Okay, here’s a rewrite of the provided article about Washington D.C., aimed for a more casual, conversational tone. I’ve kept the original title and tried to maintain all the key information while making it feel a bit more like a friendly chat about the city.
Washington, D.C. – The Capitol City
So, you wanna know about Washington, D.C., huh? Well, buckle up, because this ain’t your average town. Officially, it’s the District of Columbia, but everyone just calls it D.C. It’s the capital of the United States, and it’s a pretty unique place.
You see, the U.S. Constitution basically said, "Hey, we need a special zone just for the government," and that’s what D.C. is. It’s not part of any state, it’s directly under the control of Congress. Pretty cool, right?
Location, Location, Location
D.C. sits on the east bank of the Potomac River. The river forms its southwestern border with Virginia. To the north and east, it’s bordered by Maryland. The city got its name from George Washington, you know, the big cheese of the American Revolution and the first President. The "Columbia" part? That’s a fancy, old-timey name for America, like a female personification of the nation.
Way Back When
Before all the presidents and monuments, there were Native Americans chilling by the Anacostia River, like, 4,000 years ago!
Then, in the early 1600s, Europeans started showing up. Captain John Smith, of Pocahontas fame, explored the area in 1608. At the time, the local tribes included the Patawomeck, loosely connected to the Powhatan, and the Doeg on the Virginia side. Across the river in Maryland, you had various Algonquian-speaking Piscataway people, also known as the Conoy. Within the boundaries of modern D.C., the Nacotchtank (or Nacostine) had settlements around the Anacostia River.
Land Grabs and Tobacco
The first colonial landowners were George Thompson and Thomas Gerrard, who were granted land in 1662. As more Europeans arrived, there were conflicts with the Native Americans, especially over grazing land. Eventually, the Piscataway moved west and then further to Conoy Island in Maryland.
Around 1745, a guy named George Gordon built a tobacco inspection house along the Potomac. Then, in 1749, Alexandria, Virginia, popped up on the other side of the river as a spot for shipping tobacco.
Georgetown: The OG Neighborhood
Georgetown is the oldest part of D.C., established in 1751. The Maryland General Assembly bought 60 acres from George Gordon and George Beall for £280. A tobacco inspection warehouse was established. Originally, it was a Native American trading village called Tohoga. Ocean-going boats could navigate the Potomac River up to this point. It was named for King George II of England.
The Potomac’s strong current kept the channel clear, and the Chesapeake Bay’s tides made it easy for ships to sail right up to Georgetown. Warehouses and wharves went up, and the place grew fast.
The Old Stone House in Georgetown, built in 1765, is the oldest building still standing in D.C. Georgetown became a thriving port, shipping tobacco and other goods from Maryland.
Finding a Home for Congress
After the Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783 forced Congress to relocate to Princeton, New Jersey, Congress decided it needed a new, permanent location. In 1789, Georgetown was officially chartered. Georgetown’s growth led to the founding of Georgetown University, the first Roman Catholic university in the U.S.
The Residence Act: Let’s Make a Capital!
On July 17, 1790, Congress passed the Residence Act, creating a permanent federal capital. George Washington picked the spot – the head of navigation on the Potomac River, near Georgetown and Alexandria. It was between the Allegheny Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean. Back then, most of the land west of the Alleghenies was considered wilderness.
The initial plan was for a square district, ten miles on each side. The location was central to the Eastern Seaboard states, about 90 miles inland from the Atlantic. It was hoped the location would become an important commercial port. Pierre Charles L’Enfant, a French-born American engineer, was chosen to design the new capital.
Washington thought of it as "the gateway to the interior," hoping it would tie the Western territories to the East Coast economically.
Surveying the Land
In 1791-92, a team led by Andrew Ellicott, including his brothers Joseph and Benjamin Banneker, surveyed the 100-square-mile territory, set the borders, and put up 40 sandstone markers. Thirty-six of those markers are still there today! The land was given by Maryland and Virginia, which both had a lot of enslaved people, contributing to a significant Black population in the area.
Early Days and the Navy Yard
The Tudor Place residence was built in Georgetown in 1794. From 1805 to 1983, it was home to six generations of Martha Washington’s descendants.
The Washington Navy Yard, established in 1799 on the Anacostia River, was crucial for the development of Capitol Hill. It was meant to defend the capital and build warships. For 150 years, it was the main employer in Washington, offering jobs to skilled African Americans and European immigrants. These workers built their homes nearby. In the 20th century, the Navy Yard became a major ordnance production and engineering research center.
From Philadelphia to D.C.
