A gripping narrative history of the explosive events that drew together Francis Scott Key, Andrew Jackson, and an 18-year-old slave on trial for attempted murder.
In 1835, the city of Washington pulsed with change. As newly freed African Americans from the South poured in, free blacks outnumbered slaves for the first time. Radical notions of abolishing slavery circulated on the city's streets, and white residents were forced to confront new ideas of what the nation's future might look like.
On the night of August 4th, Arthur Bowen, an eighteen-year-old slave, stumbled into the bedroom where his owner, Anna Thornton, slept. He had an ax in the crook of his arm. An alarm was raised, and he ran away. Word of the incident spread rapidly, and within days, Washington's first race riot exploded, as whites fearing a slave rebellion attacked the property of the free blacks. Residents dubbed the event the “Snow-Storm," in reference to the central role of Beverly Snow, a flamboyant former slave turned successful restaurateur, who became the target of the mob's rage.
In the wake of the riot came two sensational criminal trials that gripped the city. Prosecuting both cases was none other than Francis Scott Key, a politically ambitious attorney famous for writing the lyrics to “The Star-Spangled Banner,” who few now remember served as the city's district attorney for eight years. Key defended slavery until the twilight's last gleaming, and pandered to racial fears by seeking capital punishment for Arthur Bowen. But in a surprise twist his prosecution was thwarted by Arthur's ostensible victim, Anna Thornton, a respected socialite who sought the help of President Andrew Jackson.
Ranging beyond the familiar confines of the White House and the Capitol, Snow-Storm in August delivers readers into an unknown chapter of American history with a textured and absorbing account of the racial secrets and contradictions that coursed beneath the freewheeling capital of a rising world power.
"Snow-Storm in August is the sort of book I most love to read: history so fresh it feels alive, yet introducing me to a time and place that I had little known or utterly misunderstood. After reading Jefferson Morley's vibrant account, one can never hear 'The Star-Spangled Banner' the same way again."
—David Maraniss, author of Barack Obama: The Story
Snow-Storm in August
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Snow-Storm in August is the sort of book I most love to read: history so fresh it feels alive, yet introducing me to a time and place that I had little known or utterly misunderstood. After reading Jefferson Morley's vibrant account, one can never hear 'The Star-Spangled Banner' the same way again."
—David Maraniss, author of Barack Obama: The Story
"[Morley’s] plunge beneath the surface of history exposes realities more true to daily experience than executive proclamations or speeches in Congress. The book’s central motif is race, and the theme reverberates through a range of fascinating vignettes ... As an exploration of America’s capital city at a time when the fault line over slavery had become impossible to ignore, Snow-Storm in August deepens our appreciation of how slavery made a mockery of the founding and made the Civil War as close to inevitable as any event in our history."
—The Washington Post
"Morley skillfully weaves his several narrative threads into a vibrant and illuminating picture of the antebellum capital at a time when national stability depended on placating the owners of slaves ... [He] reveals a tangle of back stories that eventually lead deep into a tension-filled landscape of class resentments, provocative abolitionism and proslavery passions. It is a world peopled with vivid characters both black and white, among them, most intriguingly, the city's district attorney, Francis Scott Key, the author of 'The Star-Spangled Banner.'"
—The Wall Street Journal
"An elegant, readable narrative ... Snow-Storm in August touches on themes still relevant today: unresolved racial tensions, simmering resentment over economic disparity, influence peddling among the powerful, and the red-blue divide between conservatives and progressives over whether human property — and their descendants — deserve the full benefits of the new nation's famously stated ideals."
—The Minneapolis Star Tribune
"A stunning new work of cultural history ... Working on a large canvas, Morley succeeds in his ambitious aim to humanize many whose names, faces and voices were lost to time."
—U.S. News & World Report
"In a crackling good tale of the deep impact of race and politics on a young nation struggling to create its identity, Salon Washington correspondent Jefferson Morley boldly and elegantly recreates a moment in time when free black businessmen mingled with their white counterparts while proponents of slavery and abolitionists struggled to co-exist in the nation’s bustling capital."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Jefferson Morley has vividly and factually recreated a largely lost but pivotal time in Jacksonian Washington, an emerging, still somewhat primitive capital city where racial tensions among its complex mix of white, free black, and enslaved residents inevitably lead to violence and push the debate over abolition into the houses of Congress and the President. The historical characters, famous and forgotten, come to life in affecting and surprising ways without fictional artifice, a tribute to Morley's meticulous research and empathetic narrative style."
