Isabella Carter
The District of Columbia, also known as Washington, D.C., was established in 1790 through Article One, Section Eight of the United States Constitution, which granted Congress exclusive jurisdiction over the city. The district was formed from land donated by the states of Maryland and Virginia, and its name was derived from explorer Christopher Columbus and as a reference to the original 13 colonies. While the District of Columbia has its own local government, Congress retains the right to review and overturn laws created by the council and intervene in local affairs. Over the years, there have been ongoing efforts to grant the district full voting rights and representation in Congress, with the Twenty-third Amendment in 1961 giving residents the right to vote in presidential elections.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of creation | 1790 |
| Location | Along the Potomac River, formed from land donated by Maryland and Virginia |
| Size | 10 miles (16 km) square |
| Name origin | Named after Washington, and the Territory of Columbia, in reference to Christopher Columbus, the original 13 colonies, and the United States during the American Revolution |
| Government | The Council of the District of Columbia, established by the District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973, with an elected mayor and a 13-member council |
| Voting rights | The Twenty-third Amendment granted presidential voting rights in 1961, and the right to elect a School Board in 1963. The District gained a non-voting delegate to the House of Representatives in 1970. |
| Statehood | The District has voted in support of statehood, approved a state constitution, and proposed boundaries. Bills for statehood have been regularly introduced but have failed to pass Congress. |
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What You'll Learn
- The US Constitution grants Congress exclusive jurisdiction over the city
- The Twenty-third Amendment gave the district three votes in the Electoral College
- The District of Columbia Home Rule Act established a local government
- The district's name comes from Christopher Columbus and the original 13 colonies
- The district's size was reduced when a third of its land was returned to Virginia
The US Constitution grants Congress exclusive jurisdiction over the city
The District of Columbia was established in 1790 when Congress passed the Residence Act, which approved the creation of a national capital on the Potomac River. The exact location was to be selected by President George Washington, and the land was ceded by the states of Maryland and Virginia. The initial shape of the federal district was a square measuring 10 miles (16 km) on each side.
The District of Columbia did not have an elected local government until the passage of the 1973 Home Rule Act, which devolved certain Congressional powers to an elected mayor and a 13-member Council of the District of Columbia. However, Congress retains the right to review and overturn laws created by the council and intervene in local affairs.
There have been ongoing efforts to grant the District of Columbia full voting rights and representation in Congress. In 1961, the Twenty-third Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified, granting the district three votes in the Electoral College for the election of the president and vice president. In 1970, the District gained a non-voting delegate to the House of Representatives, and in 1978, the District of Columbia Voting Rights Amendment passed both chambers of Congress, but it failed to receive the necessary ratifications by the deadline. In 1982, a constitution for the state of New Columbia was ratified by District voters, and bills to admit New Columbia as the 51st state have been regularly introduced in Congress.
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The Twenty-third Amendment gave the district three votes in the Electoral College
The District of Columbia was created by the United States Constitution, which was adopted on September 15, 1787. Article 1, Section 8, Clause 17 of the Constitution, also known as the District Clause, authorised the establishment of a federal district under the exclusive legislative authority of Congress. This district was not to exceed 10 miles square.
On July 16, 1790, Congress authorised President George Washington to choose a permanent site for the capital city, and on December 1, 1800, the capital was moved to an area along the Potomac River. The federal district was formed from land donated by Maryland and Virginia and was initially named the Territory of Columbia. The name "Columbia" was a reference to Christopher Columbus and the original 13 colonies, and it was later renamed the District of Columbia.
While the District of Columbia is not a state, its residents have been granted limited voting rights through various amendments and acts. The Twenty-third Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1961, granted the district's residents the right to vote in presidential elections. This amendment gave the district three votes in the Electoral College for the election of the president and vice president. However, it did not afford the city's residents representation in Congress.
The Twenty-third Amendment states that the district shall appoint:
> "A number of electors of President and Vice President equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives in Congress to which the District would be entitled if it were a State, but in no event more than the least populous State."
This means that the district gets three electoral votes in the Electoral College, which is the constitutionally implied minimum number. The district's residents elect presidential electors, similar to other states. These electors then vote for the presidential candidate who won in their state. The Twenty-third Amendment was a significant step in recognising that citizens of the District of Columbia have the same obligations as citizens of other states.
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The District of Columbia Home Rule Act established a local government
The District of Columbia was established in 1790, when Congress passed the Residence Act, which approved the creation of a national capital on the Potomac River. The Act permitted President George Washington to choose the exact location of the capital city, which was to be a federal district not exceeding 10 miles square.
The District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973 established a local government for the district, providing for an elected mayor and a 13-member Council of the District of Columbia. Each of the district's eight wards elects a single member of the council, and residents elect four at-large members to represent the district as a whole. The council chair is also elected at-large.
