--- title: Washington, D.C. — English Wikipedia · full text with trees description: Wikipedia's «Washington, D.C.», whole, every sentence with its dependency tree and pragmatics, CC BY-SA 4.0. It begins: Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington, is the federal capital city of the United States, and its only federal district. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Washington,_D.C./) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [corpora](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/) / [wikipedia](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/) / [en](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/) / Washington, D.C. # Washington, D.C. From Wikipedia, [«Washington, D.C.»](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington,_D.C.), revision of the 2026-09-01 dump, [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). The trees and pragmatics of these pages, Mova's parse of that text, are CC BY-SA 4.0 too. The English Wikipedia article «Washington, D.C.», whole: 55 sections, 539 sentences and 12809 words, its 386 notes at the end. The marks in brackets «[n]» are Wikipedia's own, each leading to its note and source; the small number after every sentence leads to the sentence's own page with its syntax tree and pragmatics, parsed by Mova itself. **1** [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Washington,_D.C./page/2/) [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Washington,_D.C./page/3/) [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Washington,_D.C./page/4/) [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Washington,_D.C./page/5/) [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Washington,_D.C./page/6/) | Facts | | | --- | --- | | | **Washington, D.C.** | | | **[Federal capital city](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_city) · and [federal district](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_district)** | | | District of Columbia | | | Flag Seal | | | Nicknames: D.C., The District | | | Motto(s):; Justitia Omnibus; (Justice for All) | | | Anthem: "Washington"[\[1\]](page/6/#ref-1 "note 1") | | | Neighborhoods of Washington, D.C. | | | Coordinates: | | [Residence Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Residence_Act) | July 16, 1790 | | [Organized](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_Organic_Act_of_1801) | February 27, 1801 | | [Consolidated](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_Organic_Act_of_1871) | February 21, 1871 | | [Home Rule Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_Home_Rule_Act) | December 24, 1973 | | [Named after](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namesake) | [George Washington](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington); [Columbia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_%28personification%29) | | **Government** | | | • Type | [Mayor–council](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayor–council_government) | | • [Mayor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayor_of_the_District_of_Columbia) | [Muriel Bowser](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muriel_Bowser) ([D](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_Democratic_State_Committee)) | | • [U.S. House](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_of_Representatives) | [Eleanor Holmes Norton](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_Holmes_Norton) (D),; [Delegate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia%27s_at-large_congressional_district) (At-large) | | **Area** | | | • [Federal capital city](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_city); and [federal district](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_district) | 177.03 km² (68.35 sq mi) | | • Land | 158.316 km² (61.126 sq mi) | | • Water | 18.710 km² (7.224 sq mi) | | Highest elevation ([Fort Reno Park](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Reno_Park)) | 125 m (409 ft) | | Lowest elevation ([Potomac River](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potomac_River)) | 0 m (0 ft) | | **Population ([2020](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_United_States_census))[\[2\]](page/6/#ref-2 "note 2")** | | | • [Federal capital city](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_city); and [federal district](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_district) | 689,545 | | • Estimate (2025)[\[3\]](page/6/#ref-3 "note 3") | 693,645 | | • Rank | [67th in North America](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_North_American_cities_by_population); [22nd in the United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_cities_by_population) | | • Density | 4,355.4/km² (11,280.4/sq mi) | | • [Urban](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_area) [\[4\]](page/6/#ref-4 "note 4") | 5,174,759 (US: [8th](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_urban_areas)) | | • Urban density | 1,543.4/km² (3,997.4/sq mi) | | • [Metro](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_area) [\[5\]](page/6/#ref-5 "note 5") | 6,304,975 (US: [7th](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_metropolitan_statistical_areas)) | | Demonyms | Washingtonian[\[6\]](page/6/#ref-6 "note 6")s | | **GDP [\[7\]](page/6/#ref-7 "note 7")** | | | • [Federal capital city](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_city); and [district](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_district) | $184.298 billion (2024) | | • Metro | $749.108 billion (2024) | | [Time zone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_zone) | [UTC−5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UTC−5) ([EST](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Standard_Time)) | | • Summer ([DST](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight_saving_time)) | [UTC−4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UTC−4) ([EDT](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Daylight_Time)) | | [ZIP Codes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZIP_Code) | 20001–20098, 20201–20599, 56901–56999 | | Area codes | [202 and 771](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Area_codes_202_and_771)[\[8\]](page/6/#ref-8 "note 8")[\[9\]](page/6/#ref-9 "note 9") | | [ISO 3166 code](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISO_3166) | US-DC | Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington, is the [federal capital city](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_city) of the [United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States) [corpus](../United_States/ "in our corpus"), and its only [federal district](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_district_of_the_United_States).