—Leonard Downie Jr., former executive editor of The Washington Post
"Morley vividly recreates the episodes connected to the riot, and dramatically depicts the personalities involved, giving important insight into race relations before the Civil War."
—The Columbus Dispatch
"A sprightly social history of the convergence of pro- and anti-slavery agitators in the city of Washington during the explosive summer of 1835. . . . Salon Washington correspondent Morley ably weaves the many strands together: An enterprising restaurateur of mixed race found that his success aroused the ire of resentful white patrons; an impressionable young slave hoping to educate and free himself ran afoul of his white mistress; a Yankee abolitionist newly arrived in town disseminated incendiary emancipationist literature; and the famous author of 'The Star-Spangled Banner,' serving as Jackson’s district attorney, pursued his job of punishing vice and enforcing slavery. . . . Morley alternates the characters and scenes of action for a suspenseful tale, culminating in the court of law where Key upheld the country’s oppression of African-Americans and thereby helped shape the rancorous debate over slavery. . . . Elegant and nimble history of a series of events likely unknown to many readers."
—Kirkus Reviews
"Morley’s gripping, fast-paced narrative captures all the drama that encompasses a rich cast of characters that includes Andrew Jackson, Francis Scott Key, Roger Taney, Sam Houston, and a host of others who inhabited the young nation’s capital ... Morley has given readers a noteworthy, insightful look into an often overlooked chapter in American history."
—Booklist
"Absorbing ... This book reminds us how deeply entrenched proslavery forces were in the nation’s capital and what a struggle it was for African Americans to receive justice and for abolitionists to be heard ... An enlightening account of racial tension in pre-Civil War America."
—BookPage
—David Maraniss, author of Barack Obama: The Story
"[Morley’s] plunge beneath the surface of history exposes realities more true to daily experience than executive proclamations or speeches in Congress. The book’s central motif is race, and the theme reverberates through a range of fascinating vignettes ... As an exploration of America’s capital city at a time when the fault line over slavery had become impossible to ignore, Snow-Storm in August deepens our appreciation of how slavery made a mockery of the founding and made the Civil War as close to inevitable as any event in our history."
—The Washington Post
"Morley skillfully weaves his several narrative threads into a vibrant and illuminating picture of the antebellum capital at a time when national stability depended on placating the owners of slaves ... [He] reveals a tangle of back stories that eventually lead deep into a tension-filled landscape of class resentments, provocative abolitionism and proslavery passions. It is a world peopled with vivid characters both black and white, among them, most intriguingly, the city's district attorney, Francis Scott Key, the author of 'The Star-Spangled Banner.'"
—The Wall Street Journal
"An elegant, readable narrative ... Snow-Storm in August touches on themes still relevant today: unresolved racial tensions, simmering resentment over economic disparity, influence peddling among the powerful, and the red-blue divide between conservatives and progressives over whether human property — and their descendants — deserve the full benefits of the new nation's famously stated ideals."
—The Minneapolis Star Tribune
"A stunning new work of cultural history ... Working on a large canvas, Morley succeeds in his ambitious aim to humanize many whose names, faces and voices were lost to time."
—U.S. News & World Report
"In a crackling good tale of the deep impact of race and politics on a young nation struggling to create its identity, Salon Washington correspondent Jefferson Morley boldly and elegantly recreates a moment in time when free black businessmen mingled with their white counterparts while proponents of slavery and abolitionists struggled to co-exist in the nation’s bustling capital."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Jefferson Morley has vividly and factually recreated a largely lost but pivotal time in Jacksonian Washington, an emerging, still somewhat primitive capital city where racial tensions among its complex mix of white, free black, and enslaved residents inevitably lead to violence and push the debate over abolition into the houses of Congress and the President. The historical characters, famous and forgotten, come to life in affecting and surprising ways without fictional artifice, a tribute to Morley's meticulous research and empathetic narrative style."