Before D.C., the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia five times between 1775 and 1783. Government business was also held briefly in other locations, including York and Princeton, Pennsylvania; Annapolis, Maryland; Trenton, New Jersey; and New York City.
In 1800, the government moved from Philadelphia to the District of Columbia. Originally called the "Federal City," it was soon named after George Washington, known as Washington City in the 19th century.
Construction of the U.S. Capitol continued, with the north Senate wing partially completed. The Senate wing was finished first, providing space for both houses of Congress, the Library of Congress, and the Supreme Court.
Early Demographics
In 1800, D.C. had a population of 14,093, including 10,066 whites, 783 free Blacks, and 3,244 enslaved people. The city was built by laborers, many of whom were free Blacks, slaves, and immigrants. Early immigrants were mainly skilled workers and entrepreneurs from Scotland and Ireland. By the mid-to-late 19th century, immigrants from Germany, Italy, eastern Europe, Greece, and China established ethnic enclaves.
The White House and Growing Pains
President John Adams was the first to live in the White House with his wife Abigail, though he only occupied it for the last four months of his term.
When Congress moved to Washington in December 1800, the Capitol, the White House, and some government buildings were almost done. But there weren’t many finished houses or amenities, making those first years tough.
Organizing the District
Congress passed the District of Columbia Organic Act on February 24, 1801, officially organizing the district and putting it under federal control. Residents were no longer considered residents of Maryland or Virginia, ending their representation in Congress. President Thomas Jefferson was inaugurated on March 4, 1801. That year, the first July 4th celebration was in Washington.
In 1802, Congress gave Washington a city charter and established a mayor-council government. The first mayor was appointed by the President.
The first Inaugural parade took place in 1805, and President Thomas Jefferson designated Lafayette Square a public park. In 1806, a public school opened in the city. Rows of poplar trees were planted along Pennsylvania Avenue in 1807. On May 20, 1809, the Long Bridge opened, crossing the Potomac River.
In 1810, the District of Columbia’s population was 24,023, including 16,093 whites, 2,549 free Blacks, and 5,381 enslaved people.
The War of 1812 and the Burning of Washington
In 1812, the U.S. declared war against Great Britain. During the War of 1812, British forces invaded D.C. and burned the U.S. Capitol, the Department of the Treasury, and the White House. The damage was extensive, but most government buildings were quickly repaired. The Capitol, however, was under construction and wasn’t completed in its current form until 1868.
Canals and Churches
The Washington City Canal began operating in 1815. St. John’s Episcopal Church was built in Lafayette Square the following year.
By 1817, the newly reconstructed White House welcomed President James Monroe. Congress reconvened in the newly built Capitol in 1819.
In 1818, a central heating system was installed in the U.S. Capitol building.
The District of Columbia’s population was 33,039 in 1820, including 22,614 whites, 4,048 free Blacks, and 6,377 enslaved people.
Black Codes
In 1821, the Washington City Council enacted codes requiring free Black people to show evidence of their freedom with certificates from residents vouching for their character. In 1827, the Washington City Council intensified the Black Codes, stipulating that free Blacks caught without certificates would be jailed and sold into slavery if unclaimed.
The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
Starting in 1828, the construction of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal brought new jobs to Georgetown. Mills, foundries, and lime kilns lined the waterfront. Its diverse population consisted mainly of merchants, laborers, and government employees. Canal construction continued until 1850.
The District of Columbia’s population was 43,700 in 1830, including 27,635 whites, 6,163 free Blacks, and 6,000 enslaved persons.
Alexandria’s Retrocession
In the 1830s, Alexandria declined economically. Pro-slavery residents feared that abolitionists in Congress would end slavery in the district, further depressing the local economy. Alexandria’s citizens petitioned Virginia to take back the land it had donated to form the district through a process known as retrocession.
Jacksonian Era
Between 1830 and 1865, significant changes occurred in Washington, starting with President Andrew Jackson, who brought new civil servants and social changes. The local economy was unstable, the Potomac River had too much silt, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal was delayed, and epidemics were common.
Railroads and Riots
The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad began operating in 1835. The same year, a labor strike by Federal Navy Yard workers occurred, and several mob actions aimed at Black residents and abolitionists prompted the City Council to restrict licenses issued to free Black vendors.
After the railroad arrived, a flood of tourists and congressional spouses changed Washington’s social scene. Major construction projects included the Department of the Treasury, the General Post Office, and the Patent Office.
In 1836, the city was flooded with petitions advocating for the end of slavery in the District of Columbia, and Congress enacted a gag rule banning petitions related to slavery. On December 15, 1836, the U.S. Patent Office burned down.
