Our federal capital, Washington, D.C., is a unique part of the United States. Washington, D.C. was established by the Constitution, and its exact location selected by President George Washington in 1790. Its status as a district rather than a state gives it a distinctive governing structure that has often been a source of contention for its residents. But it’s also a place of great beauty, monumental architecture, and history.
DC Civics Short_FINAL.mp3: Audio automatically transcribed by Sonix
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Nick Capodice :
Hannah, what's your favorite thing about Washington, D.C.?
Hannah McCarthy:
It's such a beautiful city. The whole thing is perhaps designed to be a monument to American democracy. What about you? What's your favorite thing?
Nick Capodice :
I gotta say the cherry blossoms and the steps of the Supreme Court. Regardless of if you've been there, or you haven't, on today's Civics 101 Short Mitch and Christina are gonna walk you through the history of D.C. and its modern-day operations.
Hannah McCarthy:
This episode is designed with middle schoolers in mind, but it can be enjoyed by anybody. Take it away, Mitch and Christina!
Mitch Scacchi:
What's the one thing every country has?
Christina Phillips :
Ummmmmmmm a flag?
Mitch Scacchi:
OK? Yes, but also a capital, the place where each country's government is based.
Christina Phillips :
Oh, that's right. And in the United States, our capital is Washington, D.C.
Mitch Scacchi:
And it has a fascinating history that we want to tell you all about. Hi, I'm Mitch.
Christina Phillips :
And I'm Christina. And today on Civics Shorts, we're telling the story of our federal capital, Washington, D.C.
(speaker):
"The home of the federal government of this land of ours is Washington, District of Columbia...."
Mitch Scacchi:
We start with the Constitution. Article I, section eight says that Congress has the power to set up a district that will become the seat of the United States government with land donated by certain states.
Christina Phillips :
When the first Congress under the current Constitution met the capital was in New York City. But in 1790, Congress passed the Residence Act, which said that, in ten years, there would be a new permanent seat of government, or capital, of the United States.
Mitch Scacchi:
In the meantime, the government set up temporary residence in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Christina Phillips :
Three Founding Fathers came up with the Residence Act: Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.
Mitch Scacchi:
Hamilton and northern states wanted the new federal government to take on all the states' debts from the Revolutionary War. In exchange, Jefferson, Madison and southern states wanted the nation's capital to be located in a part of the country that would be friendly to slave-holding and agricultural interests. So they chose the Potomac River, which runs through Maryland, Virginia, and what would later become West Virginia.
Christina Phillips :
This was the compromise of 1790, and it was President George Washington's job to choose the exact location on the river that, after ten years, would become the permanent capital of the United States.
Mitch Scacchi:
The founders wanted the capital to be a distinct district from the other states because it could be a neutral place for the states' representatives to meet and serve the nation. This is why the capital wasn't placed within a state. So instead the capital was put on land ceded, or donated, by Maryland and Virginia. Roughly 24 other countries also have capital districts or territories like this.
Christina Phillips :
After ten years of building and preparation, with a lot of it being done by enslaved labor, the District was placed under Congress's control, and it became the new and permanent capital of the United States. This was Washington, D.C.
Mitch Scacchi:
So D.C. stands for District of Columbia. But where did that name come from and when did Washington become a part of it?
Christina Phillips :
The federal territory is known as District of Columbia. The name Columbia comes from the female symbol of the United States. It's also the feminine form of Columbus, as in Christopher Columbus. The District of Columbia contains the federal city of Washington, named after President George Washington.
Mitch Scacchi:
In 1800, the 6th Congress became the first to meet in the new capital.
Christina Phillips :
That year, President John Adams and First Lady Abigail Adams became the first First Family to live in D.C. when the White House was almost finished.
Mitch Scacchi:
During this time, D.C. was definitely not the remarkable capital it would later become.
"What was Washington like in 1814? Miserable, tiny, small,...."
Christina Phillips :
And the city was barely completed before being nearly destroyed.
Mitch Scacchi:
During the War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain, British forces invaded the capital, burning most of it to the ground.
Christina Phillips :
But the city eventually recovered.
Mitch Scacchi:
Present-day Washington, D.C. is a lot different than the Washington, D.C. of the early 1800s. For one, it's physically smaller. In 1847, the land donated by Virginia was given back to the state. This is why D.C. is located only on the Maryland side of the Potomac River today. In total, the district is 68.34 square miles.
Christina Phillips :
It's also home to a lot more people. In 1800, Washington had a population of 3,210. According to the 2020 Census, the city has 689,545 residents, making it the 20th-most populous city in the United States.
Mitch Scacchi:
Despite its large and growing population, D.C. residents have constantly struggled for greater control over their own political affairs.
