Washington DC: History

Pre-20th-Century History

The US Congress met in a variety of cities - Philadelphia, New York and Princeton among them - before the fledgling republic was ready to commit to a permanent seat of government. Congress chose the Potomac as a natural midpoint that would satisfy both northern and southern states (whose cultural and political differences were apparent well before the Civil War of 1861-1865). This spot had the added benefit of being across the river from George Washington's home in Mount Vernon.

Folks started referring to it as 'the city of Washington' around 1791 and the name stuck. Maryland and Virginia agreed to cede land to create the District of Columbia (named for Christopher Columbus), and an area 'ten miles square' (26 sq km) was laid out by African-American mathematician Benjamin Banneker and surveyor Andrew Ellicott. French engineer Pierre Charles L'Enfant was hired to design the city and though his elegant plan was widely admired, he quickly ran afoul of local politics. After L'Enfant was fired, Banneker continued to carry out L'Enfant's plans.

Work started on the ornate Capitol in 1793, but it was barely complete when British troops torched it in the War of 1812. Though the Capitol was eventually rebuilt, the city entered a slump from which it wouldn't recover for decades. A dispirited vote to abandon the capital lost by only nine votes. Charles Dickens visited and dismissed DC as 'the City of Magnificent Distances', complaining about 'spacious avenues that begin in nothing and lead nowhere; streets, milelong, that only want houses, roads, and inhabitants; public buildings that need but a public'.

The Civil War focused attention on Washington, bringing bivouacs, temporary hospitals and armies to its outskirts. The war's chaos and expense led Washingtonians to wonder whether construction of the elaborate Capitol dome might not be suspended. President Lincoln responded, 'If people see the Capitol going on, it is a sign we intend the Union shall go on.' In the war's aftermath, the Great Emancipator was assassinated in Ford's Theater (a memorial flag remains draped over the theatre box shrine today) and the role of the US capital changed from state-led administration to centralised leadership.

The town's ailing infrastructure was overhauled in the 1870s by territorial governor Alexander 'Boss' Shepherd, whose extravagant use of federal funds and penchant for steamrolling anything in his way led to a crackdown by Congress that robbed DC of self-government for another 100 years. For the citizenry, it was a high price to pay for a city beginning to look like it might fulfil L'Enfant's original vision of a world-class capital.

Modern History

A beautification plan at the start of the 20th century added most of the landscaping, parks, and monuments for which Washington is now well known. Nevertheless, until recently Washington suffered from its image as a Southern backwater. The Kennedy Center, established as a 'living memorial' to JFK, did much to bring cosmopolitan culture to the place.

The city's intense and divisive political climate is downright romantic to political activists. Spectacular free art is visible at every turn. DC has evolved into a national pilgrimage centre for many citizens (as was intended). Yet Washington is notorious too for the many severe problems that trouble its residents. Poverty, crime and racial segregation in the shadow of glorious monuments proclaiming 'equality for all' embarrass those who would hope to hold the nation's capital up as a model. Washington, DC, is no paragon, but it is a microcosm - of the grand ideals and grim realities of the nation.

Recent History

The nineties saw Washington fall into a disarray from which recovery has been slow. Mayor Marion Barry was videotaped smoking crack and the city was nicknamed the 'Murder Capital' as gang warfare became common on the streets. However, under the more low-key Mayor Williams, elected in 1999, Washington began to pull out of its decline and return to stability, assisted by nationwide boom times.

On September 11, 2001, terrorists attacked Washington, flying a hijacked United Airlines aircraft into the Pentagon, causing significant damage and killing all aboard the plane. A further plane crash-landed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania; it too was intended to hit a Washington target. On the same day two hijacked planes destroyed New York's twin towers, killing thousands of people. The terrorist attacks were the worst ever on US soil.

Despite security remaining high around Washington's key monuments, it is clear that the city has gone a long way towards repairing both the Pentagon and its damaged psyche, with visitors returning and hotels refilling. And, while crime remains a problem and District finances still need help, Washington's city is once more a place to live, not just to visit.

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