"Snow-Storm in August:" D.C.'s First Race Riot (Rebroadcast)

http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2012-11-23/snow-storm-august-dcs-first-race-riot-rebroadcast
"Snow-Storm in August:" D.C.'s First Race Riot (Rebroadcast)

In 1835, a drunken slave entered his mistress' bedroom with an axe, setting in motion events that would lead to Washington's first race riot. We learn about the fascinating, and nearly forgotten, characters involved in the incident and its aftermath.

In pre-Civil War Washington D.C., free blacks ran successful businesses despite the continuation of the slave trade around them. In 1835, a drunken slave entered his mistress' bedroom with an ax, setting in motion events that would lead to the city's first race riot. We learn about the fascinating, and nearly forgotten, characters involved in the incident and its aftermath.

Guests

Jefferson Morley

author, "Snow-storm in August: Washington City, Francis Scott Key, and the Forgotten Race Riot of 1835"

Related Links

Jefferson Morley
Jefferson Morley for Salon
2005 Washington Post article on 'The Snow Riot' by Jefferson Morley

Related Items

Image of Snow-Storm in August: Washington City, Francis Scott Key, and the Forgotten Race Riot of 1835
Snow-Storm in August: Washington City, Francis Scott Key, and the Forgotten Race Riot of 1835

Read An Excerpt

Excerpted from "Snow-Storm in August: Washington City, Francis Scott Key, and the Forgotten Race Riot of 1835" by Jefferson Morley. Copyright © 2012 by Jefferson Morley. Excerpted by permission of Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

This is a rebroadcast. Please view the original broadcast to comment.

The Kojo Nnamdi Show is produced by member-supported WAMU 88.5 in Washington DC.