1. The Date Is: June 11, 1878

2. Government by Commission in DC

3. Territorial Government
1871 – Congress refuses to renew the municipal charter for Washington, DC
A new government was created, making DC a federal territory
The Territorial Government
Washington, Georgetown, and Washington County were united for the first time;
A governor and council officially ran the city – both appointed by the President
Voters elected a House of Delegates, but this body had little power
Most of the real power in DC now lay with the Boards of Health and Public Works – both appointed by the President
What had happened to the people of DC?
What do you think motivated this change?

4. The Boards of Health and Public Works
Board of Health
Board of Public Works
Door-to-Door Inspections and Education efforts
Garbage Disposal and Street Cleaning
Contracted with the Odorless Excavating Apparatus Company to clean the city’s outhouses
Caught and held loose animals; with fines for violators
President Ulysses Grant was the first to be fined, for letting his horses roam freely near the White House!
Filled in gullies, leveled hills, tore down old buildings, pavied streets, laid new street railways
Laid sewers, gas pipes, and water mains
Iowa (Logan) Circle became a popular new neighborhood, due to a new water main
Impressive mansions were built there
Employed thousands of people and greatly increased home values
But: the Board borrowed a massive amount of money to complete its projects, and kept poor financial records

6. Territorial Gov’t  Commission Gov’t
Fall of 1873: National Financial Panic leads to economic depression; widespread bank closings
Banks that financed the Board of Public Works’ improvements failed, causing the Territorial Government to go bankrupt
1874: Congressional investigation of the Board of Public Works turns up a debt of $19 million;
Completion of the Board’s planned projects would cost millions more
Government by Commission
The debt issue led Congress to abolish the Territorial Government
Replaced by 3 Commissioners appointed by the President
The new form of government was made permanent by the Organic Act of 1878
The commissioners essentially had absolute power over the District
In exchange for the complete loss of home rule, Congress would provide an annual payment of half the city’s expenses

7. Conflicts with Congress
3 Commissioners were appointed by the President, but money was appropriated by the District of Columbia Committees in the two houses of Congress
Congressmen often sought to impress their constituents by being stingy with funds for the District
As the city grew and needed more money, its budget was severely strained
1891—Congress forces city residents to pay the entire cost of developing a public beach
1909—Congress refuses to allocate sufficient funds for many needed improvements:
Improvement of Rock Creek Valley
Acquisition of more park land
Expansion of hospital facilities
1919—The federal share of the District budget was reduced from 50% to 40%
Mot of the money that Congress did appropriate for the District went to improving federal government buildings, rather than improving the daily lives of District residents

8. Public Schools Under the Commission Gov’t
1860: students
1885: 31, 362 students
1920: 65,000 students
: 81 new school buildings constructed
The city’s first high schools were established during this period:
1880s: Central High School (now Cardozo), for white students
1890s: Eastern High School and Western High School (now Duke Ellington), due to overcrowding at Central
M Street High School (now Dunbar) for Black students
The city maintained two completely separate school systems, one for whites and one for blacks
Superintendent William Powell ( ) oversaw an innovative curriculum that emphasized nature study, field trips, physical education, and manual training
By 1900, the white school system was one of the best urban systems in the country

9. City Development Under the Commission Gov’t
Housing and Streets
Overcrowding remained a problem throughout this period
The worst conditions were among DC’s “alley dwellers”
Street paving continued, but was concentrated in wealthy areas of Northwest
: The Commissioners initiated the street-naming system of “second and third alphabets” outside of the original lettered streets
1899: Height of Buildings Act restricted the height of buildings to preserve the sightlines of monuments and other structures, preventing the construction of skyscrapers

10. Early Movement for Representation and Home Rule
During the Commission period, DC residents formed a large number of voluntary associations and neighborhood groups through which they organized neighborhood activities and attempted to influence the city’s government
Although many residents were offended by their lack of representation in their own government, there was also significant support for the Commission government
An effort to gain representation for DC in Congress began in the late 1800s and gained steam during the Progressive Era
1919: A bill to grant DC voting representation in Congress and the Electoral College was introduced;
But was tied up in committee and eventually died

11. ARE Assignment #4: DC Statehood?
The issue of self-government for the citizens of Washington, DC continues to the present day.
Although Home Rule was restored to DC in 1974, with an elected mayor and council, the U.S. Congress retains ultimate authority over the District.
In early 2017, members of the House Oversight and Gov’t Reform Committee (which is responsible for reviewing laws passed by the City Government) has taken steps to stop the enactment of several city laws, including:
The Death with Dignity Act
Public Funding for Abortions for Impoverished Women
Many advocates of self-government in DC consider statehood for the District to be the only way to ensure total autonomy and self-government for the people of DC.
Considering all of the historical trends and events related to city government in DC which we have discussed so far this year, do you believe that the District of Columbia should become the 51st state in the United States of America?