1. Forming the city government
Debates About Local Affairs

2. Organizing City Government
Residence Act of 1790 created 3 commissioners to govern temporarily
Article 1, Section 8 of US Constitution gave Congress power over federal district
“To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, …”
Didn’t say how it should govern
1800 – early bill left existing laws and gov’t bodies in place
Residents had no self-government
Revised bill provided territorial legislature and partial home rule
Home Rule – gov’t gave power to local area to manage some of its own affairs – DC has local elected officials
Territorial legislature – 3 stages
Initial stage – governor, secretary, and 3 judges
2nd stage – at least 5,000 residents – could establish house of representatives
3rd state – at least 60,000 residents – could petition for admittance into Union

3. Emergency legislation of 1801
5 Areas of District
Washington City
Georgetown
Washington County
Alexandria
County of Alexandria
District broken up into 2 counties
Washington and Alexandria
Washington County – Maryland laws applied
Alexandria County – Virginia laws applied
President appointed officials to enforce laws and administer gov’t

4. 1802 – More Debate
People protested in Alexandria, Georgetown, and Washington City
First cries against US gov’t of “no taxation without representation!” video
No one could agree on what laws to follow
Some suggested returning land to VA and MD
Citizens petitioned for, and received, their own municipal charter
Charter made Washington an incorporated city
Voters (white male property owners) could elect city council
President, not the voters, chose the mayor
Council, with mayoral approval, could make laws and levy a real estate tax

5. Mayor Robert Brent Mayor from 1802-1812
Acts created to improve streets
License fees charged to different business
owners as means of city income
Fines for leaving standing water on property….WHY?
Agreed to spend money to build/maintain public pumps and wells
Hired 4 police constables (officers)
Volunteer fire department
All store/home owners needed at least 1 fire bucket per story of building

6. Mayor Robert Brent (cont.)
From Carroll family
Charles Carroll was last living signer of Declaration of Independence
Uncle John Carroll, first Catholic bishop in US, founded Georgetown University
Sold to gov’t the sandstone that was used to build the White House
One of 370 signers of a document pledging to financially support the construction of public schools
Had mansion built at what is now Gallaudet University
Neighborhood of Brentwood takes its name from Brent
Partially paralyzed from a stroke and died in Sept. 1819
at 55

7. Relief for Poor
Many men arrived in DC to work on construction projects
Were laid off whenever money was delayed or denied
Happened often
Poor were given clothing
Families given up to $2 a week
Single persons were put up in private homes

8. Education Generally not considered a gov’t responsibility
Wealthy could afford education for their children, poor could not
Wealthy kids taught by private tutor or in private schools
City built 2 schools – 1806
Poor (white) kids received free education
Those who could afford to paid tuition
Received $1,500 from city and $4,000 in private citizen donations
Schools reorganized in 1812 to save money
One teacher would be in charge of about 100 students, while older kids were assistant teachers
Public schools run by volunteers
Private groups worked to help poor as best they could

9. Federal Buildings
While under construction they provided jobs for laborers
When finished provided jobs for clerks, laborers, and military members
Confirmed the city’s sense of identity and permanence
Construction of federal buildings still went slowly
– Navy Yard and Marine Barracks were constructed
Greenleaf’s Point (now Ft. McNair) – tip of SW DC – first artillery battery set up in 1794
In early 1800s an arsenal was built to store and distribute weapons

10. Canals
George Washington & others organized Potomack Navigation Co. in 1784
Goal of improving trade on Potomac River
1802 – Great Falls Canal finished – boats could go around Great Falls
1802 – businessmen chartered Washington City Canal
Would go along Tiber Creek to Capitol and south into Eastern Branch
Construction – – poor financing and cheap construction – never succeeded

11. City Streets
L’Enfant planned for avenues at least 160 ft wide and streets at least 80 ft wide
No money provided to create them
$3,000 appropriated to repair Pennsylvania Avenue
City spent lots of revenue on streets, but still didn’t have enough to improve them
City known for its awful roads
1801 – “F Street Inhabitants and Proprietors Association” – first neighborhood civic assoc.
F Street residents paid their own money to have sidewalks built along street

12. Neighborhoods
L’Enfant Plan encouraged scattered growth – placed gov’t offices across city
Navy Yard & Marine Barracks – along Southeast waterfront – support businesses
Capitol – Capitol Hill neighborhood grows up around it
City center area between Capitol and White House –
business on 1st floor, living above
F Street corridor – on ridge above floods of lower Penn Ave.
Georgetown felt more like its own city
People lived close to their work because efficient public
transportation didn’t exist
Strong neighborhood loyalties were created

13. Builders of the City
Included laborers – often English, Irish, & Scottish, mechanics, craftsmen – often Italian
European-Americans, free African-Americans, and slaves
Cabinet- and chair-makers, printers, blacksmiths, carpenters, and brick masons also found work in Washington
Professional workers like newspaper publishers and editors, doctors, lawyers, ministers
Architects came, but fared poorly – slow rate of public construction
Boardinghouses were most successful small businesses
Public market built at 7th and Pennsylvania Ave (Navy-Archives Metro)
Population increase
14,000 – 1800
24,000 – 1810
Roughly 5,000 – or half – of new residents lived in Washington City