[\[10\]](page/6/#ref-10 "note 10")[1](1/ "tree and pragmatics") The city stands on the north-east bank of the [Potomac River](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potomac_River), across from the state of [Virginia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia) and surrounded on land by [Maryland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maryland) to its north, east, and south.[\[11\]](page/6/#ref-11 "note 11")[2](2/ "tree and pragmatics") The district was named for [Columbia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_%28personification%29), the female [personification of the American nation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_personification), through which human form and attributes are applied to the United States. "[3](3/ "tree and pragmatics") Washington" is a more recent addition to the city's common name, and is from the name of [George Washington](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington), the first [U.S. president](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_the_United_States).[4](4/ "tree and pragmatics") The [U.S. Constitution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_United_States_of_America) in 1789 called for the creation of a federal district under [exclusive jurisdiction](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_home_rule) of the [U.S. Congress](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Congress), which would become a constituent part of the Union that is not part of any [state](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._state) or [territory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territories_of_the_United_States).[5](5/ "tree and pragmatics") The [Residence Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Residence_Act), adopted on July 16, 1790, approved the creation of the [capital district](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_districts_and_territories) along the Potomac River, and is considered the city's founding date.[6](6/ "tree and pragmatics") In 1800, when the capital was moved from [Philadelphia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia), the [6th Congress](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6th_United_States_Congress) started meeting in the then-unfinished [Capitol Building](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Capitol), and the second president, [John Adams](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Adams), moved into the newly finished [White House](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House).[7](7/ "tree and pragmatics") In 1801, the District of Columbia, formerly part of Maryland and Virginia and including the existing settlements of [Georgetown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgetown_%28Washington,_D.C.%29) and [Alexandria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandria,_Virginia), was officially made the federal district; initially, the city was a separate settlement within the larger district.[8](8/ "tree and pragmatics") In 1846, Congress reduced the size of the district when it [returned the land that Virginia had ceded](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_retrocession), including the city of Alexandria.[9](9/ "tree and pragmatics") In 1871, it made the entire district into a [single municipality](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_Organic_Act_of_1871).[10](10/ "tree and pragmatics") There have been several failed efforts to [reduce the district further and admit the rest as a state](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_statehood_movement) since the 1880s, including a [statehood bill](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington,_D.C.,_Admission_Act) that passed the [House of Representatives](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_House_of_Representatives) in 2021 but was not adopted by the [U.S. Senate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate).[11](11/ "tree and pragmatics") [Designed in 1791](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Enfant_Plan) by [Pierre Charles L'Enfant](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Charles_L%27Enfant), the city is split into [quadrants](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadrants_of_Washington,_D.C.) that meet at the Capitol Building, with 131 [neighborhoods](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neighborhoods_in_Washington,_D.C.) overall.[12](12/ "tree and pragmatics") As of the [2020 census](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_United_States_census), the city's population was 689,545.[\[2\]](page/6/#ref-2 "note 2")[13](13/ "tree and pragmatics") During the workweek, commuters from the city's Maryland and Virginia suburbs increase the city's daytime population to more than one million.