—Leonard Downie Jr., former executive editor of The Washington Post
"Morley vividly recreates the episodes connected to the riot, and dramatically depicts the personalities involved, giving important insight into race relations before the Civil War."
—The Columbus Dispatch
"A sprightly social history of the convergence of pro- and anti-slavery agitators in the city of Washington during the explosive summer of 1835. . . . Salon Washington correspondent Morley ably weaves the many strands together: An enterprising restaurateur of mixed race found that his success aroused the ire of resentful white patrons; an impressionable young slave hoping to educate and free himself ran afoul of his white mistress; a Yankee abolitionist newly arrived in town disseminated incendiary emancipationist literature; and the famous author of 'The Star-Spangled Banner,' serving as Jackson’s district attorney, pursued his job of punishing vice and enforcing slavery. . . . Morley alternates the characters and scenes of action for a suspenseful tale, culminating in the court of law where Key upheld the country’s oppression of African-Americans and thereby helped shape the rancorous debate over slavery. . . . Elegant and nimble history of a series of events likely unknown to many readers."
—Kirkus Reviews
"Morley’s gripping, fast-paced narrative captures all the drama that encompasses a rich cast of characters that includes Andrew Jackson, Francis Scott Key, Roger Taney, Sam Houston, and a host of others who inhabited the young nation’s capital ... Morley has given readers a noteworthy, insightful look into an often overlooked chapter in American history."
—Booklist
"Absorbing ... This book reminds us how deeply entrenched proslavery forces were in the nation’s capital and what a struggle it was for African Americans to receive justice and for abolitionists to be heard ... An enlightening account of racial tension in pre-Civil War America."
—BookPage
About the Author
JEFFERSON MORLEY is the Washington correspondent for Salon. He has worked as an editor and reporter at The Washington Post, The Nation, The New Republic, and Harper’s Magazine. His work has appeared in The New York Review of Books, The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post Book World, Reader’s Digest, Rolling Stone, and Slate. His first book was Our Man in Mexico: Winston Scott and the Hidden History of the CIA.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
In between the War for Independence and the Civil War calls for the abolition of slavery began to grow in number and volume, but few people could imagine whites and former black slaves living peacefully side-by-side. Some favored re-settling freed slaves in Africa or the Caribbean, but understandably most blacks viewed America as their home and didn't relish the idea of being shipped off to a land they'd never known. But it didn't stop a few abolitionists from agitating in southern states, and scattered reports of slave uprisings caused fear and anxiousness among those who owned such "human property."
Jefferson Morley tells the story of combustible race relations in 1835 in the young American capitol. Arthur Bowen, a young slave owned by Anna Thornton (widow of William Thornton, designer of the U. S. Capitol) who enjoyed a fair amount of liberty, came home very drunk late one night. What is known about the confusing events is that he picked up an axe and entered his mistresses' bedroom where his own mother also slept, and mumbled some drunken threats. His actual intent isn't known but the women panicked and Arthur was eventually arrested and charged with attempted murder. In the already charged atmosphere, mobs of white men quickly formed and threatened to take Arthur to "Judge Lynch."
At the same time a former slave named Beverly Snow (a man, not a woman) ran a popular and successful restaurant in Washington. Unlike Arthur, Beverly did not mix much with those pressing for emancipation, but was very forward and cheeky in promoting himself and his restaurant (which bothered some people). Rumors quickly spread that Snow had made offensive comments about white women, and the two situations combined to feed mob riots which came to be known as the "Snow-Storm."
Morley has written an interesting account of this long forgotten episode of history. He adds in the story of F. S. Key, whose song "The Star-Spangled Banner" was later adopted as the national anthem, and who as District Attorney prosecuted Bowen and Reuben Crandall, a white man who was allegedly circulating abolitionist newspapers. It's not a deep or dry history but is instead very readable, including dialog as it was recorded at the time ("edited for clarity") and it mostly avoids moralizing or making too many judgments. It's an interesting view of the atmosphere and tensions in society as slavery began it's long and painful death. (I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.)
