The Sword and the Broom: The Exceptional Career and Accomplishments of John Mercer Langston

Linda Salisbury's retelling of John Mercer Langston's autobiography From the Virginia Plantation to the National Capital brings to life to this almost forgotten African-American statesman. Despite discrimination and blatant racism before and after the Civil War, Langston's achievements are many in the field of education, as an attorney, as an elected official before he had the right to vote, as inspector general of the Freedmen's Bureau, as founder of Howard University's law school and its dean and later acting president. He received two degrees from Oberlin College, was an abolitionist, and was the first president of Virginia Normal and Collegiate Institute in Petersburg, Virginia (now Virginia State University). He was a contemporary and rival of Frederick Douglass, and finally was seated in the disputed election of 1888 as the first black congressman from Virginia. Salisbury has added photos and images to her book, as well as additional details to provide historical context.