Before radio and sound movies, early 20th century performers and lecturers traveled the nation providing entertainment and education to Americans thirsty for culture. These "chautauquas" brought politicians, activists, scholars, musical ensembles and theatrical productions to remote communities. A conduit for global perspectives and progressive ideas, these gatherings introduced issues like equal suffrage, prohibition and pure food laws to rural America. This book explores an overlooked yet influential movement in U.S. history, capturing the vagaries of speakers' and performers' lives on the road and their reception by audiences. Excerpts from lectures and plays portray a vibrant circuit that in a single summer drew 20 million in more than 9,000 towns.

"In The Washington, D.C. of Fiction: A Research Guide, James A. Kaser provides detailed synopses for nearly four hundred works published between 1822 and 1976 and bibliographic information for hundreds more published since. Plot summaries, names of major characters, and location lists are also presented. Although this book was written to assist researchers in locating works of fiction for analysis, the plot summaries have enough detail for general readers so they can develop an understanding of the way attitudes toward Washington, and what the city symbolizes, have changed over the years. Similarly, the biographical section demonstrates the wide range of journalists, politicians, society women, and freelance writers who were motivated to write about the city."--BOOK JACKET.