SubscribeGoogle PodcastsStitcherPodcast TranscriptThere was much debate among the 13 state representatives about the founding of the United States. What should the capital of the new nation be?The compromise reached was that the two states of Maryland, Virginia and Virginia each donated 100 square miles of land on the Potomac River to the Federal Capital.This episode of Everything Everywhere Daily explains Washington DC's past, present and future.-This episode is sponsored and produced by Audible.comToday's audiobook recommendation is Empire of Mud: The Secret History of Washington, DC, J. D. Dickey.Washington City, before America was a world power and an eyesore, was a disgrace. It was littered with unfilled swamps, dirty canals and rutted horse trails. To manage the affairs of the nation, political bosses employed hooligans as well as thugs. With the help of protection money and bribes, the police were able to serve and protect.Dusty streets were ravaged by deadly horse races, and volunteer firefighters fought one another more like violent gangs than life-saving heroes. Because of its turbulent past, the city was a model for corruption, dishonesty and mismanagement. This has led to generations being suspicious about the many sins committed by Washington politicians.Get a one-month free trial of Audible and 2 audiobooks for free by visiting audibletrial.com/EverythingEverywhere. Or click on the link in show notes.-The Continental Congress was sitting in Philadelphia in 1783 when Revolutionary War veterans seized them. It is also known as the Pennsylvania Mutiny (1783), and it was a demonstration to Congress of the need for the Federal government's own area that it could control, independent from any state.James Madison also echoed the sentiment in Federalist Paper number 43. He spoke out about the need for an independent area that the federal government could directly control.Article one, Section eight of the Constitution gave Congress the power to create a District not exceeding ten miles in size. This could be done by cession of certain states and acceptance by Congress.It did not specify where such a district should be located, nor did it require that such a district exist. It said it could be created.The passage uses a strange language. It states that it should not exceed ten miles square. At first glance, the Federal District's current area is 68 sq. miles. This seems to be in contravention of the constitution. Because ten miles square doesn't equal ten square miles. We'll get to that later.Compromise of 1790 resulted in the establishment of the federal district at the Potomac. Alexander Hamilton and his Federalists wanted to see the national government assume the war's state debts. The southern states opposed it.In return for taking on debt, the compromise allowed the new capital to locate in the south.George Washington, who owned Mount Vernon in Virginia, chose the exact spot.The original area was 10 miles long and 10 miles wide. The original district was approximately? Maryland donated approximately???? of the land, while Virginia donated approximately????. Maryland donated the land and Virginia donated it.Two towns existed in the region that became the new federal district, Alexandria, Virginia, and Georgetown, Maryland.Columbia was the new name of the district. It is a feminine version of Columbus. Columbia was one name that was floated, if you recall my episode about the United States's name.Official status was conferred upon the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801 and the Residence Act of 1790, which established the district.Washington, named after George Washington, was the new capital of the federally-controlled district east of Georgetown.Washington DC was at the time distinct from Alexandria DC or Georgetown DC.It was also split into two counties. Washington County was made up of all the Maryland land on the east side of the Potomac River. It did not include Georgetown or Washington City.Alexandria County encompassed everything west of Potomac but not Alexandria.The new capital city of Washington needed to be built in an area that was empty. This meant that everything had the to be completely new.Pierre Charles LEnfant was the one who designed the plan for Washington. He was a Frenchman who arrived in America to fight in Revolutionary War.The design that LEnfant created for the city is still in use today. The LEnfant Plan was the design that laid out the grid for the entire city. The US Capitol Building is at the center of the grid. There were also major boulevards that ran diagonally through the grid.Today, the city is divided into four quadrants, with the capital building in the middle.The British actually sacked the city during the War of 1812. The British burned the White House, Capitol Building and other structures that were important to the fledgling federal government. The vote to move the federal district north was held in congress, but failed by 83 votes to 74.I have mentioned several times that the district used to be on both sides the Potomac River. However, that is not the case today. It is now only on the eastern bank of the river.All development took place on the east bank because the capital was located there. The west bank, which was once part of Virginia, was ignored.As with most things in America's early 19th-century, slavery was the main issue. People living on the west bank were worried that slavery would be eliminated in their district. They petitioned for the return of Virginia.The Virginia legislature requested in 1846 that their land be returned. Congress agreed on July 9, 1846. Arlington County, Virginia is the name of the part that was returned. It looks like the missing piece to make Washington DC square.Retrocession was the name for this