Why is dc the district of columbia

People already living in the area were abruptly disenfranchised by the creation of Washington, D. This rankled, and for the last two centuries, Washington residents have pushed to rule themselves. Though they gained a municipal charter in —which came with the right to elect a member city council—it was abruptly dumped in when Washington was temporarily absorbed into a territorial government, then ruled by three presidentially appointed commissioners. Washington residents continued to pressure the federal government for broader rights.

In , they gained the right to vote for president with the passage of the 23rd Amendment , and in , the Home Rule Act granted them a representative local government with a mayor and city council. These pictures reveal the real D. But Washingtonians still lack the self-governance and voting rights enjoyed by other Americans. Local laws in Washington still are subject to Congressional review.

They have no Congressional representation aside from a nonvoting delegate in the House of Representatives. And despite increasing pressure to become a 51st state, the District is still disenfranchised to this day.

All rights reserved. Why isn't Washington, D. It started with a drunken mob. Residents have incrementally gained voting rights and self-governance since Congress established jurisdiction over the U. However, today's , Washingtonians still do not have voting representation in Congress.

Share Tweet Email. Why it's so hard to treat pain in infants. This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city. Animals Wild Cities This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city Caracals have learned to hunt around the urban edges of Cape Town, though the predator faces many threats, such as getting hit by cars. India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big. Environment Planet Possible India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big Grassroots efforts are bringing solar panels to rural villages without electricity, while massive solar arrays are being built across the country.

Go Further. Animals Climate change is shrinking many Amazonian birds. Animals Wild Cities This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city. In September , the commissioners named the federal city in honor of Washington and dubbed the district in which it was located the Territory of Columbia. The name Columbia, derived from explorer Christopher Columbus, was used during the American Revolution era as a patriotic reference for the United States In , the Territory of Columbia officially was renamed District of Columbia.

Congress met in Washington for the first time in November the man for whom the city was named had died in December of the previous year , and in February the District of Columbia, which at the time also included the cities of Alexandria and Georgetown, was placed under the control of Congress.

House of Representatives. The 23rd Amendment gave citizens of D. Start your free trial today. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us!

Even before coming of age, DC was nearly completely destroyed. During the War of against Great Britain, enemy forces invaded the city and burned much of it to the ground, including the newly completed White House, the Capitol and the Library of Congress including all of its books.

After the devastation, the city remained small, especially in terms of permanent residents. Soon it would become smaller in physical size as well.

In , the portion of the city that had originally belonged to Virginia was retroceded, after the voters of Alexandria elected to leave DC, feeling that they had been left out of development on the other side of the river.

You can still see some surviving, original markers for the District today. The city only increased in size as a result of the Civil War. Slaves owned in Washington were emancipated on April 16, , nine months before the Emancipation Proclamation, and it therefore became a hub for freed slaves.

After, it remained a home to a significant and vibrant African American population, which included abolitionist Frederick Douglass. A substantial army was set up just to protect the capital during the war, and the federal government grew around this administration.