It seems a little strange when you think about it—the center of government of the United States is not actually a state. But this was actually something that America’s Founding Fathers decided was imperative when they wrote the Constitution.
In America’s early post-Revolution days, it would see several different temporary centers of government, all of them northern cities like Philadelphia and New York. While drafting the Constitution in 1787, the Founding Fathers decided that the new nation should have a permanent capital. But they were reluctant to give that much power to one single state. So they wrote in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution that “[The Congress shall have Power] To exercise exclusive Legislation…over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may…become the Seat of the Government of the United States.” The article also stated that this 100-mile district would come from land ceded by the states so that the new seat of government would be independent of any state. Check out more facts about U.S. history you didn’t learn in school.
But the location caused more tension between the founders—specifically, northerner Alexander Hamilton and southerner Thomas Jefferson. Hamilton thought having a northern capital would help the north settle outstanding Revolutionary War debts. Jefferson was wary about bankers and economic masterminds—who lived mostly in northern states—having too much control. So, to compromise, George Washington himself chose a location bordering the Potomac River. The northern Maryland and the southern Virginia would be the two states to cede land for this new capital, which was founded in 1790.
So, in short, statehood for D.C. would directly contradict the Constitution. But today, the fact remains that Washington, D.C. is home to around 713,000 Americans who don’t get the perks that come with statehood. For instance, D.C. didn’t have any electoral votes until the passing of the 23rd Constitutional amendment in 1961. The presidential election of 1964 was the first time the residents of D.C. actually had an electoral say in who would end up in their White House. In Congress, D.C. has only a “shadow delegation,” representatives who sit in Congress but cannot vote.
And D.C. residents are keenly aware of this—including D.C.’s congressional delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton. In fact, in January 2019, Norton introduced a bill, with record-high support, to potentially grant it statehood. Should the District of Columbia become a state, it would be the 49th most populous state out of 51—it has more residents than both Vermont and Wyoming, according to World Population Review. Next, check out some more surprising facts you never knew about Washington, D.C.