Introduction to Washington D.C.
Washington, District of Columbia, the capital of the United States. The city and the federal district occupy the same area. They are situated on the Potomac River between Maryland and Virginia, near Chesapeake Bay. Washington has an area of 68 square miles (177 km2).
Washington was planned from its very beginning as a national capital—one of the few cities in the world of which this is true. With its impressive buildings and monuments, wide boulevards, and fine parks, it ranks among the world's most stately and beautiful cities.
General Plan
The original city was designed by Pierre L'Enfant, a French-American architect and engineer commissioned by George Washington. L'Enfant selected the Capitol and White House sites, planned the Mall, and provided for a rectangular street grid with broad diagonal avenues running into a number of circles and squares. Since his time, various planning commissions have worked to keep Washington a city of planned beauty. To avoid competition with the Capitol, high-rise buildings are prohibited.
Dominating the skyline are the domed Capitol and the simple shaft of the Washington Monument. Although the Capitol is not in the center of the city, it is the key to the street address system. From Capitol Hill branch out North Capitol. East Capitol, and South Capitol streets and, westward, the broad parkway called the Mall. These streets divide Washington into four sections: Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, and Northwest. The Northwest section is the heart of the city, with most of the important government buildings, monuments, museums, and other tourist attractions. Numbered streets run north and south and streets named alphabetically run east and west. The diagonal avenues are named for states. One of these, Pennsylvania Avenue, connects the White House and the Capitol.
Economy
Washington's chief business is that of government, politics, and diplomacy. To Washington come politicians, labor leaders, and business people from all 50 states and diplomats and representatives from virtually every country of the world.
More than 40 per cent of the civilian labor force is employed by the government. In addition, many members of the military live and work in Washington. After government, the largest employers are the trade and service industries. Tourism is also important millions of tourists visit Washington each year. A great number of international organizations, nonprofit organizations, and lobbying groups are headquartered here and contribute substantially to the city's economy. There is some manufacturing in Washington, but far less than in most cities of similar size.
Washington is served by Amtrak and several major railways; two Interstate highways, 66 and 95; and three commercial airports, Washington National, Dulles International, and Baltimore-Washington International. Metrorail, the subway, provides rapid-transit service.
Buildings, Agencies, and Installations
Capitol HillThe most prominent building in Washington, with its dome visible for a great distance, is the Capitol. It is built on a knoll with a commanding view westward over the Mall. The building has been remodeled and enlarged several times since the cornerstone was laid by George Washington in 1793. Within the Capitol are the Senate and House chambers and many statues and paintings of historic interest.
Grouped around the Capitol are the Senate and House office buildings, the white-marble Supreme Court building, and the three buildings that make up the Library of Congress. At the north end of Capitol Hill is Union Station, a railway terminal.
Federal TriangleBetween the Capitol and the White House is the Federal Triangle, a 70-acre (28-hectare) area formed by Pennsylvania and Constitution avenues and 15th Street, N.W. Here are offices of several federal government agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission, Department of Justice, Internal Revenue Service, and Department of Commerce. Also in the Triangle is the National Archives Building, where the originals of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are preserved.
White House and VicinityThe White House, home of the President, is at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. The building, begun in 1792, has been altered and reconstructed several times since being burned by the British in 1814. Adjacent to the White House are the Treasury Building and the Old Executive Office Building (once the home of the State, War, and Navy departments). North of the White House, near Lafayette Square, are Blair House and Decatur House. Blair House (1824) is used by foreign dignitaries who are guests of the President. Decatur House (1818) is a museum and the headquarters of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Southwest of the White House are numerous government buildings. Among them are the Department of the Interior, Department of State, and Federal Reserve System buildings. Also in the area are the headquarters of the American Red Cross, the Organization of American States, and the National Academy of Sciences. Opposite the Ellipse, a park in front of the White House, is Constitution Hall, part of the headquarters complex of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
South of the MallMany government offices and buildings are located south of the Mall between the Capitol and the Tidal Basin. They include those of the National Aeronautical and Space Administration and the Departments of Health and Human Services, Education, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Energy, and Agriculture.
Elsewhere In WashingtonEmbassies cluster along or near Massachusetts Avenue in a section known as Embassy Row and also along upper 16th Street. Elegant 19th-century homes and mansions make Georgetown one of Washington's most fashionable residential sections. The MCI Center, a sports arena located west of the White House, is home to the Mystics and the Wizards (both professional basketball teams) and the Capitals (professional hockey team); the Washington Nationals (professional baseball) play at RFK Stadium. Overlooking the Potomac River in the Foggy Bottom section of the city is the vast Watergate complex, consisting of apartments, shops, and offices.
