Creating Washington, DC

As we interact with visitors on tour everyday, we get lots of questions about what it is like to live in the nation’s capital region, how to get around the confusing street grid and why buildings, monuments, and memorials were placed in certain places that might not make sense in the modern day.  Our answers to many of those questions relate back to the founding of Washington, DC; the literal creation of a federal city in a place that was basically wilderness at the time of its selection.  There’s never enough time to explain the whole story, so we are excited to use our blog space to take a little more time with the details.

1789 - The Capital in New York

George Washington's First Inauguration at Federal Hall in NYC. Photo Source

When the Constitution was ratified and a government established in 1789, one of the first problems to tackle was where the government should actually meet.  George Washington’s first inauguration was held in New York City, in what is now the financial district.  This was not the preferred location for anyone and significant efforts were made to resolve the issue. 

However, the establishment of Washington, DC as our nation's capital was not the first choice of our founding fathers. 

Northern states preferred New York City which was convenient for New England and the mid-Atlantic states.  Southern states and developing Western territories each wanted to move the government to their region to attempt to sway federal power to their locality.  Finally, Philadelphia felt that they were the obvious and default location given its previous importance to the Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention.  City elders and some state officials were determined to roll out the red carpet for the new government, but all of this political intrigue backfired.  Among competing issues, it became clear that settling the federal government under the domain of city leaders and state officials would lead to a lot of infighting.

1776 map of Philadelphia, America's biggest city. Photo Source

The Residence Act of 1790 was a compromise on every issue, from those who wanted the federal government small, and those who sought to expand it, those who wanted the federal government to pay off war debts and those who thought states should manage on their own and those who thought we should end slavery and those who defended the institution as essential to the economy. All of these ideas impacted the selection of the site for the nation’s capital.  The debate was temporarily managed when Alexander Hamilton met with Thomas Jefferson and James Madison for dinner. Their agreement is perhaps the first instance of “log rolling” or vote trading in order to get legislation passed, with Madison promising he wouldn’t block Hamilton's debt plan if Hamilton promised to drum up support for the capital to be located along the Potomac River. 

1790 - Defining Washington, DC

The Potomac was George Washington's favorite spot. Washington spent a lot of his youth as a land surveyor for the English Crown, and although he had already selected a spot, he kept his feelings for the Potomac River a secret. The site was close to his home, Mount Vernon, and it was easily accessible for trade, with both river and sea routes. When Congress hashed out the compromise for a Potomac River capital, Washington’s carefully selected site was suddenly not only viable, but in fact, the agreed upon location of the future seat of the United States government.

Congress passed the Residency Act of 1790 which established that the government would head back to Philadelphia, the seat of the Continental Congress during the Revolution, for a period of ten years.  Then it ordered that the new federal city on the Potomac would be ready for occupation in 1800. By establishing that a national capital would be constructed and inhabited, Congress created a city, but had very little plan for it.

Mapping Washington, DC

Once the land of the federal district had been agreed upon, it was time for Washington to pick sites for the buildings in which the President and Congress would reside. Ultimately, Washington knew exactly where he wanted them, but needed to plan for land acquisition. With significant emphasis on procuring the lands, Washington may have made a costly misstep in choosing a city planner.

Oldest known drawing of L'Enfant's plan. Photo Source

The selection of the 37 year-old French architect, Maj. Pierre L’enfant seemed bizarre, as many, more experienced architects had applied such as Joseph Clark, who had designed many buildings in Annapolis, Maryland and had several recommendations from people like Thomas Jefferson. Nevertheless, being moved either by his application or the fact that L’enfant fought with Washington during the Revolution, Washington went with L’enfant. 

L’enfant’s design was one that echoed the great cities of Europe, with diagonal streets radiating from a central point overtop a traditional city grid system. He designed the city this way to have the ceremonial aspects of the city (the US Capitol building and the President’s Mansion) be easily accessible from anywhere in the District. As such, L’enfant’s plan is still how the city is laid out today, with streets named after states going out in a radial form across lettered and numbered grid streets. 

Detailed Ellicott map of Washington, DC. Photo Source

Despite the attractive city design, which Congress and President Washington approved of, L’Enfant proved very difficult to work with.  He ignored the directives of the city commissioners and refused to share the details of his city plan as though withholding the genius of a painting or sculpture until the artist’s planned reveal.  After warnings from Washington himself, L’Enfant was dismissed and replaced with Andrew Ellicott as civil engineer and surveyor.  Ellicott employed Benjamin Banneker, a well-educated Maryland neighbor, and a free black man.  The duo managed to complete a detailed map of the entire District and began laying boundary markers each mile around the square.

The original city design includes the pre-existing city of Georgetown and Alexandria. However, in 1846 Arlington County and the city of Alexandria retroceded back to the Commonwealth of Virginia. Alexandria had never benefited from joining Washington DC as the monumental buildings were only built on the north side of the river and its citizens had lost the right to vote in federal elections.  Finally, In the lead-up to the Civil War, Alexandrians grew increasingly concerned that the District wanted to abolish slavery outright, and they did not. Thus around ⅓ of the land laid out for the District was returned and what was originally a perfect 10 mile by 10 mile square was reduced to 68 square miles total with a river border along the Potomac River. 

A view of the DC square and how the Potomac now forms a border. Photo Source

1860s - Washington DC booms

While DC’s population was slow to grow, the outbreak of the Civil War made it a thriving metropolis, bustling with trade and commerce on every street. The city was the first to abolish slavery in the Union, doing so a whole 9 months before Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation with the District of Columbia Emancipation Act of 1862. This, coupled with the pro-union stance of many in DC during Reconstruction, made DC a shining beacon for African Americans looking for a new life. In 1874, African Americans made up around 25% of the population of DC. By 1975 when Home Rule was established, they made up 70% of the population. This, coupled with the prevalence of opportunities for black students such as HBCU Howard University, created a rich cultural center for African Americans in DC, which it still is to this day. 

The federal government still held direct control of the legal affairs of the city, a point of contention that has lasted throughout the ages. For a short period of time when the district was a federal territory in 1871, African Americans were able to make changes in their communities. However, shortly after the federal government revoked this power and created a system where 3 federally-appointed magistrates ran the city. This change was made, in part, to limit the growing political power of the African American population in DC. 

Students gathered at Howard University. Photo Source

1973 - Washington, DC Home Rule begins

The story of Washington DC governance is a winding tale, but in its most recent version, DC has been operating under Home Rule since 1973.  Congress allowed for residents of the District to vote for their own mayor, city council, and neighborhood advisory councils.  But layers of oversight still exist.  Congress can and has reviewed and changed laws made and approved by the city.  In addition, city residents are still not represented in the Senate, and only have a non-voting delegate in the House. Though since the 1960s they have been permitted to vote for President and Vice President.

Modern aerial view of DC with original street grid visible. Photo Source

The Residence Act is responsible for creating the original boundaries of what today is the great city of Washington, DC. Since 1790, DC has risen beyond being merely the seat of government. Check out our Instagram for more about leaps in communication technology that began here in DC, amazing museum collections and other famous Washingtonians such as Walt Whitman, Clara Barton and more!

Whether you are touring on Capitol Hill with us, or strolling through Penn Quarter on the Lincoln Assassination tour, or even exploring Georgetown’s long and dark history, the topic of the formation of Washington DC is a constant.  To learn more about this theme and to dive into history all over the city, join us at unscripted.tours!