We the People: Other cities have been the nation’s capital, but D.C. has longevity

In the We the People series, The Spokesman-Review examines a question from the Naturalization Test immigrants must pass to become United States citizens.

Today’s question: What is the capital of the United States?

It’s a straightforward question, complemented by a simple answer: Washington, District of Columbia.

But it hasn’t always been Washington, D.C.

The center of American government has been in a number of locations, some for only a few weeks.

The journey began in 1776 with the signing of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress. This included delegates from the 13 colonies. The group convened in 1775, and the following year, it voted for the establishment of a new nation.

The signing occurred in Independence Hall in Philadelphia. The new nation lacked a government, so delegates worked to draft the Articles of Confederation: a loose structure that created a weak federal government and no executive branch.

Philadelphia’s tenure as capital would continue, but British troops began to encroach upon the city. The Redcoats’ goal was to progress through New York and New Jersey before seizing the Congress’ meeting place, according to the American Battlefield Trust.

The delegates sought to avoid direct warfare, so they escaped to Baltimore. Early 1777 was spent deliberating at Henry Fite House, a quaint hotel and tavern, and much of Congress resented the city. According to the novel “The Continental Congress,” by Edmund Cody Burnett, “the town was exceedingly expensive, and exceedingly dirty, that at times members could make their way to the assembly hall only on horseback, through deep mud.”

To the satisfaction of delegates, their tenure in Baltimore was short; after two months, they relocated to Independence Hall once more.

In 1777, Gen. George Washington, the soon-to-be first president, learned the Redcoats, were presenting imminent danger again. He ensured the Congress had a solid escape plan, should Philadelphia be targeted once more. It was.

On Sept. 27, 1777, 14 delegates fled to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with the Declaration of Independence in hand. From there, they bounced around Pennsylvania, including York, until 1783.

During Philadelphia’s time as capital, the Articles of Confederation were officially ratified. This meant the Second Continental Congress became the Congress of the Confederation, made up mostly of the same members of the First Continental Congress.

For the next decade, Congress landed in Princeton, New Jersey; Annapolis, Maryland; Trenton, New Jersey; and New York City.

The move to Princeton was forced, not by the British, but by Americans, longtime Cornell University history professor and author Mary Beth Norton said in an email interview.

“In 1783, when fighting had largely ended but no permanent Peace Treaty had been accepted by both sides, veterans who had not been paid rioted in Philadelphia, so Congress moved to New Jersey – to Nassau Hall, the main building of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University), which was one of the largest buildings in the colonies,” wrote Norton, the Mary Donlon Alger professor of American history emerita at Cornell and a Stephen H. Weiss presidential fellow.

These destinations saw the end of the American Revolution via the Treaty of Paris, a plan for the westward expansion of the nation and criticisms of and proposals for the Articles of Confederation, to name a few.

In 1787, the Constitution was drafted. This reworked the federal system, which included provisions for a president and capital city.

Under this new system of government, there were only three capital cities.

It was at Federal Hall in New York City that the first president, George Washington, was inaugurated. The new legislative and judicial branches had their first meetings, too, and the Bill of Rights, an addendum to the Constitution, was drafted.

New York was not permanent, though.

Two Pennsylvania towns, Germantown and Lancaster, were offered to become the nation’s hub. They ultimately were rejected because of fears that a northern capital would affect the balance of power with southern states.

Norton said congressmen sought a centrally located area for geographical and political reasons.

“Because of the difficulties and dangers of travel by land or sea in the 18th century, the congressmen wanted some place central along the east coast, that is in the middle of the 13 colonies with easy access by water,” Norton said.

To counter the regional tensions, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison formulated a plan. According to the Bill of Rights Institute, portions of Maryland and Virginia were carved out to create a district along the Anacostia and Potomac rivers; with the passage of the Residence Act, Washington D.C. was born.

In the 19th century, Congress “returned the Virginia part to that state, so today it sits entirely on the Maryland side of the Potomac River,” Norton said.

The grand buildings and historic landmarks were not constructed overnight. It took decades to create the current city and Capitol buildings.

Philadelphia served as the seat of the government while D.C. was prepared. The National Constitution Center said that the city worked throughout the 1790s to petition Congress keep the city as its permanent capital, but the yellow fever epidemic inhibited their efforts.

“Had the capital stayed in Philadelphia, at least the foreign diplomats and the early congressmen and their wives would not have complained bitterly about their inadequate and muddy surroundings!” Norton wrote. “No one liked the District for years. Everything was under construction, raw and unfinished. And the heat in the summer was oppressive. No air conditioning then, and clothing was heavy. It must have been very uncomfortable to live there for months at a time while Congress was in session (not year-round, as it is now).”

On May 15, 1800, Washington, D.C., became the permanent capital. It would be many years before the district developed into the present-day destination, but the U.S. could at last relax into its new political home.

Today, the district stands as “one of the only cities created specifically to be a political capital,” said Norton, who was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 1997.

Over the years, members of Congress have adjusted to D.C., though the travel remains an obstacle for some, especially in the West.

“Congress members at first lived in boarding houses away from their families. Then as the sessions lengthened, they began to purchase homes in D.C. and moved their families to the capital during congressional sessions,” Norton said. “But now they tend to have sessions only Tuesday through Thursday of most weeks, and they travel to their home districts every weekend (or most weekends).”

So it’s D.C., but what does it mean to be a district?

Washington, D.C., boasts history and is undeniably architecturally engaging. But residents don’t have all the rights of other American citizens.

The district was founded on the principle that it could not exist as a state, as early American thinkers feared neutrality would be lost.

Consequently, the city’s 700,000 residents have faced similar conditions when compared to early colonists under British rule.

According to the Brennan Center, locals are required to pay federal taxes but were denied voting rights until 60 years ago.

In 1963, the 23rd Amendment was passed, granting enfranchisement in presidential elections to residents of the capital. A decade later, a mayor and city council was permitted. But D.C. still doesn’t have voting members of Congress.

“Indeed, (residents) have been dealt the injustice of paying taxes, proudly serving in uniform in great numbers and contributing to the economic power of our nation while being denied the full enfranchisement which is their right,” Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a 2020 news conference.

One reason for the district’s inability to advance to statehood is that the Constitution outlines a 10-mile square to be the seat of the Government. The idea was D.C. would be a neutral site, not aligned with any state.

Additionally, in every presidential election since gaining voting rights, Washington, D.C., has gone for a Democrat with at least 74.8% of the popular vote, CNN reported.

As a result, Republicans fear that granting statehood would equate to an influx of blue in Congress and might affect the balance of power.

Former President Donald Trump said to the New York Post in May of 2020, “D.C. will never be a state. You mean District of Columbia, a state? Why?” He followed up by expressing his disdain for the idea: “No, thank you.”

Historically, the district has been predominantly Black. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that 60% of Washington, D.C., was Black two decades ago, 50% in 2010 and now 40.9%.

The lack of federal representation in tandem with large populations of minorities means many residents live in the shadows of the government.

The city is filling up, too, which is causing an overflow of people (and their political ideologies) into neighboring states.

The suburbs of the district include Alexandria, Fairfax and Arlington, Virginia. A long-time red state, it seems as Washington, D.C.’s residents move south, their blueness trails behind.

Dave Leip’s Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections found that 37.1% of Virginians voted Democratic in 1984, compared to the 54.1% in the previous election. According to the New York Times, the success Democrats had in winning the House of Representative in 2018 was “because of victories in these fast-changing parts of America,” including Northern Virginia.