Military installations in Washington include Bolling Air Force Base, the largely inactive Washington Navy Yard, the Washington Naval Station, the Naval Research Laboratory, the Naval Observatory, and Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
Parks, Monuments, and Memorials
The largest of Washington's many parks are Potomac Park, the Mall, and Anacostia and Rock Creek parks. Potomac Park extends along the Potomac River and is divided into East Potomac Park and West Potomac Park by the Tidal Basin, around which grow hundreds of Japanese cherry trees. The Cherry Blossom Festival, held at the basin each spring, draws large crowds. Near the Tidal Basin are three of the city's most famous memorials: the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Jefferson Memorial. The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial is also located near the Tidal Basin.
The Mall, the oldest park in the city, is a large open area with several reflecting pools and landscaped gardens. It is bounded on the north and south by Constitution and Independence avenues and extends westward from the Capitol. The Korean War Veterans Memorial, the National World War II Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial are on the Mall. The U.S. Botanic Garden adjoins the Capitol grounds. Near the Capitol is the Robert A. Taft Memorial, a marble tower with a 27-bell carillon.
Anacostia Park lies along the east bank of the Anacostia River. Like Potomac Park, Anacostia Park was reclaimed from marshy land. The National Arboretum borders on part of the park. In the northern part of the city is Rock Creek Park. Covering 1,750 acres (708 hectares), it is the largest unit in the capital park system. Adjoining it is the National Zoological Park (Washington Zoo), one of the world's largest zoos. The park's Carter Barren Amphitheater is the scene of concerts and ballet during the summer. Southeast of the zoo is the African-American Civil War Memorial.
In Lafayette Square, facing the White House, are statues of Andrew Jackson, Lafayette, Von Steuben, and others. On Theodore Roosevelt Island, in the Potomac River, is a memorial, including a statue, dedicated to Theodore Roosevelt.
Education and Culture
Washington has numerous institutions of higher learning, including Georgetown University, George Washington University, Howard University, American University, the Catholic University of America, and the University of the District of Columbia.
In libraries Washington has few rivals. The Library of Congress has probably the world's largest collection of books, manuscripts, and documents. Also in Washington are scores of governmental libraries, a large municipal library, and numerous university and private libraries. The Folger Shakespeare Library has one of the world's finest and largest collections relating to Shakespeare and Elizabethan England.
Of Washington's numerous museums, the largest and most famous are part of the Smithsonian Institution. On the Mall are the National Air and Space Museum and the National Museums of American History, of Natural History, and of the American Indian. Major art collections of the Smithsonian are housed in numerous galleries. The National Gallery of Art is widely recognized as one of the world's great art museums. Also notable are the Smithsonian's Freer Gallery of Art, the National Portrait Gallery, the American Art Museum, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, and the Renwick Gallery. Other public art collections are in the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Phillips Collection. Dumbarton Oaks, administered by the trustees of Harvard University, has a notable collection of Byzantine and pre-Columbian art.
Washington's many specialized museums include the Textile Museum, the U.S. Navy Memorial Museum, the City Museum of Washington, D.C., and the Millwood Museum, noted for its Russian and French decorative art. Ford's Theatre, where President Lincoln was shot, has been restored to its original appearance and serves as a museum and theater. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has exhibits pertaining to the Holocaust of World War II.
The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is the home of the National Symphony Orchestra and has facilities for the presentation of opera, drama, dance, and films. Plays and musicals are also presented at the Arena Stage and National Theatre. Concerts at the Jefferson Memorial, the Capitol, the National Gallery of Art, and the Phillips Collection enrich the city's cultural life.
Churches
One of Washington's outstanding churches is the Gothic-style Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul (Episcopal), on Mount St. Alban. It is usually called the Washington, or National, Cathedral. President Woodrow Wilson is buried here. The National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the nation's largest Catholic cathedral, is on the campus of the Catholic University of America. Nearby is the Franciscan Monastery, with reproductions of shrines in the Holy Land. St. John's Church (Episcopal), across Lafayette Square from the White House, is often called the "Church of Presidents," because a number of Presidents have worshiped there. The mosque of the Islamic Center is on Massachusetts Avenue.
Suburban Washington
Many prominent places are in suburban Virginia. Overlooking the Potomac River just south of the capital is Mount Vernon, the home, estate, and burial place of George Washington. Directly across the river from downtown Washington, in Arlington, is the Pentagon, the world's largest office building and the headquarters of the Department of Defense. Nearby are Fort Myer and Arlington National Cemetery.
Arlington National Cemetery is the nation's largest and probably best-known national cemetery. It is the burial site of some 200,000 persons, including Presidents William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy. At the Tomb of the Unknowns are buried four unidentified American servicemen, one each from World War I, World War II, and the Korean War. The changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns attracts many visitors. Arlington House, on a hill in the cemetery, is the pre-Civil War mansion of the Custis and Lee families. It was made a national memorial in honor of General Robert E. Lee.
Also in suburban Virginia are Wolf Trap Farm Park for the Performing Arts; the Central Intelligence Agency; and Manassas (Bull Run) National Battlefield Park, site of two Civil War battles.