Christina Phillips :
Until relatively recently, Congress controlled nearly all aspects of the city. Imagine that, your city being governed by people who aren't even from there and are elected to serve people who actually live in other parts of the country? But there was some change in 1973 when the D.C. government was given certain powers over the city that had been held by Congress.
Mitch Scacchi:
The city government is made up of a mayor and a 13-member council. However, Congress still has some authority over the city, like the right to overturn the city government's laws and get involved in city affairs.
Christina Phillips :
But achieving representation in national government has remained an even greater challenge for D.C. residents.
Mitch Scacchi:
Because D.C. is not a state, it has no voting representation in Congress. Voters in the D.C. congressional district elect a non-voting delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives.
Christina Phillips :
This delegate can vote in congressional committees, but they can't vote on proposed bills on the House floor.
Mitch Scacchi:
Many D.C. residents feel they've been denied full representation in Congress, especially because the laws passed by Congress, like taxes, affect them just as much as they affect state residents who have full representation. You'll even see that many D.C. license plates have the phrase "Taxation Without Representation" written on them.
(speaker):
"I will not yield, sir. The District of Columbia has spent 206 years yielding. The people who would deny them the vote, I yield you no ground...."
Christina Phillips :
The most significant step taken so far was the 23rd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which was ratified in 1961. This gave D.C. a certain number of electoral votes for President and Vice President, as if it were a state. In other words, D.C. residents were finally able to vote for President and Vice President of the United States.
Mitch Scacchi:
Since then, the focus has been on congressional representation for D.C. residents.
(speaker):
"We ask you to right the wrong that occurred some 220 years ago when the residents of the District of Columbia were stripped of their full congressional representation...."
Christina Phillips :
The most recent constitutional amendment to be sent to the states for consideration was the District of Columbia Voting Rights Amendment in 1978. This would've given D.C. residents full representation in Congress, full representation in the Electoral College, and full participation in the constitutional amendment process, as if it were a state. But this amendment wasn't ratified.
Mitch Scacchi:
Another path toward achieving full representation would be statehood. In April 2021, the House of Representatives passed the Washington, D.C. Admission Act. This bill would make Washington, D.C. the 51st state.
Christina Phillips :
But D.C. statehood has not happened yet. There's even a debate about the process to do so, whether an act of Congress is enough or if statehood requires a constitutional amendment instead.
(speaker):
"There's no power in Congress to turn the district into a new 51st state...."
Mitch Scacchi:
Washington, D.C. is one of the most visited cities in the world.
Christina Phillips :
Here you'll find institutions of American government, like the Capitol Building, the White House, the Supreme Court, and other executive department and agency headquarters.
Mitch Scacchi:
One of the main attractions is what's called the National Mall.
Christina Phillips :
And no, not the shopping kind. This is the coolest mall ever.
Mitch Scacchi:
This is the area stretching from the Lincoln Memorial to the U.S. Capitol Building, with the Washington Monument in the middle. Monuments, memorials, and Smithsonian museums, like the National Air and Space Museum and the National Museum of American History, line the long, grassy mall.
Christina Phillips :
Instead of spending money and buying things, you just fill your brain with information.
Mitch Scacchi:
D.C. has also been the site of some of the most iconic moments in American history.
Christina Phillips :
In 1862, during the Civil War, enslaved people in D.C. were freed. The capital soon became a place for freed African-Americans and remained home to a large African-American population afterwards.
Mitch Scacchi:
About a century after the Civil War, Dr. Martin. Luther King Jr. and 250,000 people came to the capital city for the "March on Washington" to protest for the civil and economic rights of black Americans.
(speaker):
"We are requesting all citizens to move into Washington. We are pushing for jobs, housing, desegregated schools. This is an urgent request. Please join. Go to Washington...."
Christina Phillips :
At times, the strength of our democracy was tested in Washington, D.C. In 1972, a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex in D.C. led to the Watergate scandal and Richard Nixon becoming the only U.S. President to resign.
(speaker):
"I shall resign the presidency effective at noon tomorrow."
Mitch Scacchi:
As both a center of American and international power, and a major tourist attraction, D.C. is one of the most unique places on Earth.
Christina Phillips :
Politics, compromise, regional conflict, civil rights, national identity, and power - these are all part of the city's history. Now go visit!
Nick Capodice :
This episode was produced by Mitchell Scacchi with help from Jacqui Fulton, Christina Phillips, Hannah McCarthy, and Nick Capodice.
Hannah McCarthy:
Erika Janik is our Executive Producer. Music in this episode by Wildlight and Blue Dot Sessions.
Nick Capodice :
You can listen to more Civics 101 at civics101podcast.org. Civics 101 is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and is a production of NHPR, New Hampshire Public Radio.
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