The Home Rule Act devolves certain Congressional powers to the local government, allowing the Council to pass local laws and ordinances. However, all legislation passed by the Council, including the district's local budget, remains subject to the approval of Congress, which retains the right to review and overturn laws created by the council and intervene in local affairs. For example, in 1988, Congress blocked D.C. from using local funds to cover abortion services through Medicaid.
Despite the establishment of a local government, the District of Columbia is not a state and does not have voting representation in Congress. The District's non-voting delegate serves as a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and its Subcommittee on Health Care, District of Columbia, Census, and the National Archives. The District is also overseen in the Senate by the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and its Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia.
Due to these limitations on local government, many citizens of the District continue to lobby for greater autonomy, such as complete statehood. Bills to admit New Columbia as the 51st state of the Union and expand the authority of the local government have been introduced in Congress but have failed to pass.
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![Register of Members of the Society of Sons of the Revolution in the District of Columbia, with the Constitution and by Laws. 1896 [Leather Bound]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/617DLHXyzlL._AC_UY218_.jpg)
The district's name comes from Christopher Columbus and the original 13 colonies
The District of Columbia, commonly known as Washington, D.C., is the capital of the United States. The name Columbia is a reference to explorer Christopher Columbus, as well as the original 13 colonies, and the United States during the American Revolution.
The creation of the District of Columbia is outlined in Article One, Section Eight of the United States Constitution, which grants the United States Congress exclusive jurisdiction over the city. This section permits the establishment of a "District (not exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular states, and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the government of the United States".
The location of the district was chosen by President George Washington in 1790, and the city was named after him. The district was originally called the "Territory of Columbia" before being replaced by the name "District of Columbia" nearly a century later. The name Columbia was a popular name for the United States during the American Revolution, and it also evoked the historical context of the newly discovered land by the explorer Christopher Columbus.
The District of Columbia was formed from land donated by the states of Maryland and Virginia, and it was chosen for its strategic advantages. The Residence Act of 1790 envisioned a 10-mile square district dedicated to the capital city, allowing for future defensive measures. The district's location along the Potomac River was selected by President Washington, who signed the Residence Act into law on July 16, 1790. The exact location of the capital city within the district was chosen by French-born architect and engineer Pierre Charles L'Enfant, who designed the city with wide avenues and open spaces.
The District of Columbia was established as a federal district under the exclusive legislative authority of Congress. The district did not have an elected local government until the passage of the 1973 Home Rule Act, which devolved certain Congressional powers to an elected mayor and a 13-member council. However, Congress retains the right to review and overturn laws created by the council and intervene in local affairs.
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The district's size was reduced when a third of its land was returned to Virginia
The District of Columbia was created by the District Clause of the United States Constitution. Article 1, Section 8, Clause 17 of the Constitution, which was adopted on September 15, 1787, included language authorising the establishment of a federal district. This district was not to exceed 10 miles square and was to be under the exclusive legislative authority of Congress.
The District of Columbia was formed from land donated by Maryland and Virginia. On July 9, 1790, Congress passed the Residence Act, which approved the creation of a national capital on the Potomac River. The exact location was to be selected by President George Washington, who signed the bill into law on July 16, 1790. The initial shape of the federal district was a square measuring 10 miles (16 km) on each side, totalling 100 square miles.
However, about one-third of the original land slated for the District of Columbia was later given back to Virginia, reducing the district to its current size. This process, known as retrocession, began with a locally-led movement in Alexandria in 1824. In 1832, residents of Alexandria County and the town of Alexandria voted on a proposal to rejoin Virginia, with over 40% of voters supporting retrocession. However, the majority chose to remain in the District.
In 1846, residents of Alexandria again voted in favour of returning the Virginia portion of the District of Columbia to the Commonwealth of Virginia. This time, the Virginia General Assembly supported the retrocession, and on July 9, 1846, Congress agreed to return all territory that Virginia had ceded during the District's formation. The retrocession was completed in March 1847, and the District assumed its current boundaries and area of 68.34 square miles.
The constitutionality of the retrocession has been questioned, as the contract clause in Article One of the Constitution prohibits states from breaching contracts. By annexing Alexandria in 1846, Virginia may have breached its contractual obligation to "forever cede and relinquish" the territory to the federal government. However, the Supreme Court of the United States never issued a firm opinion on the matter.
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Frequently asked questions
The creation of the District of Columbia is outlined in Article One, Section Eight of the United States Constitution.
Article One, Section Eight permits the establishment of a "District (not exceeding ten miles square) [...] [to] become the seat of the government of the United States".
The District of Columbia has its own mayor and a 13-member council, established by the District of Columbia Home Rule Act of 1973. The council is the legislative branch of the local government.
The District of Columbia was granted presidential voting rights by the 23rd Amendment in 1961. However, residents of the district do not have full voting rights in Congress.