Suburban Maryland has some of the finer residential sections in the Washington metropolitan area. Federal installations in Maryland suburbs include the National (Bethesda) Naval Medical Center, the National Institutes of Health, Andrews Air Force Base, Goddard Space Flight Center, and the Bureau of the Census. Nearby Prince Georges County is home to FedEx Field, where the Redskins (professional football) play. At College Park is the main campus of the University of Maryland.
Local Government
Washington has a mayor and a 13-member city council elected by residents. The U.S. Congress has control of the district's budget and also can veto any council action. In addition, a Presidentially appointed review board oversees the district's financial affairs. Permanent residents elect a nonvoting member to the House of Representatives and may vote for President. (The 23rd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gave them the right to vote in Presidential elections and allotted the district three electoral votes.)
From 1802 to 1871 Washington had the mayoral form of government with an elected council. Then the city was given the same boundaries as the District of Columbia and a territorial government was established, with a governor appointed by the President and an elected house of delegates. From 1874 to 1974, when the present form of government was adopted, the district was governed by the U.S. Congress through officials appointed by the President.
History
Washington became the national capital in 1800. .) At that time, its population numbered about 3,200, of which some 600 were slaves. In 1802 Congress granted the city a charter, setting up a government with an appointed mayor and an elected council.
The city grew slowly. During the War of 1812, Washington was inadequately defended, and the British burned most of the public buildings, including the Capitol and the White House, in 1814. By 1819, the city had been rebuilt.
In 1820 Congress granted Washington a new charter, giving it more powers in municipal affairs. The office of mayor was made elective. Washington was growing rapidly in population but had not developed into the industrial and commercial center its planners had envisioned. As a result, Virginia asked for the return of some 30 square miles (78 km2) of land it had ceded to the federal government for the national capital. In 1846 Congress agreed and returned Alexandria, reducing the size of the capital by one-third.
Prior to the Civil War, Washington became a stop for runaway slaves on the Underground Railroad. By 1850, blacks (about 80 per cent of them free) made up one-fourth of the city's population. On September, 1850, Congress passed a law abolishing the slave trade in the District of Columbia. As war approached, there were fears for the safety of the capital city, surrounded as it was by two slaveholding states, Virginia and Maryland. After Lincoln's inauguration, troops were brought in from northern states for protection. Much heavy fighting of the Civil War took place near Washington. In 1864 Confederate General Jubal Early planned to raid Washington and moved his troops to within six miles (10 km) of the city before being repulsed.
The black population of Washington increased rapidly during the war years. The municipal government's powers proved too limited to provide for the needs of these new residents. Also, the city was unable to undertake the physical improvements required to accommodate the growth it had experienced during the war. This led Congress to enact the District Territorial Act (1871), which gave the city the same boundaries as the district and created a territorial form of government for it. Under this act, the city had a governor appointed by the President and a house of delegates elected by the residents; it also had a nonvoting delegate in the U.S. House of Representatives. Also in 1871, Congress authorized a vast building and public-works program.
During the Panic of 1873, the city went bankrupt as a result of poor management. The following year, Congress placed the district temporarily under the control of three Presidentially appointed commissioners. The Organic Act of 1878 made this arrangement permanent.
By the late 19th century, a metropolitan area was developing around the city. In 1890 Washington's population totaled nearly 200,000 people, with blacks constituting about one-third of the total—the largest proportion of blacks in any big city in the United States. In 1894 the city for the first time became the focal point for a major public protest when Jacob Coxey led hundreds of unemployed men ("Coxey's Army") to Washington to ask the federal government for aid.
In the early 20th century, a beautification program was undertaken and a park system was created. The city became a major tourist attraction. Washington's growth spurts in the first half of the century coincided with World Wars I and II and the Great Depression, when people were attracted to the city by job opportunities in the expanding federal civil service. Population reached its peak in 1950, totaling more than 800,000. In the early 1950's, a massive program of slum clearance and urban redevelopment was begun.
In 1961 the 23rd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving residents of the District of Columbia the right to vote in Presidential elections, was ratified. In 1953 some 250,000 persons marched in Washington in support of civil-rights legislation. The city government was reorganized in 1967, with the district commissioners being replaced by a Presidentially appointed mayor, deputy mayor, and bipartisan council. With the capital's population more than 70 per cent black, a black mayor and a black council majority were selected.
In 1968 a wave of rioting by black residents followed the assassination of civil-rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. The largest anti-war demonstration in the city's history took place in 1969, when about 600,000 persons marched in Washington, calling for peace in Vietnam.
In 1974 the District of Columbia received home rule and a mayor and council were elected. In 1978 Congress approved a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the district to elect voting members to both houses of Congress. However, it failed to win ratification. In 1995, hundreds of thousands of black males came to Washington to take part in what was called the Million Man March, held to condemn racism and promote personal responsibility.
On September 11, 2001, a commercial airliner, hijacked by Al Qaeda terrorists, was crashed into the Pentagon. The attack killed 125 persons in the Pentagon and all 64 persons on the airplane.
Population
In 2000 Washington was the nation's 21st largest city.