Search results
Jun 18, 2010 · Washington, D.C., is the capital city of the United States, located between Virginia and Maryland on the north bank of the Potomac River. The city is home to all three branches of the federal...
- Background
- Origin
- Politics
Before Washington, D.C., became Americas capital in 1800, the Congress met in a number of different locations, including Baltimore, Trenton and New York City. After years of debate by the new nations leaders about the selection of a permanent seat of government, Congress passed the Residence Act in July 1790, which declared that the capital would b...
In January 1791, George Washington announced his choice for the federal district: 100 square miles of land ceded by Maryland and Virginia (in 1846, the Virginia land was returned to the state, shrinking the district by a third). In September 1791, the commissioners named the federal city in honor of Washington and dubbed the district in which it wa...
Congress met in Washington for the first time in November 1800 (the man for whom the city was named had died in December of the previous year), and in February 1801 the District of Columbia, which at the time also included the cities of Alexandria and Georgetown, was placed under the control of Congress. Today, Americas capital city has more than 6...
- Elizabeth Nix
- 2 min
When the British Burned Washington, D.C. As the War of 1812 neared its conclusion, British forces torched the White House, the Capitol and nearly every other public building in Washington. By...
Jun 17, 2020 · Washington, D.C. is the ancestral home of the Nacotchtank people, also known as Anacostans. After British colonists drove them out of their land, it became part of Maryland and Virginia .
- Becky Little
Mar 20, 2012 · When the cherry trees arrived in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 1910, they were unfortunately bearing more than just goodwill. The Department of Agriculture discovered the trees were...
Jan 10, 2022 · At the outset of the Civil War, Washington, D.C. was extremely vulnerable to attack, defended by a solitary fort located 16 miles from the city center.
Oct 12, 2012 · Washington, D.C. George Washington picked out the location and laid out a perfect diamond shape for the city, spanning parts of Maryland and Virginia. But a looming fight over slavery caused...
