In this assignment, I will be summarizing the founding and early history of Washington D.C.

Washington D.C. was founded on July 16, 1790. Congress had signed the Residence Act a year before, which made it possible to set up a new capitol. Before Washington D.C., Philadelphia and New York City had served as the capitol. George Washington chose the site, between Georgetown and Alexandria. Maryland and Virginia both gave of some of their land to make room for the capitol. The territory around Washington was named the District of Columbia to honor Christopher Columbus.

George Washington appointed Pierre L’Enfant, a French designer, to plan the layout of the city, and Andrew Ellicott surveyed the area. Thomas Johnson, Daniel Carroll, and David Stuart were chosen by Congress to oversee the work.

The design of Washington D.C. has influences from Greek and Roman architecture. The city was laid out like a grid, and it had big buildings for all the main branches of government. L’Enfant brought some of his French style into the mix, with some parts similar to Paris.

In 1800, Washington D.C. became the official capitol of the United States. The Capitol and the President’s house (now the White House) were finished soon after. There wasn’t much housing and the people who lived there were miserable in the early years.

Most of D.C. was destroyed in 1814, during the War of 1812, when the British invaded the city and burned it. The city slowly recovered, and in 1817 the new White House was built, and in 1819, the new Capitol was built.

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/place/Washington-DC/History

https://www.ronpaulcurriculum.com/public/13146.cfm?cid=BBCEE3A7-D848-9838-A6FB082D7BCC375D

https://washington.org/DC-information/washington-dc-history