[\[12\]](page/6/#ref-12 "note 12")[14](14/ "tree and pragmatics") The [Washington metropolitan area](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_metropolitan_area), which includes parts of Maryland, Virginia, and [West Virginia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Virginia), is the country's [seventh-largest metropolitan area](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_statistical_area), with a 2023 population of 6.3 million residents.[\[5\]](page/6/#ref-5 "note 5")[15](15/ "tree and pragmatics") [A locally elected mayor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayor_of_the_District_of_Columbia) and [13-member council](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_the_District_of_Columbia) have governed the district since 1973, though Congress retains the power to overturn local laws.[16](16/ "tree and pragmatics") Washington, D.C., residents do not have voting representation in Congress, but elect a single [non-voting congressional delegate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-voting_members_of_the_United_States_House_of_Representatives) to the U.S. House of Representatives.[17](17/ "tree and pragmatics") The city's voters choose three [presidential electors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Electoral_College) in accordance with the [Twenty-third Amendment](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twenty-third_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution), passed in 1961.[18](18/ "tree and pragmatics") Washington, D.C., anchors the southern end of the [Northeast megalopolis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northeast_megalopolis).[19](19/ "tree and pragmatics") As the seat of the [U.S. federal government](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_government_of_the_United_States), the city is an important [world political capital](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caput_Mundi).[\[13\]](page/6/#ref-13 "note 13")[20](20/ "tree and pragmatics") The city hosts buildings that house federal government headquarters, including the [White House](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House), U.S. Capitol, [Supreme Court Building](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Supreme_Court_Building), and [multiple federal departments and agencies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_federal_agencies_in_the_United_States).[21](21/ "tree and pragmatics") The city is home to many national [monuments and museums](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_museums_in_Washington,_D.C.), located most prominently on or around the National Mall, including the [Jefferson Memorial](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jefferson_Memorial), [Lincoln Memorial](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Memorial), and [Washington Monument](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Monument).[22](22/ "tree and pragmatics") It hosts [177 foreign embassies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_diplomatic_missions_in_Washington,_D.C.) and the global headquarters of the [World Bank](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Bank), [International Monetary Fund](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Monetary_Fund), [Organization of American States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organization_of_American_States), and other international organizations.[23](23/ "tree and pragmatics") Home to many of the nation's largest industry associations, non-profit organizations, and [think tanks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Think_tank), the city is known as a [lobbying](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lobbying_in_the_United_States) hub, which is centered on and around [K Street](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K_Street_%28Washington,_D.C.%29).[\[14\]](page/6/#ref-14 "note 14")[24](24/ "tree and pragmatics") It is also among the country's top tourist destinations; in 2022, it had an estimated 20.7 million domestic[\[15\]](page/6/#ref-15 "note 15") and 1.2 million international visitors, the seventh-most among U.S. cities.[\[16\]](page/6/#ref-16 "note 16")[25](25/ "tree and pragmatics") ## History Main article: [History of Washington, D.C.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Washington,_D.C.) ### Pre-founding The [Algonquian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algonquian_languages)-speaking [Piscataway people](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piscataway_people) inhabited present-day Washington, D.C. and lands around the [Potomac River](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potomac_River) when Europeans first arrived and [colonized](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_colonization_of_the_Americas) the region in the early 17th century.[26](26/ "tree and pragmatics") The [Nacotchtank](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nacotchtank), also called the Nacostines by [Catholic missionaries](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_missions), maintained settlements around the [Anacostia River](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anacostia_River) in present-day Washington, D.C. Conflicts with [European colonists](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_colonization_of_the_Americas) and neighboring tribes ultimately displaced the Piscataway people, some of whom established a new settlement in 1699 near [Point of Rocks, Maryland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_of_Rocks,_Maryland).[\[17\]](page/6/#ref-17 "note 17")[27](27/ "tree and pragmatics") ### Founding During the [American Revolution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolution) and [Revolutionary War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolutionary_War), [nine cities served as capitals](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_capitals_in_the_United_States#National_capitals) to the [Continental Congress](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Congress) and under the [Articles of Confederation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Articles_of_Confederation).