Pulitzer Prize History Winner

Washington: Village and Capital, 1800–1878

by Constance McLaughlin Green

Summary

Green follows the growth of Washington from a raw village carved out of the wilderness into a true national capital over the nineteenth century. She gives attention to its politics, its social divisions, and the lives of its Black residents alongside the workings of government. The book launched her two part history of the city and treats Washington as a community rather than merely a seat of power.

Historical Context & Significance

Constance McLaughlin Green won the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1963 for the first volume of her social history of the nation's capital.