Jefferson Morley tells the story of combustible race relations in 1835 in the young American capitol. Arthur Bowen, a young slave owned by Anna Thornton (widow of William Thornton, designer of the U. S. Capitol) who enjoyed a fair amount of liberty, came home very drunk late one night. What is known about the confusing events is that he picked up an axe and entered his mistresses' bedroom where his own mother also slept, and mumbled some drunken threats. His actual intent isn't known but the women panicked and Arthur was eventually arrested and charged with attempted murder. In the already charged atmosphere, mobs of white men quickly formed and threatened to take Arthur to "Judge Lynch."
At the same time a former slave named Beverly Snow (a man, not a woman) ran a popular and successful restaurant in Washington. Unlike Arthur, Beverly did not mix much with those pressing for emancipation, but was very forward and cheeky in promoting himself and his restaurant (which bothered some people). Rumors quickly spread that Snow had made offensive comments about white women, and the two situations combined to feed mob riots which came to be known as the "Snow-Storm."
Morley has written an interesting account of this long forgotten episode of history. He adds in the story of F. S. Key, whose song "The Star-Spangled Banner" was later adopted as the national anthem, and who as District Attorney prosecuted Bowen and Reuben Crandall, a white man who was allegedly circulating abolitionist newspapers. It's not a deep or dry history but is instead very readable, including dialog as it was recorded at the time ("edited for clarity") and it mostly avoids moralizing or making too many judgments. It's an interesting view of the atmosphere and tensions in society as slavery began it's long and painful death. (I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher.)
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By Holly H
Format:Hardcover
This is a must read for anyone with even a smidgeon of curiosity about American history. Morley's research is awesome. Having been flooded with historical writers who feel it's their right to put totally-fictitious words into the mouths of folks from centuries back, it's refreshing to read an account that meticulously documents every quote and other stated-fact.
It's hard to know who is the most interesting character in this book. Francis Scott Key, whom we've all heard of since the 2nd grade? The slave boy with an ax in his hand? His well-positioned elderly owner who defends him to her death? Or the freed-black DC restauranteur who loves food and charms us all? In Snow-Storm in August we don't need to make a choice, for Morley weaves them all together into a story (a true story!) that grips our attention.
It's hard to know who is the most interesting character in this book. Francis Scott Key, whom we've all heard of since the 2nd grade? The slave boy with an ax in his hand? His well-positioned elderly owner who defends him to her death? Or the freed-black DC restauranteur who loves food and charms us all? In Snow-Storm in August we don't need to make a choice, for Morley weaves them all together into a story (a true story!) that grips our attention.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Scott
Format:Hardcover
All in all I have to give this work high marks as a thought provoking and interestingly written bit of antebellum history. If you're interested in antebellum history, especially with a focus on local and Southern matters, or free persons of color before the Civil War, I think you will enjoy it. That being said, I have a few bones to pick with the author on what he chose to put and not put into the book.
a) I find it strange that he goes so much into the case of Sam Houston's assault on Congressman Stanbery and Key's defense of Houston, but doesn't mention that Houston left for Texas almost immediately after the trial or how Houston's role in Texas Independence were almost contemporaneous with the main events in this book.
b) Although he mentions several of the misadventures of Key's children that took place in the general time frame of the riot, you would think the author would have the space to mention that his son Phillip Barton Key also was appointed US Attorney for the District in 1853, and was murdered on the streets of the capital by Congressman Dan Sickles (who Key had cuckolded) in 1859. Since he mentions the violent death of one son by a duel in the book you would think he would mention Phillip Barton Key at least in passing.
c) Francis Scott Key's namesake and grandson Francis Key Howard was editor of the pro-Southern Baltimore Exchange. In September 1861 he was arrested on orders of general McClellan for editorials he had written opposing suspension of habeus corpus. He spent over a year in prison, some of it ironically enough at Ft. McHenry. With the emphasis the author places on Francis Scott Key's legal attempts to suppress "seditious writings" this would seem to be noteworthy. Coincidentally the Postmaster General who signed off on Edward's arrest was Montgomery Blair, son of the Francis Blair mentioned often in the book.