[28](28/ "tree and pragmatics") Following independence, New York City briefly served as the first capital under the [Constitution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_the_United_States) before the capital returned to [Philadelphia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphia), where it remained from 1790 to 1800.[\[18\]](page/6/#ref-18 "note 18")[29](29/ "tree and pragmatics") On October 6, 1783, after the [Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_Mutiny_of_1783) forced the capital to move briefly from Philadelphia to present-day [Princeton University](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princeton_University) in [Princeton, New Jersey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princeton,_New_Jersey), Congress resolved to consider a new location for it.[\[19\]](page/6/#ref-19 "note 19")[30](30/ "tree and pragmatics") The following day, [Elbridge Gerry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elbridge_Gerry) of Massachusetts moved "that buildings for the use of Congress be erected on the banks of the [Delaware](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delaware_River) near [Trenton](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trenton,_New_Jersey), or of the [Potomac](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potomac_River), near [Georgetown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgetown_%28Washington,_D.C.%29), provided a suitable district can be procured on one of the rivers as aforesaid, for a federal town".[\[20\]](page/6/#ref-20 "note 20")[31](31/ "tree and pragmatics") In [Federalist No. 43](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federalist_No._43), published on January 23, 1788, [James Madison](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Madison) argued that the new [federal government](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_government_of_the_United_States) would need authority over a national capital to provide for its own maintenance and safety.[\[21\]](page/6/#ref-21 "note 21")[32](32/ "tree and pragmatics") The Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783 emphasized the need for the national government to not rely on any state for its own security.[\[22\]](page/6/#ref-22 "note 22")[33](33/ "tree and pragmatics") [Article One, Section Eight](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Article_One_of_the_United_States_Constitution#Section_8:_Powers_of_Congress) of the Constitution permits the establishment of a "District (not exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular states, and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the government of the United States".[\[23\]](page/6/#ref-23 "note 23")[34](34/ "tree and pragmatics") The Constitution, however, does not specify a location for the capital.[35](35/ "tree and pragmatics") In the [Compromise of 1790](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compromise_of_1790), Madison, [Alexander Hamilton](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Hamilton), and [Thomas Jefferson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Jefferson) agreed that the federal government would pay each state's remaining [Revolutionary War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolutionary_War) debts in exchange for establishing the new national capital in the [Southern United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_United_States).[\[22\]](page/6/#ref-22 "note 22")[\[24\]](page/6/#ref-24 "note 24")[36](36/ "tree and pragmatics") On July 9, 1790, Congress passed the [Residence Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Residence_Act), which approved creating a national capital on the [Potomac River](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potomac_River).[37](37/ "tree and pragmatics") Under the Residence Act, the exact location was to be selected by President [George Washington](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington), who signed the bill into law on July 16, 1790.[38](38/ "tree and pragmatics") Formed from land donated by Maryland and Virginia, the initial shape of the federal district was a square measuring 10 mi on each side and totaling 100 sqmi.[\[22\]](page/6/#ref-22 "note 22")[\[25\]](page/6/#ref-25 "note 25")[39](39/ "tree and pragmatics") Two pre-existing settlements were included in the territory, the port of [Georgetown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgetown_%28Washington,_D.C.%29), founded in 1751,[\[26\]](page/6/#ref-26 "note 26") and the [port](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Port) city of [Alexandria, Virginia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandria,_Virginia), founded in 1749.[\[27\]](page/6/#ref-27 "note 27")[40](40/ "tree and pragmatics") In 1791 and 1792, a team led by [Andrew Ellicott](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Ellicott), including Ellicott's brothers [Joseph](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Ellicott) and [Benjamin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Ellicott) and African American [astronomer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astronomer) [Benjamin Banneker](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Banneker), whose parents had been enslaved, surveyed the borders of the federal district and placed [boundary stones](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boundary_markers_of_the_original_District_of_Columbia) at every mile point; many of these stones are still standing.