography. In a stunning achievement, she has unearthed a lost democratic legacy that was previously unknown—and presented it poignantly and provocatively.—Journal of American History



A solid foundation for a comparative assessment of urban-based emancipation politics. . . . [This book] illuminates how Washington, D.C., provided important precedents for both expansive and limited views of emancipation and the rights of black people.—Journal of Southern History



[An] excellent book—Washington History



I highly recommend this book because Masur provides us a wonderfully well-documented and fascinating history of [Washington D.C.] with lessons for today….An important book….[and] a rewarding one that will hopefully evoke public debate and inspire new ideas for the future.—Susie's Budget and Policy Corner blog



A study worthy of the subject. Deeply researched and compellingly argued, Masur's book provides new insight. —Journal of the Civil War Era



Masur positions her work at the intersection of political and social history. . . [and] carefully reconstructs the interplay between national and local forces, between the general and the specific. . . . A compelling work that will serve as a model for similar studies for years to come.—Journal of American Ethnic History



[Masur's] book highlights how the District's direct relationship with a Republican-dominated Congress can help us assess the intentions and the limits of the GOP's commitment to racial equality.—Journal of the North Carolina Association of Historians

From the Publisher