BLACK MEN BUILT THE CAPITOL: Discovering African American History In and Around Washington D.C. is the first book to show readers the contributions that African Americans made to the U.S. Capitol, the White House, the Lincoln Memorial and other famous historical landmarks in Washington, D.C., as well guiding them to the many memorials, paintings, statues and tributes dedicated to African Americans at America’s greatest monuments.
Interest in African American tourism in Washington, D.C. will soon to be at an all-time high with the opening of the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Martin Luther King Jr. National Monument. Capitalizing on this rising tide, BLACK MEN BUILT THE CAPITOL takes its readers on a tour of the already-existing African American memorials, statues, artwork and landmarks on the National Mall, the most visited area in the nation’s capital, as well as other important sites in the Washington, D.C. area like the African American Civil War Memorial, the real “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” Benjamin Banneker Overlook and the Frederick Douglass Museum and Hall of Fame for Caring Americans.
Written by Washington-based political journalist Jesse J. Holland, BLACK MEN BUILT THE CAPITOL: Discovering African American History In and Around Washington D.C. provides the very first glimpse into the plans to erect several new museums and memorials to African Americans in Washington, D.C. and the surrounding areas, including the Martin Luther King National Monument, the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African American History and Culture, the United States National Slavery Museum, the Benjamin Banneker Memorial and others.
Finally, BLACK MEN BUILT THE CAPITOL serves as a handy tourism guide for travelers heading to the nation’s capital, providing maps and photographs of the attractions mentioned inside, information on parking, hours of operations, telephone numbers, Web sites and other information ensuring travelers can get the most out of their trip to the capital city.
With the publication of this book, the 18 million tourists who visit the capital every year will no longer be forced to leave the National Mall area to find out how African Americans contributed to America’s current wealth, prosperity and freedom. BLACK MEN BUILT THE CAPITOL: Discovering African American History In and Around Washington D.C. allows travelers and others interested in this country’s history to discover the contributions of African Americans and the memorials and markers left behind to honor them while still standing in the heart of the nation’s capital.