District of Columbia (until 1871) facts for kids
The District of Columbia was created in 1801 to be the federal district of the United States. This special area was set aside for the nation's new capital city, which would be called the City of Washington. Before 1801, this land was part of Maryland and Virginia. The U.S. government took control of it to build its own capital.
The district officially began with the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801. This law gave it its own judges and marshals. Before this, it was known as the Territory of Columbia. The United States Constitution said the federal district should be up to 100 square miles (259 km2).
The new district included three smaller cities: Alexandria (from Virginia), Georgetown (from Maryland), and the specially planned City of Washington. Important buildings like the White House and the United States Capitol were already built by 1800. The plan for Washington City was created in 1791. The city itself was officially formed in 1802.
Outside these cities, the rest of the district was mostly farmland. The 1801 Act divided this land into two counties: Washington County, D.C. on the Maryland side, and Alexandria County, D.C. on the Virginia side. Today, Alexandria County is Arlington County, Virginia and the independent city of Alexandria, Virginia.
The U.S. Congress directly governed the district from the start. In 1846, Alexandria City and County were given back to Virginia. This process was called retrocession. This happened partly because a ban on the slave trade (but not slavery itself) was expected in the district by 1850.
Washington and Georgetown kept their separate city governments for 70 years. Then, the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871 changed everything. This act ended the separate city governments and brought the entire district under one single government. This made the terms "District of Columbia" and "Washington" mean the same thing.
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Choosing the Capital's Location
The U.S. Congress decided where the capital would be located. In 1790, they passed the Residence Act. This act said the capital should be along the Potomac River, between the Anacostia River and what is now Williamsport, Maryland. The federal district could be up to 10 miles square.
President George Washington chose the exact spot. He knew the area well because his home, Mt. Vernon, was nearby. The location was a compromise between the Southern and Northern states. Virginia wanted the capital, but New York and Pennsylvania, which had hosted the capital before, disagreed. Maryland, a Southern state like Virginia, was chosen as a compromise.
President Washington asked for the city of Alexandria to be included in the district. However, no federal buildings could be built there. The new capital district was roughly in the center of the country at the time. About two-thirds of the original district was in Maryland, and one-third was in Virginia, with the wide Potomac River in the middle. Surveyors mapped the district in 1791–92. Many of the original stone markers still exist today. Washington decided the capital would be between the mouth of the Anacostia River and Georgetown.
How the District Was Governed
Early Governing Bodies
From its beginning in 1801, the U.S. Congress directly controlled the federal district. This was allowed by the United States Constitution. There was no district governor or executive body. Congress created special committees to manage the district's daily needs. For example, they passed laws to buy fire engines or build new streets.
The different parts of the district had their own local governments. The three cities (Georgetown, the City of Washington, and Alexandria) had their own city governments and mayors. Robert Brent was the first mayor of the City of Washington, appointed by President Thomas Jefferson in 1802.
The rural areas of the district were part of either Alexandria County D.C. (west of the Potomac) or Washington County, D.C. (east of the Potomac). These counties had boards of commissioners that handled local government tasks.
Voting Rights for Residents
When the district was created in 1801, the law did not allow its residents to vote for local, state, or federal representatives. This was a big problem for the people living there.
Many people thought this was unfair. Before 1801, citizens in this area could vote in Maryland and Virginia elections. Even James Madison, one of the Founding Fathers, believed that citizens of the federal district should have their voices heard through voting. However, the necessary words were simply left out of the 1801 law.
People immediately complained. Some even compared their situation to the colonists who fought against "taxation without representation" during the Revolutionary War. Despite these complaints, the law went into effect. Congress had full control and did not give voting rights back to district residents until the 1960s. Even today, the district does not have full voting representation in Congress. Its local government, established in 1973, is still closely reviewed by Congress.
Alexandria Returns to Virginia (1847)
People living in Alexandria felt they were not benefiting from being part of the District of Columbia. No federal buildings could be built on their side of the Potomac River, and they had no representation in Congress. Many wanted to return to Virginia.
Alexandria was also a center for the trade of enslaved people. Residents worried that if the District banned this trade, their economy would suffer. To prevent this, Alexandria County held a vote. The voters asked Congress and Virginia to let them rejoin Virginia.
On July 9, 1846, Congress agreed to return Alexandria County to Virginia. This meant the district became smaller. After this, the trade of enslaved people was outlawed in the District of Columbia as part of the Compromise of 1850. If someone brought an enslaved person into the district for sale, that person would become free. Southern politicians did not want slavery banned entirely in the District, as they feared it would set a precedent. Slavery remained legal in the district until 1862. President Abraham Lincoln signed the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act on April 16, 1862, which freed enslaved people in the district. This day is now celebrated as Emancipation Day.
The Organic Act of 1871
The District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871 created one single government for the entire federal territory. This new government was called the District of Columbia. This law ended the separate governments of Georgetown, the City of Washington, and Washington County. By this time, the county also included other small towns and growing suburbs like Anacostia and Barry Farm.
The new district government had a governor appointed by the president for a four-year term. It also had an 11-member council (also appointed by the president), a locally elected 22-member assembly, and a five-person Board of Public Works. This board was in charge of modernizing the city. Alexander Robey Shepherd, a real-estate developer, was a key person behind this new law. He later became the second and final governor of the District, serving from 1873 to 1874.
The Seal of the District of Columbia features the date 1871. This date recognizes the year the district's government was officially formed as one corporation.
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