Dickey, in his book Empire of Mud: The Secret History of Washington

Dickey beautifully portrays the essence of Washington City during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in his book Empire of Mud: The Secret History of Washington, DC. It gives a throbbing reason for the distressing political force and the adverse way of life. For several decades, the area was considered one of the toughest places to live. The weak democratic processes sparked a national uproar and trembled Washington, sending the city through a tumultuous traumatizing encounter. It was a complete shame bundle of overflowing issues with polluted canals, corruption, and prostitution. The whole chapter describing the policing system depicts it to have been terrible and instead of serving its people, it became a hub for bribery causing despair in people. The city was full of disgrace and with Dickey presenting the city’s turbulent story to have been embedded in the mismanagement of funds, corruption, and dishonesty.

Dickey explains that the capital city of Washington was full of “muck” and which maintained traditional climate (Dickey 36). It was filled with septic tanks that carried diseases instead of being a point of pride to the city. All kinds of infectious diseases including malaria filled the air of Washington and the numerous canal outlets causing more agony. These canals were originally constructed to be channels that would bring commerce but on the contrary, they turned into open sewers and run to the capitol. Pennsylvania had furrows of unpleasant mud during the rainy seasons and massive dust in the hot seasons. According to Dickey, the city was the center for racial divides. Racism persisted and the minority faced problems in the hands of the filthy minorities. Washington remained to be one of the most racially segregated areas in the region in the 19th century. The slavery trade was an economic activity that aided in the building of the city’s people with blacks being the major victims. The market for slaves did operate openly and individuals underwent brutal treatment such as being chained and dragged to the market. The legacy built in Washington by the slave trade is explained by Dickey to have deeply become disturbing aspect. The book also indicates that capital city was anchored in on the edges of corruption in the government and immorality such as prostitutions.

Reaction to the Book

Dickey’s book, Empire of Mud: The Secret History of Washington, DC brings Washington City to life through narrating how the city appeared, felt and event functioned during the era of Civil War. I agree that the book is historically entertainment with stories featuring local history enthusiasts and the curiosity created in the scandals. Indeed, the book is an eye-opening to the history of Washington which deeply looks at the capital during the 19th century. In dickeys description, he magnificently shows how the city was squalid, sordid, corrupt and filthy. He correctly examines the dark side and how it impacted on the people’s lives along with its evolution into the fiefdom ruled by national politicians. He comprehensively managed to make a coverage of every evilness that existed including murders, poor politics, greed, slavery, and prostitution. Furthermore, he unfolds the aspects of dueling, incompetence, and war. He miserably paints and portrays the city to have been internally built on the edges of chaos, crime, and grandiose plans. Manifestly, these aspects languished the city in the seas of great problems for many decades.

The author remains true to the subject of Washington City and explains that due to the 1801 Organic Act, the people of Washington did not have voting rights. The existing government failed to fully fund the key sectors driving it into a shambling mess. In a splendid manner, Dickey demonstrates how waste products were poured near the waterways and the hogs and cows freely roamed in the streets. More depressingly, the book narrates how yellow fever along with malaria rapidly spread claiming lives while on Pennsylvania Avenue, children begged for money. He even reports that Washington Dc was “one of the nation’s most prominent depots of slave trading” indicating how slavery was a big problem (Dickey 107). The kidnappings made in this slavery act were horrifying and more traumatizing.

Additionally, in Dickey’s sharp writing, he enables the reader to realize the unexpected heroes in the time who help in the building of the city’s history. For example, Sayles Bowen who was the Post-bellum mayor is evident to have fueled the laws of opening public accommodation for the blacks and impose fine penalties to the organizations that did turn down the black clients. Clearly, he helped in fighting the problem of slavery. Hannah Ropes, a civil war nurse is said to have blown the instances of corruption in her hospital. Along with other numerous heroes mention by Dickey, the book shades light to heroes who would otherwise have never been remembered in the history Washington City.