[\[28\]](page/6/#ref-28 "note 28")[\[29\]](page/6/#ref-29 "note 29")[41](41/ "tree and pragmatics") Both Maryland and Virginia were [slave states](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slave_states), and slavery [existed in the district](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_the_District_of_Columbia) from its founding, and much of its construction likely relied in significant part on slave labor; slave receipts have been found for the White House, Capitol Building, and establishment of [Georgetown University](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgetown_University).[42](42/ "tree and pragmatics") The city became an important [slave market](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slave_market) and a center of the nation's [internal slave trade](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slave_trade_in_the_United_States).[\[30\]](page/6/#ref-30 "note 30")[\[31\]](page/6/#ref-31 "note 31")[43](43/ "tree and pragmatics") After its survey, the new [federal city](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_city) was constructed on the north bank of the Potomac River, east of Georgetown and centered on [Capitol Hill](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitol_Hill).[44](44/ "tree and pragmatics") On September 9, 1791, three commissioners overseeing the capital's construction named the city in honor of President Washington.[45](45/ "tree and pragmatics") At the same time, the federal district was named Columbia,[\[22\]](page/6/#ref-22 "note 22") which was [a poetic name for the United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_%28personification%29) commonly used at the time, being the feminine form of the name "Colombus", in reference to [Christopher Columbus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus).[\[32\]](page/6/#ref-32 "note 32")[46](46/ "tree and pragmatics") Congress held its first session there on November 17, 1800.[\[33\]](page/6/#ref-33 "note 33")[47](47/ "tree and pragmatics") Congress passed the [District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_Organic_Act_of_1801), which officially organized the district and placed the entire territory under the [exclusive control](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_home_rule) of the federal government.[48](48/ "tree and pragmatics") The area within the district was organized into two counties, the [County of Washington](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_County,_D.C.) to the east and north of the Potomac River and the [County of Alexandria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandria_County,_D.C.) to the west and south.[\[22\]](page/6/#ref-22 "note 22")[49](49/ "tree and pragmatics") After the Act's passage, citizens in the district were no longer considered residents of Maryland or Virginia, and their representation in Congress ended.[\[34\]](page/6/#ref-34 "note 34")[50](50/ "tree and pragmatics") ### Burning during War of 1812 Main article: [Burning of Washington](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_of_Washington) On August 24, 1814, during the [War of 1812](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_1812), [British](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_of_Great_Britain_and_Ireland) forces occupied Washington after defeating an American army at the [Battle of Bladensburg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bladensburg).[51](51/ "tree and pragmatics") In retaliation for acts of destruction by American troops in the [Canadas](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadas), the British set fire to federal buildings in the city, gutting the [Capitol](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Capitol), [Library of Congress](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Congress), [Treasury Building](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasury_Building_%28Washington,_D.C.%29), and [White House](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House) in what became known as the [burning of Washington](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_of_Washington).[52](52/ "tree and pragmatics") The damage of the city's burning could have been more extensive, but a storm forced the British to evacuate the city after just 24 hours.[\[35\]](page/6/#ref-35 "note 35")[53](53/ "tree and pragmatics") Most federal buildings were repaired quickly, but the Capitol, which was then still under construction, was not completed in its current form until 1868.[\[36\]](page/6/#ref-36 "note 36")[54](54/ "tree and pragmatics") ### Retrocession and the Civil War Main article: [District of Columbia retrocession](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_retrocession), [Washington, D.C., in the American Civil War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington,_D.C.,_in_the_American_Civil_War) In the 1830s, the district's southern territory of [Alexandria](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandria,_Virginia) declined economically, due in part to its neglect by Congress.[\[37\]](page/6/#ref-37 "note 37")[55](55/ "tree and pragmatics") Alexandria was a major market in the [domestic slave trade](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slave_trade_in_the_United_States) and pro-slavery residents feared that [abolitionists](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abolitionism_in_the_United_States) in Congress would end [slavery in the district](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_the_District_of_Columbia).[56](56/ "tree and pragmatics") Alexandria's citizens petitioned Virginia to retake the land it had donated to form the district, a process known as [retrocession](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_retrocession).[\[38\]](page/6/#ref-38 "note 38")[57](57/ "tree and pragmatics") The [Virginia General Assembly](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_General_Assembly) voted in February 1846, to accept the return of Alexandria.[58](58/ "tree and pragmatics") On July 9, 1846, Congress went further, agreeing to return all territory that Virginia had ceded to the district during its formation.