Washington, D.C. (formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington or D.C) is the capital city of the United States.
The American Constitution provided for a federal district under the exclusive jurisdiction of the U.S. Congress, and the District is therefore neither a state nor in a state.
The President of the United States and many major national government offices are in the city, making it the political center of the United States.
The 1789 United States Constitution specified that a capital city should be created in a district, but did not specify a location. In 1790, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Jefferson came to an agreement that the federal government would pay each state's remaining Revolutionary War debts in exchange for establishing the new national capital in the southern United States.
On July 9, 1790, Congress passed the Residence Act, which approved the creation of a national capital on the Potomac River. The initial shape of the federal district was a square measuring 10 miles (16 km) on each side, totaling 100 square miles (259 km2).
Half of the district was in Maryland and the other half was in Virginia, and the two states ceded this land to the U.S. government.
In 1791 President George Washington commissioned Pierre L'Enfant, a French-born architect and city planner, to design the new capital. L'Enfant's design featured broad avenues and streets radiating out from rectangles, providing room for many open spaces for monuments and parks. His plan also envisioned a garden-lined "grand avenue" approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) in length and 400 feet (120 m) wide in the area that is now the National Mall.
On September 9, 1791 the commissioners overseeing the construction of the United States' new capital city named it in honor of the first president: Washington, D.C.
L'Enfant chose Jenkin's Hill as the site for the Capitol building with a "grand avenue" (now Pennsylvania Avenue, NW) connecting it with the President's House, and a public space containing a broader "grand avenue" stretching westward to the Potomac River. The first cornerstone of the Capitol building was laid by George Washington on September 18, 1793.
Though the Senate wing building was incomplete, the Capitol held its first session of the United States Congress with both chambers in session on November 17, 1800. Under the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801, Washington, D.C., was placed under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Congress.
During the American Revolution, "Columbia" was used to describe all of America; that is why the capital of the USA is called Washington, District of Columbia.
On August 24–25, 1814, in a raid known as the Burning of Washington, British forces invaded the capital during the War of 1812. The British forces set fire to various government buildings including what is now known as the White House. President James Madison was forced to flee the burning Capitol building.
Most government buildings were repaired quickly; however, the Capitol was largely under construction at the time and was not completed in its current form until 1868.
The American Constitution provided for a federal district under the exclusive jurisdiction of the U.S. Congress, and the District is therefore neither a state nor in a state.
The President of the United States and many major national government offices are in the city, making it the political center of the United States.
 |
| Aerial photo of central Washington, D.C. |
HISTORY
The 1789 United States Constitution specified that a capital city should be created in a district, but did not specify a location. In 1790, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Jefferson came to an agreement that the federal government would pay each state's remaining Revolutionary War debts in exchange for establishing the new national capital in the southern United States.
On July 9, 1790, Congress passed the Residence Act, which approved the creation of a national capital on the Potomac River. The initial shape of the federal district was a square measuring 10 miles (16 km) on each side, totaling 100 square miles (259 km2).
Half of the district was in Maryland and the other half was in Virginia, and the two states ceded this land to the U.S. government.
In 1791 President George Washington commissioned Pierre L'Enfant, a French-born architect and city planner, to design the new capital. L'Enfant's design featured broad avenues and streets radiating out from rectangles, providing room for many open spaces for monuments and parks. His plan also envisioned a garden-lined "grand avenue" approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) in length and 400 feet (120 m) wide in the area that is now the National Mall.
 |
| Peter L'Enfant's 1791 plan for the federal capital city ( |
On September 9, 1791 the commissioners overseeing the construction of the United States' new capital city named it in honor of the first president: Washington, D.C.
L'Enfant chose Jenkin's Hill as the site for the Capitol building with a "grand avenue" (now Pennsylvania Avenue, NW) connecting it with the President's House, and a public space containing a broader "grand avenue" stretching westward to the Potomac River. The first cornerstone of the Capitol building was laid by George Washington on September 18, 1793.
Though the Senate wing building was incomplete, the Capitol held its first session of the United States Congress with both chambers in session on November 17, 1800. Under the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801, Washington, D.C., was placed under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Congress.
During the American Revolution, "Columbia" was used to describe all of America; that is why the capital of the USA is called Washington, District of Columbia.