return. I'll be discussing it more in a moment.Washington DC is a square cocktail napkin that measures about? It was torn off. The district is now made up of the Maryland parts.The sale of slaves in the district was banned in 1850. However, it was legal to own slaves.In the Civil War, Washington's location was crucial. Washington was literally at the border of hostile countries after the secessionists from the southern states.Washington was the focal point of a lot of Union and Confederate efforts during the war.Slavery was officially abolished by the southern members in congress on April 16, 1862. This made it a more attractive location for freed slaves to set up residence.The district saw a rapid increase in its population after the war. The district had 132,000 inhabitants by 1870, 75% more than in 1860.Washington was poor managed. Streets were not paved and basic sanitation was poor.To reflect the westward migration of the US population, there was a movement for the federal district to be moved to the west. One suggestion was to move St. Louis as the capital, which, at least geographically, made sense. It could be reached via all the major waterways of the country.The Organic Act of 1871 was instead passed. This completely reorganized the way that the district was managed.The charters for Washington and Georgetown were no longer separate. There was now one government for the entire district.The act also stated that the current limits of the city shall be extended to include the District.Technically speaking, Washington is one city. The City of Washington was once known as an area, but the law still calls it Washington. Informally, however, Washington encompasses the entire district.Georgetown, once a separate city, today is just a neighborhood in Washington, DC.Federal office buildings were generally kept within the boundaries of the district. However, this practice was eventually abandoned because there wasn't enough space. Many federal offices are located in Maryland and Virginia.There have been many questions about the status of the district since its inception.The United States is home to the District of Columbia, which is unique. It is not a state nor a territory.It is fair to say that founders did not envision a federal district housing hundreds of thousands of people. However, this is what actually happened.The problem is simple: although they are citizens of the United States, the District of Columbia residents do not have voting rights in Congress. They are also taxed like they live in a state, which is not the case for citizens of US territories.The Organic Act granted the District a non-voting position in Congress in 1871. However, it was abolished in 1875. It was not restored until 1970.Except for voting on bills on floor, the Washington DC representative is able to do all other things that any other member can. They can vote in a committee but not in the final vote.The 23rd Amendment addressed the problem of representation partially. It granted the Federal District. Although it does not mention Washington by name, the Federal District votes in the Electoral College at the same level as any other US state.The 1978 District of Columbia Voting Rights Amendment was approved by Congress and sent to the states for their ratification. Although it wouldn't have made Washington DC an independent state, it would have made the district eligible for representation in all purposes as if it was a state. It would also have repealed Amendment 23, which would then have been redundant.Only 16 of the 38 states that are required to ratify it were able to do so.DC statehood has been a topic of debate for quite some time.The District of Columbia isn't a territory, which is the problem. Puerto Rico has an easier path to becoming a state because it can do almost everything that Hawaii, Alaska, or any other state have done.However, the district is embedded in the constitution, particularly the 23rd Amendment. A constitutional amendment would be required to allow the entire district, as it exists today, to become a state.Although there have been many solutions to this problem, they all come with their own set of problems.One possibility is to redefine the Federal District's boundaries. This proposal is to reduce it to the area surrounding the Capitol Building, White House and National Mall. All other areas would be incorporated into the new Territory of Columbia.The new territory could apply for statehood as any other territory.This is where the problem lies. The 23rd Amendment would grant the new small district, likely made up of only a few people, three electoral votes. Depending on the location of the boundary, the President's family might be the only person who could actually live there. Even this would need some constitutional amendment, unless you wish to grant the current president three electoral votes each election.Retrocession is another option. One-third of the district had been returned to Virginia. This would mean that Maryland would get the remainder of the land and no federal district.This would allow everyone to be represented in Washington, but it would have to be done through Maryland. Although the 23rd Amendment could still be valid, it would not be applicable to federal districts.However, most people in the district are against retrocession. Maryland polls also show that they don't support retrocession. The majority of people want a Federal District.Another issue to be addressed if DC were made a state is what name it. Washington's name is already in use. Some suggestions for the state's name include Columbia, New Columbia and Potomac.The District of Columbia is an exceptional place in American geography. It is a sui generis entity, which is not a territory or state but has some aspects of each.