In 1840, the District of Columbia’s population was 43,700, including 30,655 whites, 8,361 free Blacks, and 4,684 enslaved persons.
Statues and Observatories
In 1841, the first statue of George Washington was placed in the Capitol Rotunda. In 1908, Congress transferred the statue to the Smithsonian Institution.
In 1842, the United States Naval Observatory was established.
The Baltimore-Washington telegraph began operating in 1844.
The Virginia General Assembly voted in February 1846 to accept Alexandria’s return. On July 9, 1846, Congress agreed to return all territory that Virginia had ceded to the district. That year, the National Smithsonian Institution was established.
The Pearl Incident and Slave Trade
In 1848, the cornerstone of the Washington Monument was placed, and the Washington Gas Light Company was established. That year, 77 enslaved people attempted to escape slavery on the schooner Pearl. Supporters of slavery were outraged, and an angry mob formed. The Washington Riot occurred, and numerous police were called in. After their capture, all 77 slaves were given to slave traders from Georgia and Louisiana. That year, gaslights were installed along Pennsylvania Avenue.
In 1850, Congress prohibited the importation of enslaved people for sale in the District of Columbia and outlawed the slave trade, but not slavery itself. At that time, the District of Columbia’s population was 51,687, including 37,941 whites, 10,059 free Blacks, and 3,687 enslaved persons.
The University of the District of Columbia was founded in 1851.
In 1854, the railroad arrived, and terminal construction began on The Mall.
The Smithsonian Castle and Know-Nothing Riots
The Smithsonian Institution Building, known as the Castle, was completed in 1855. The same year, the Armory was built on The Mall.
On June 1, 1857, the Plug Uglies, a Know-Nothing gang, traveled to Washington. D.C, from Baltimore, in an attempt to prevent German and Irish immigrants from voting. A brutal fight broke out, which the police were unable to stop, and by noon, President Buchanan had called out two companies of Marines to stop the riot. Eight people were killed, and at least 15 were injured.
The Civil War Era
In 1860, an equestrian statue of George Washington was placed in Washington Circle. At that time, the city’s population had grown to 61,122.
The outbreak of the Civil War in 1861 led to the expansion of the federal government and notable growth in the district’s population, including a large influx of freed slaves.
President Abraham Lincoln signed the Compensated Emancipation Act in 1862, which ended slavery in the district. The bill freed about 3,100 slaves and compensated owners loyal to the Union. At that time, Congress required the city to provide schooling for black students.
Battle of Fort Stevens
In 1863, the National Academy of Sciences was headquartered in the city. That year, the Statue of Freedom was placed on top of the Capitol. The Battle of Fort Stevens occurred during the Valley Campaigns in July 1864.
After the Civil War, Washington expanded beyond its planned boundaries. Middle-class government workers came to Capitol Hill, and developers built rows of brick homes. The first black school opened at 2nd and C, S.E. Streets.
Lincoln’s Assassination
After the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre on April 15, 1865, Washington was plunged into despair. Two statues were erected to honor Lincoln. The first stands in front of the old City Hall, and the second, on Capitol Hill in Lincoln Park, was paid for by former slaves.
In 1868, Congress granted the district’s African American male residents the right to vote in municipal elections.
The National Convention of the Colored Men of America and the American Equal Rights Association were held in the city in 1869.
Modernization and Growth
By 1870, the district’s population had grown 75% to nearly 132,000 residents. Despite the city’s growth, Washington still had dirt roads and lacked basic sanitation. President Ulysses S. Grant refused to move the capital farther west. Children’s Hospital was established in 1870. That year, the city’s population was 109,199.
Congress passed the Organic Act of 1871, which repealed the charters of Washington and Georgetown, abolished Washington County, and created a territorial government for the District of Columbia. Citizens lost representation in their local government, and the U.S. president appointed a governor and an 11-member council.
Under the new territorial government, city improvement projects were undertaken, including erecting modern schools and markets, paving streets, installing outdoor lighting and sewers, and planting more than 50,000 trees. However, the cost was high.
In 1872, the District territorial government passed a civil rights bill that barred racial discrimination in most places.
In 1873, President Grant appointed Alexander Robey Shepherd as Governor of the District of Columbia. Shepherd modernized the city but bankrupted the government.
In 1874, Congress replaced the territorial government with an appointed three-member board of commissioners.
In 1875, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act, which provided equal accommodation for Black people in public places and on public transport.
The Washington Post newspaper began publication in 1877.