[59](59/ "tree and pragmatics") This left the district's area consisting only of the portion originally donated by Maryland.[\[37\]](page/6/#ref-37 "note 37")[60](60/ "tree and pragmatics") Confirming the fears of pro-slavery Alexandrians, the [Compromise of 1850](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compromise_of_1850) outlawed the slave trade in the district, although not slavery itself.[\[39\]](page/6/#ref-39 "note 39")[61](61/ "tree and pragmatics") The outbreak of the [American Civil War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War) in 1861 led to the expansion of the federal government and notable growth in the city's population, including a large influx of freed slaves.[\[40\]](page/6/#ref-40 "note 40")[62](62/ "tree and pragmatics") President [Abraham Lincoln](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln) signed the [Compensated Emancipation Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compensated_Emancipation_Act) in 1862, which ended slavery in the district, freeing about 3,100 slaves in the district nine months before the [Emancipation Proclamation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emancipation_Proclamation).[\[41\]](page/6/#ref-41 "note 41")[63](63/ "tree and pragmatics") In 1868, Congress granted the district's [African American](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_American) male residents the right to vote in municipal elections.[\[40\]](page/6/#ref-40 "note 40")[64](64/ "tree and pragmatics") ### Growth and redevelopment See also: [City Beautiful movement](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_Beautiful_movement) By 1870, the district's population had grown 75% in a decade to nearly 132,000 people,[\[42\]](page/6/#ref-42 "note 42") yet the city still lacked paved roads and basic sanitation.[65](65/ "tree and pragmatics") Some members of Congress suggested moving the capital farther west, but President [Ulysses S. Grant](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulysses_S._Grant) refused to consider the proposal.[\[43\]](page/6/#ref-43 "note 43")[66](66/ "tree and pragmatics") In the [Organic Act of 1871](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/District_of_Columbia_Organic_Act_of_1871), Congress repealed the individual charters of the cities of Washington and [Georgetown](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgetown_%28Washington,_D.C.%29), abolished [Washington County](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_County,_D.C.), and created a new territorial government for the whole District of Columbia.[\[44\]](page/6/#ref-44 "note 44")[67](67/ "tree and pragmatics") These steps made "the city of Washington...legally indistinguishable from the District of Columbia."[\[45\]](page/6/#ref-45 "note 45")[68](68/ "tree and pragmatics") In 1873, President Grant appointed [Alexander Robey Shepherd](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Robey_Shepherd) as Governor of the District of Columbia.[69](69/ "tree and pragmatics") Shepherd authorized large projects that modernized the city but bankrupted its government.[70](70/ "tree and pragmatics") In 1874, Congress replaced the territorial government with an appointed three-member board of commissioners.[\[46\]](page/6/#ref-46 "note 46")[71](71/ "tree and pragmatics") In 1888, the city's [first motorized streetcars](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streetcars_in_Washington,_D.C.) began service.[72](72/ "tree and pragmatics") Their introduction generated growth in areas of the district beyond the City of Washington's original boundaries, leading to an expansion of the district over the next few decades.[\[47\]](page/6/#ref-47 "note 47")[73](73/ "tree and pragmatics") Georgetown's street grid and other administrative details were formally merged with those of the City of Washington in 1895.[\[48\]](page/6/#ref-48 "note 48")[74](74/ "tree and pragmatics") However, the city had poor housing and strained public works; this led it to become the first city in the nation to undergo [urban renewal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_renewal) projects as part of the [City Beautiful movement](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_Beautiful_movement) in the early 20th century.[\[49\]](page/6/#ref-49 "note 49")[75](75/ "tree and pragmatics") The City Beautiful movement built heavily upon the already-implemented [L'Enfant Plan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Enfant_Plan), with the new [McMillan Plan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMillan_Plan) leading urban development in the city throughout the movement.[76](76/ "tree and pragmatics") Much of the old [Victorian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_architecture) [Mall](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Mall) was replaced with modern [Neoclassical](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoclassical_architecture) and [Beaux-Arts architecture](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaux-Arts_architecture); these designs are still prevalent in the city's governmental buildings today.[\[50\]](page/6/#ref-50 "note 50")[\[51\]](page/6/#ref-51 "note 51")[77](77/ "tree and pragmatics") **1** [2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Washington,_D.C./page/2/) [3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Washington,_D.C./page/3/) [4](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Washington,_D.C./page/4/) [5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Washington,_D.C./page/5/) [6](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Washington,_D.C./page/6/) - next →: [page 2](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/Washington,_D.C./page/2/) - ↑ back to [English Wikipedia](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/wikipedia/en/)