On August 24–25, 1814, in a raid known as the Burning of Washington, British forces invaded the capital during the War of 1812. The British forces set fire to various government buildings including what is now known as the White House. President James Madison was forced to flee the burning Capitol building.
 |
| The British entered Washington, D.C., burning down buildings |
Most government buildings were repaired quickly; however, the Capitol was largely under construction at the time and was not completed in its current form until 1868.
Washington D.C.'s infrastructure faced challenges after the Civil War (1861-1865). The city was recovering from wartime damage and lacked some of the modern amenities that other major cities possessed. There were discussions about St. Louis as a potential capital. St. Louis was a major transportation hub at the time, and its central location was appealing to some. The proposals failure resulted in Congress approving a large amount of spending to modernize the Nation's Capital.
The first cherry blossom trees were planted in Washington DC on March 27, 1912. The Japanese cherry trees were a gift from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo City to the city of Washington.
Snowfall from the biggest recorded snowstorm in Washington, D.C., history caused the roof of the Knickerbocker Theatre to collapse, killing 98 people on January 28, 1922. It was the city's greatest loss of life.
The U.S. Congress granted home rule to Washington, D.C on December 24, 1973., allowing the residents to elect their own mayor and a city council.
The first 4.6 miles (7.4 kms) of the Washington Metro subway system opened on March 27, 1976. With an average of about one million trips each weekday, the Washington Metro is the second-busiest rapid transit system in the United States.
President Obama's 2009 inauguration saw the biggest daily volume in the history of the D.C. Metro.
Washington had an estimated population of 702,455 as of July 2018 making it the 20th most populous city in the United States. Commuters from the surrounding Maryland and Virginia suburbs raise the city's daytime population to more than one million during the workweek. Washington's metropolitan area, the country's sixth largest, had a 2017 estimated population of 6.2 million residents.
Washington D.C. has the highest proportion of African-Americans of American cities, with 51 percent.
The U.S. Capitol Building has a staircase of 365 steps from the basement to the top of its outer dome, to represent every day of the year.
The average Washington DC commuter wastes 74 hours and $1,495 per year in gas sitting in traffic.
Residents of the District of Columbia pay Federal taxes, but do not have representation in Congress as it is not a state. Since 2000, the license plates on the cars in Washington, D.C. have said, "Taxation Without Representation." This is a protest from people who live in Washington, D.C. about having to pay taxes to the United States without having a vote in the United States House of Representatives.
At 555 feet, 5 1/8 inches (169.3 meters), the Washington Monument is considered to be the tallest piece of free-standing masonry in the world.
The Washington Monument, the world's tallest obelisk, sustained more than 150 cracks from the 2011 Virginia earthquake.
The Mall in Washington, D.C. is 1.4 times larger than Vatican City.
The first 4.6 miles (7.4 kms) of the Washington Metro subway system opened on March 27, 1976. With an average of about one million trips each weekday, the Washington Metro is the second-busiest rapid transit system in the United States.
President Obama's 2009 inauguration saw the biggest daily volume in the history of the D.C. Metro.
FUN WASHINGTON D.C. FACTS
Washington had an estimated population of 702,455 as of July 2018 making it the 20th most populous city in the United States. Commuters from the surrounding Maryland and Virginia suburbs raise the city's daytime population to more than one million during the workweek. Washington's metropolitan area, the country's sixth largest, had a 2017 estimated population of 6.2 million residents.
Washington D.C. has the highest proportion of African-Americans of American cities, with 51 percent.
The U.S. Capitol Building has a staircase of 365 steps from the basement to the top of its outer dome, to represent every day of the year.
The average Washington DC commuter wastes 74 hours and $1,495 per year in gas sitting in traffic.
Residents of the District of Columbia pay Federal taxes, but do not have representation in Congress as it is not a state. Since 2000, the license plates on the cars in Washington, D.C. have said, "Taxation Without Representation." This is a protest from people who live in Washington, D.C. about having to pay taxes to the United States without having a vote in the United States House of Representatives.
At 555 feet, 5 1/8 inches (169.3 meters), the Washington Monument is considered to be the tallest piece of free-standing masonry in the world.
The Washington Monument, the world's tallest obelisk, sustained more than 150 cracks from the 2011 Virginia earthquake.
The Mall in Washington, D.C. is 1.4 times larger than Vatican City.
No comments:
Post a Comment