Empire of Mud

The Secret History of Washington, DC

De: J. D. Dickey

Narrado por: John Lescault

Washington, DC, gleams with stately columns and neoclassical temples, a pulsing hub of political power and prowess. But for decades it was one of the worst excuses for a capital city the world had ever seen.

Before America became a world power in the 20th century, Washington City was an eyesore at best and a disgrace at worst. Unfilled swamps, filthy canals, and rutted horse trails littered its landscape. Political bosses hired hooligans and thugs to conduct the nation’s affairs. Legendary madams entertained clients from all stations of society and politicians of every party. The police served and protected with the aid of bribes and protection money. Beneath pestilential air, the city’s muddy roads led to a stumpy, half-finished obelisk to Washington here, a domeless Capitol Building there. Lining the streets stood boarding houses, tanneries, and slums. Deadly horse races gouged dusty streets, and opposing factions of volunteer firefighters battled one another like violent gangs rather than life-saving heroes. The city’s turbulent history set a precedent for the dishonesty, corruption, and mismanagement that have led generations to look suspiciously on the various sin - both real and imagined - of Washington politicians.

Empire of Mud unearths and untangles the roots of our capital’s story and explores how the city was tainted from the outset, nearly stifled from becoming the proud citadel of the republic that George Washington and Pierre L’Enfant envisioned more than two centuries ago.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2014 J. D. Dickey (P)2019 Blackstone Publishing

Fantastic

Really well written and well read. This should be required readying by all Americans. Great History book!

Effortlessly insightful

I was surprised by the number of events that connect directly to today's political debates. The book rarely hints at connections, leaving readers to arrange dots and lines from context clues. The second half was most unfamiliar and interesting, given previous reading on the Revolutionary era. The reader was good, not adding much excitement, but easy to follow.

informative but biased towards the negatives

I learned a lot from this book, but it focused a lot on the negatives of the history of the Washington DC. A reflection of the problems our country continues to face.

History of old muddy Washington

This book focuses on the history of Washington D.C. before the basically up to 1877, with most of the book being before the Civil War.
This book isn’t about politics history such as ‘during this time mayor blank did this’. No, instead it is more of a social history where you will learn about how the local population interact with the Congress elite, the social status of the various residents, how the city was laid out, how slavery affected the city etc.
it is well written and works perfectly good on audiobook. I would recommend this book especially for people to see not just poor and literally muddy the national Capital use to be, but also how the federal government essentially robbed the residents of D.C. of their rights with no resistance or protests from anyone.

Okay, I guess

Not a full history, of course. Kinda flat compared to similar city histories I’ve read on NYC, Chicago, LA, etc., but that’s D.C., I suppose.

Interesting

Had some interesting facts about the evolution of Washington DC and the surrounding areas

Badly written, terribly narrated, but still worth it.

This book had so much potential and I really did learn a lot about the history of Washington DC. Albeit in a confusing and disorganized way. In the end, it was just poorly written and organized, and the author did not make his points or the structure of the book clear. Worse was the narration.

Great read of a fascinating story

A fascinating history of Washington DC, mainly focused on the city in the 19th century. Wild, eye-opening tales of 1800s debauchery and violence read by an excellent narrator.

Not what I thought

This should be labeled more as a history of African Americans in D.C. It mildy delved into the actual geagraphy and buildings of the capital's history. Not very good!