Speaking Ill of the Dead: Jerks in Washington, D.C., Historyfeatures twenty short biographies of notorious bad guys, perpetrators of mischief, visionary if misunderstood thinkers, and other colorful antiheroes from the history of the nation’s capital. Emilee Hines reveals the dark side of some well-known and even revered characters from America’s past—both part-time Jerks and others who were Jerks through and through. They include:   - John Adams, our second President, who signed the Alien and Sedition Acts into law - Aaron Burr, the second Vice President, who killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel - Thomas Jefferson, our esteemed third President—and a first-class hypocrite - John Wilkes Booth, Lincoln’s assassin - Preston Brooks, who caned Charles Sumner in the Senate Chamber - Congressman William C. Breckinridge, who had an adulterous affair with a teenage girl - Joseph McCarthy, the man behind the term “McCarthyism”   A delightfully wicked look at those who have shaped American history through their deeds and misdeeds, this book is a must for residents and visitors to Washington, D.C., and environs, as well as readers of popular history.