In 1878, the telephone began operating in the city.
In 1880, the District of Columbia’s population was 177,624, including 118,006 whites, 59,596 Blacks, and 22 other non-whites.
Newcomers and Old Society
In the 1880s, affluent intellectuals and lobbyists arrived in Washington. Members of the old Washington society became known as "Cave Dwellers," descendants of the original families of the area.
Floods and Parks
In February 1881, melting snow caused the Potomac River to flood sections of the National Mall. Tiber Canal was filled in and became Constitution Avenue. The same year, the American National Red Cross was headquartered in the city.
In 1882, Congress allocated money to dredge the Anacostia River to create the Washington Channel and East and West Potomac Parks.
In 1885, the Washington Monument was dedicated.
In 1888, the city’s first motorized streetcars began service.
Rock Creek Park was established in 1890. The District of Columbia population was 230,392, including 154,695 whites, 75,572 Blacks, and 125 non-whites.
In 1891, Georgetown was included in the parcel of land transferred by Maryland to become part of the District of Columbia.
In 1893, the American University was founded.
In 1894, Coxey’s Army marched on Washington, D.C.
Georgetown’s street grid was merged with those of the City of Washington in 1895.
In 1897, the American Negro Academy was founded.
Height restrictions for buildings in Washington were enacted by Congress as early as 1899.
20th Century Changes
By the end of the 19th century, Georgetown was no longer fashionable.
In 1900, the city’s population was 278,718. Washington had the largest urban African American population in the United States.
In 1901, the Senate Park Commission offered recommendations for revitalizing Washington.
By the first decade of the 21st century, Washington’s population increased as younger workers moved into revitalized city neighborhoods.
The District Building (city hall) was constructed in 1906. Union Station was built the following year, and construction began on the Washington National Cathedral.
Union Station was constructed, and the old railroad terminal on the Mall was removed in 1908.
The Height of Buildings Act of 1910 assured the city’s horizontal landscape. At that time, Washington’s population was 331,069.
In 1912, cherry trees were planted around the Tidal Basin.
The United States declared war on the German Empire on April 6, 1917. Despite the war, the National Sylvan Theater opened in 1917.
After the war, art galleries, museums, concert halls, and the Lincoln Memorial were built.
Red Summer
1919 – Beginning on July 19, Washington, D.C., had four days of mob violence against black individuals and businesses perpetrated by white men. The violence was during the civil unrest of what became known as Red Summer.
By the 1920s, residences and churches had filled the Capitol Hill neighborhood.
The 16th Street World War I Memorial Trees were dedicated in 1920. That year, the city was home to 437,571 people.
On January 28, 1922, a snowstorm crushed the Knickerbocker Theatre, killing 98 people and injuring 133. A few months later, on May 30, the Lincoln Memorial was dedicated.
The National Capital Park Commission was established in 1924.
WMAL radio began broadcasting in 1925.
Federal Triangle construction began in 1926.
Washington’s population in 1930 was 486,869.
In the 1930s, increased federal spending due to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal program led to the district’s construction of new government buildings, memorials, and museums.
In 1932, the Arlington Memorial Bridge opened, and the Folger Shakespeare Library was built.
The National Park Service took control of the federal reservations in 1933.
The National Cherry Blossom Festival began in 1935.
In 1937, the Washington Redskins football team was active.
The Jefferson Memorial was completed in 1938.
Washington’s population was 663,091in 190.
In 1941, the National Airport was built, and the National Gallery of Art opened.
In 1932, the Pentagon was completed.
World War II led to the city’s expansion of federal employees. Washington’s population surged to about 950,000 during World War II (1939–45).
In 1946, the International Monetary Fund’s headquarters was in the city.
In 1948, the Supreme Court ruled in Hurd v. Hodge that restrictive housing covenants were not legally enforceable.
In 1949, the Whitehurst Freeway began operating.
By 1950, the district’s population reached its peak of 802,178 residents. The following year, Congress designated most of Georgetown as a historic district.
The first half of the 20th century was explosive for the capital city—socially, economically, and culturally.
The Mid-Century Exodus
During the second half of the 20th century, Washington experienced an exodus of the middle class to the suburbs.
In the 1950s, the African American and European American middle classes flocked to the suburbs, converting many Capitol Hill homes into boarding houses.
On January 15, 1953, a Pennsylvania Railroad train wreck occurred when a passenger and mail train failed to brake sufficiently on its approach to Union Station, Washington, jumping the platform and plunging through the concourse floor.
That year, the Supreme Court decided the Thompson Restaurant case, stating that restaurants in the District of Columbia could not refuse service to Black people.
