United States History - Social Aspects, Washington, D.C. - History, Elite, Regional Studies - Northeast & Middle Atlantic U.S., Upper Class
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Overview
In this social history of the nation's capital, Kathryn Allamong Jacob portrays the fancy dress balls, glittering embassy parties, and popular scandal that characterized Washington's high society during the Gilded Age. Jacob argues that the capital's social elite has always been unique because its fortunes - unlike those of aristocrats who ruled other American cities - are tied inextricably to the ubiquitous presence of the federal government. Jacob shows how the Civil War affected Washington like no other city, vanquishing the hereditary elite - the Antiques - and opening the gates to new millionaires - the Parvenues - who shaped the postwar society of the capital as they shifted its center from Lafayette Square to Dupont Circle. With plentiful detail about selfish First Ladies, bitter bluebloods, greedy lobbyists, and cabinet ministers who accepted bribes to support their families' social ambitions, Capital Elites describes the magnetic attraction of political power and the ways in which moneyed society affected the conduct of government during the Gilded Age.Editorials
Booknews
Jacob (National Historic Publications and Records Commission) portrays the parties and scandal that characterized the society in the nation's capital during the Gilded Age. She argues that the capital's social elite has always been unique because its fortunes are tied to the presence of the federal government. Jacob identifies three distinct aristocracies that competed for prominence during the period, and examines the ongoing clash between the Democratic residential elite and northern Republican elected figures. Includes b&w illustrations. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)Book Details
Published
October 28, 1994
Publisher
Washington [D.C.] : Smithsonian Institution Press, c1995.
Pages
344
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9781560983545