Washington, DC, also known as the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as “DC,” “Washington,” or “The District,” is the capital of the United States. As the seat of the United States federal government and several international organizations, Washington, DC is an important world political capital. Located on the Potomac River bordering the states of Maryland and Virginia, Washington DC has a vast and rich history. In the early 17th century when the Europeans first visited, various tribes of the Algonquian-speaking Piscataway people inhabited the lands along the Potomac River. Another group called the Nacotchtank maintained settlements around the Anacostia River in what is the present-day District of Columbia. Nearing the end of the 1600s, conflicts with European colonists and neighboring tribes led to the forced relocation of the Piscataway people who settled near what is now Point of Rocks, Maryland. As time went on, the number of European colonists in the area continued to grow and later found itself under the rule of Great Britain as part of the original thirteen colonies.
Following the American Revolutionary War when the former British colonies successfully declared independence, the discussion around the location of the new nation’s topic became a point of debate for many in the newly formed American Congress. In 1790, they passed an act that approved the creation of a national capital with the first United States President George Washington selecting its location on the Potomac River, creating Washington, DC. The district was officially organized in 1801 and placed the whole territory entirely in the control of the federal government. The neighboring states, Maryland and Virginia, ceded land to help create this new “district” in order to further distinguish themselves from the other states.
Before Washington, DC was completed as the capital city of the United States, it was almost destroyed by British soldiers during the War of 1812 with the burning of the White House, the Capitol, Library of Congress, and much more. After the attacks, the small city looked towards rebuilding. In 1847, DC became even smaller as the portion of DC that had originally been given by the state of Virginia was retroceded after voters felt that they were being left out of the development taking place on the Virginia side of the river. During the American Civil War, Washington, DC saw a massive increase in population with President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which declared all enslaved people living in the Southern states as free. Washington, DC became a hub for freed enslaved people and over time developed a significant and vibrant Black American population that still exists to this day.
Over the years and decades, Washington, DC has continued to build, grow, and prosper. After more than 200 years as the nation’s capital and home to around 712,816 people, Washington, DC has developed into a complex and layered city that is defined by its seat of national and international authority, unique character, and the diverse community.