Many large American cities did evolve in a haphazard manner. The reader is able to tell that, over the course of its evolution, the City’s origin is traced back to the primitive trading centers, the rudimentary agricultural settlements, and the Native American meeting sites. In this history, the author continuously emphasizes how the city proved to be different in various periods. It is a revealing, an engrossing and a relentless disturbing account of the urban development and founding. He illustrates that Confederation Congress members were frightened by threats that aroused from the disgruntled units of the military in Philadelphia and the way they saw the need to make an establishment of a more secure city. He clearly illustrated the instabilities that arose from political and social dimensions in the development of the city. The slow expansion of the city provided a fertile ground for the corrupt individuals, greedy and prostitution.

In a witty and engagement manner, the book tells a story of the formation of Washington City that interests the reader. He has a clever writing style that is historically glorious. The book does make clear illustrations on how tenuous Washington City was in the seat of power. For instance, whatever is currently called the Federal Triangle, it previously housed criminals and prostitutes and thrived the growth of corruption. He relates the ugly aspects of the hospital and a government of ill reputation. He also gives a description of the public works which transformed the city’s monumental state. The author also did vast research on the politics of the DC especially on Shepard Boss who greatly filled his cronies’ pockets. Typically, the book provided a well-researched history that could otherwise have been forgotten. In the period after its formation, it shows that for half a century, the place turned to be a degradation which was lampooned by people. This built the strong intensity of dislike and the emblematic gridlock was the city’s stump.

Instances of inhumane treatment and immorality were very rampant. The black people were treated as chattel which was inhumane. Even though the city became a magnet for the freed blacks to start new lives, it was also a place characterized by kidnappings and help people captive and devastatingly sent people to slavery. Besides, the chapter that described prostitution shows how the city prevailed on edges of wickedness. Additionally, few employment opportunities were available to women and promoting gender inequality. The chapter on police also shows cases of immorality as they were only interested in corrupt activities. Besides, the value of this book is embedded in the connecting dots on the issues of conflicts that prejudiced the African Americans and the trajectory of the city’s development.

Criticisms

A number of critics can be pointed out from the book. For example, the history of the book on the role of capital in the Civil War does mainly focus on the actions and the life of Abraham Lincoln. In an epic form, the book describes his biography but hardly illustrates what the city of Washington resembled in the dark years or even what its people experienced while in the battles. Given that the wars steered the center of power in Congress, White House and War Department it is evident that the city experienced more drastic changes between the years 1861-1865 compared to other cities that are not fully described. The book could have explained these changes. Besides, I agree with the in-depth research that the Dickey did in writing this book. However, the research proves to be only chronological collections which are anecdotes that are arranged other than presenting a coherent history. These anecdotes seem to emphasize more on giving sensational detail sets as oppose to focusing on the larger context.

In another critique, the author did trust the readers that they would require and rejoice on the numerous chapter breaks evident in this book. Every chapter of the book is broken down into other three sub-chapters which are only followed by few number of paragraphs and every section requires a transition to segue from the previous sub-chapter. I disagree with this aspect. The book could have brilliantly flowed without these breaks. The breaks make the reader to not effectively build up the momentum of the book and even become lazy in reading. Also, the description given of the Washington city appears too bent on diminishing Washington City compared to other cities. For example, the notes that Washington city did not have a University during the era while at the time Georgina University did exist and even offered degree courses. Additionally, one aspect that could have added a flour to the book is if the author could have tied the historical places on the current day positions of the city other than dwelling only on the historical recounts of the city’s life.

Conclusion

In a fascinating way, Dickey’s book provides well build historical insights and reveals the undemocratic form of the city along with portraying the nature of the capital city’s immorality. The book untangles and unearths the roots of Washington capital city formation. The numerous topics covered in this book provide an enlightenment to the historical condition of the capital and all that surrounded racism, slavery, social classes, and development. The book digs deep into the fabric of the people and the places they inhabited along with their cultural contexts. Furthermore, the book remains readable and engages the audience. Remarkably, it takes the reader through the rise and fall of neighborhoods and the people who had an impact on it.







Work Cited

Dickey, Jeff. Empire of Mud: The Secret History of Washington, DC. Stanton. Lyons Press (2014) 1st ed.