Washington brotherhood: politics, social life, and the coming of the Civil War

Traditional portrayals of politicians in antebellum Washington D.C., describe a violent and divisive society, full of angry debates and violent duels, a microcosm of the building animosity throughout the country.

Yet this book paints a more nuanced portrait of Washington as a less fractious city with a vibrant social and cultural life.

Politicians from different parties and sections of the country interacted in a variety of day-to-day activities outside traditional political spaces and came to know one another on a personal level.