Black Men Built the Capitol: Discovering African-American History In and Around Washington, D.C.

Historic sites along the Mall, such as the U.S. Capitol building, the White House and the Lincoln Memorial, are explored with stories and statistics about the role of African Americans in their creation. This is an iconoclastic guide to Washington, D.C., in that it shines a light on the African Americans who have not traditionally been properly credited for actually building important landmarks in the city.

In addition the book includes sections devoted to specific monuments such as the African American Civil War Memorial, the real “Uncle Tom’s cabin,” the Benjamin Banneker Overlook and Frederick Douglass Museum, the Hall of Fame for Caring Americans, and other existing statues, memorials and monuments. It also details the many other places including the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Martin Luther King Jr., National Monument.

Jesse J. Holland is a political journalist who lives in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C. He is the Congressional legal affairs correspondent for the Associated Press, and his stories frequently appear in the New York Times and other major papers. In 2004, Holland became the first African American elected to Congressional Standing Committee of Correspondents, which represents the entire press corps before the Senate and the House of Representatives. A graduate of the University of Mississippi, he is a frequent lecturer at universities and media talk shows across the country.

Lyons Press