On March 1, 1954, a shooting attack was made on the United States Capitol by four Puerto Rican nationalists.
The same year, the D.C. Recreation Board ended segregated playgrounds in the District of Columbia. The Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, that separate but equal educational facilities were “inherently unequal,” mandating an end to segregated public schools.
In 1960, Washington’s population was 763,956.
The 1961 ratification of the 23rd Amendment allowed District residents to vote in Presidential elections.
Streetcars stopped operating in 1962.
On August 28, 1963, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom took place, and Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech.
Civil Rights and Vietnam
Washington, D.C., residents could vote for president for the first time in November 1964.
On April 17, 1965, the March Against the Vietnam War occurred.
Following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., on April 4, 1968, Washington, D.C., experienced four days of violent civil unrest and rioting.
American Association of Retired Persons headquartered in the city in 1868. That year, subway construction began.
In 1969, the Gay Blade newspaper began publication.
The 1970s and Beyond
The city’s population was 756,510 in 1970. By the 1970s, nearly three-fourths of the capital city’s population was African American.
In 1971, more Antiwar protests occurred.
The Watergate scandal broke in 1972.
On February 17, 1974, United States Army Private Robert Kenneth Preston took off in a stolen Bell UH-1B Iroquois helicopter from Tipton Field, Maryland. He landed it on the South Lawn of the White House.
In 1976, the Washington Metro began operating, the U.S. Bicentennial was held, and C-SPAN began televising federal government proceedings.
On March 30, 1981, an attempt was made to assassinate President Ronald Reagan.
January 13, 1982, as Air Florida Flight 90 was flying from Washington National Airport, the Boeing 737-222 crashed into the 14th Street Bridge over the Potomac River just after takeoff.
The same year, the Washington Convention Center was built, the National Vietnam Veterans Memorial was erected, and the Washington Times newspaper began publication.
On November 7, 1983, during an evening session, a bomb exploded on the second floor of the Capitol’s north wing.
The death of University of Maryland basketball star Len Bias in 1986 due to a cocaine overdose brought Congressional attention to the crack cocaine epidemic.
The population of the city was 606,900 in 1990.
Statehood Debates
Creating Washington, D.C., as the 51st state was popular in the 1990s. It is still supported by some residents who object to being taxed by the federal government while lacking proper representation in Congress.
In 1993, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and National Postal Museum opened.
The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial opened in 1997.
On July 24, 1998, a shooting at the United States Capitol occurred when Russell Eugene Weston Jr. entered the Capitol and shot two Capitol Police officers.
By the end of the 20th century, several historic Georgetown homes had been opened to the public.
21st Century and Beyond
At the beginning of the 21st century, Washington remained a racially and economically divided city.
The 2001 anthrax attacks occurred in the United States over several weeks, beginning on September 18, 2001.
The Beltway Sniper attacks, also known as the D.C. sniper attacks, were a series of coordinated shootings that occurred over three weeks in October 2002.
In 2003, Mayor Anthony Williams announced an ambitious development plan to attract residents to the District.
The World War II Memorial and the National Museum of the American Indian opened in 2004.
In 2008, the Nationals Park and Newseum opened.
In 2010, the District survived Snowmageddon. The city’s population that year was 601,723.
In 2014, cannabis was legalized.
In 2016, the D.C. Streetcar began operating, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture opened.
In 2019, the number of tourists who visited the city increased to 24.6 million. That year, the Washington Nationals won the World Series.
In 2020, the coronavirus disease of 2019 caused the District to lock down for the first time in history.
With the advent of the 21st century, a renewed interest in city living brought revitalization.
Today, the city is divided into quadrants centered around the Capitol and includes 131 neighborhoods. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 689,545, making it the 23rd most populous city in the country.
The Washington metropolitan area, which includes parts of Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, is the country’s sixth-largest metropolitan area, with a 2020 population of 6.3 million residents.
About half the land in Washington, D.C., is owned by the U.S. government.
The city hosts 177 foreign embassies and the headquarters of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Organization of American States, and other international organizations.
Washington, D.C., remains a territory, not a state. Therefore, it has no voting representation in Congress. Residents elect a non-voting delegate to the House of Representatives. The district has no official representation in the United States Senate. However, D.C. residents are subject to all federal taxes.
Tourism is Washington’s second-largest industry after the federal government.
The Capitol Hill neighborhood in Southeast D.C. is the oldest residential community in the original city of Washington. Eastern Market, completed in 1873, is a farmers’ market about seven blocks from the Capitol.