All of the above would seem to be at least worth a mention in the Epilogue or Postscript.
Also his short digression on "red" America and "blue" America, where the "blues" believe "that freedom of expression is the prerequisite of a free society" is a bit amusing coming as it does on the heels of the Mohammed You Tube controversy. According to Jefferson Morley's CV he has written for Slate.
The week before I started this book I read Eric Posner's essay in Slate where he said we needed to be more "circumspect" when it comes to the First amendment.
a) I find it strange that he goes so much into the case of Sam Houston's assault on Congressman Stanbery and Key's defense of Houston, but doesn't mention that Houston left for Texas almost immediately after the trial or how Houston's role in Texas Independence were almost contemporaneous with the main events in this book.
b) Although he mentions several of the misadventures of Key's children that took place in the general time frame of the riot, you would think the author would have the space to mention that his son Phillip Barton Key also was appointed US Attorney for the District in 1853, and was murdered on the streets of the capital by Congressman Dan Sickles (who Key had cuckolded) in 1859. Since he mentions the violent death of one son by a duel in the book you would think he would mention Phillip Barton Key at least in passing.
c) Francis Scott Key's namesake and grandson Francis Key Howard was editor of the pro-Southern Baltimore Exchange. In September 1861 he was arrested on orders of general McClellan for editorials he had written opposing suspension of habeus corpus. He spent over a year in prison, some of it ironically enough at Ft. McHenry. With the emphasis the author places on Francis Scott Key's legal attempts to suppress "seditious writings" this would seem to be noteworthy. Coincidentally the Postmaster General who signed off on Edward's arrest was Montgomery Blair, son of the Francis Blair mentioned often in the book.
All of the above would seem to be at least worth a mention in the Epilogue or Postscript.
Also his short digression on "red" America and "blue" America, where the "blues" believe "that freedom of expression is the prerequisite of a free society" is a bit amusing coming as it does on the heels of the Mohammed You Tube controversy. According to Jefferson Morley's CV he has written for Slate.
The week before I started this book I read Eric Posner's essay in Slate where he said we needed to be more "circumspect" when it comes to the First amendment.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book about a great city and a great man
I do not often write book reviews... I think this might be my first since high school. I first learned of the book when I heard the author on the Kojo Nnamdi show last year. Read more
Published 18 days ago by I. Sterne
3.0 out of 5 stars
Snow-Storm in August
This is a well written entertaining book. However, how much of it is true? On page 33 Mr. Morley state the "fact" that "Jefferson kept a slave mistress, Sally Hemings". Read more
Published 1 month ago by vmiman
5.0 out of 5 stars
A small book with a big impact
A delightful read. Sandwiched between the Revolution and the Civil War, the 1830's have received little attention. A true story that reads like a novel. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Norma D. Wright
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great piece of history.
This is good companion to the movie "Lincoln" and "Team of Rivals". Well researched and presented. A part of history I knew nothing about.
Published 2 months ago by jrv
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good, interesting read. Accessible.
I thoroughly enjoyed this glimpse into our capitol city's history and its main characters. Recommended. I liked the way Morley interwove the story lines.
Published 3 months ago by Theresa Herman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating and reads like a novel
Jeff Morley did a terrific job of making history read like a novel and most importantly, bringing to light a little known part of slave/black history. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Michael J. Hoare
2.0 out of 5 stars
Great story but with a hidden agenda?
Loved the history portrayed and the author did a great job with the narrative but a few comments were made (especially ch. 42pg. Read more
Published 3 months ago by g klarr
5.0 out of 5 stars
All DC lawyers should read!
Attended college in late 60s in DC, been civil rights lawyer for years, never knew anything about this important part of DC history. Great read as well.
Published 4 months ago by susan french
4.0 out of 5 stars
Vocabulary
The book focuses on Washington in the 1830s and the tensions that developed with the abolition movement. Read more
Published 5 months ago by James Lande
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not compelling
I heard Morley interviewed on NPR and the book sounded great. It is not as compelling as it seemed in the interview. Read more
Published 5 months ago by ACB
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