SuitabookCapital Days
Tonya Bolden
- Reading
- Browse the archival images together, then pause at the diary excerpts to compare what Shiner records with the events and changes around him.
- Themes
- A life in a changing capital: Michael Shiner’s life and journal anchor an account of Washington’s growth across more than 60 years. The structure makes one person’s experience a route into a wider history of the capital.
- Slavery and freedom: The book identifies Shiner as formerly enslaved and includes the end of slavery among the historical changes it covers. These subjects are presented within a historical account; their specific framing and detail remain unclear.
- Worth knowing
- The book addresses enslavement and its ending, as well as the burning of Washington during the War of 1812 and the Civil War; these subjects may invite questions or require discussion.