Washington, D.C.’s Top 10 : Moments in History – Top 10 Citizen Rights of the Constitution

1. Foundation of the Federal City

   The
   US Constitution, ratified in 1788, provided for “a District (not
   exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of Particular States…,
   become the Seat of the Government of the United States.”

2. Layout and Design

   In
   1790 George Washington selected Pierre Charles L’Enfant, a French
   engineer, to lay out the city. The plan was influenced by Versailles and
   the city of Paris.

3. War of 1812

   The
   United States declared war on Britain in 1812, seeking freedom of
   marine trade and the security of US seamen. In 1814 British troops
   entered the capital and burned government buildings, including the White
   House and the Capitol. If it had not rained, the whole city might have
   burned.

   
   

   
   
   

   The British burn Washington, 1814

4. Expansion

   Thomas
   Jefferson began western expansion by organizing the Lewis and Clark
   expedition in 1803. The C&O Canal and the Baltimore and Ohio
   Railroad provided commerce through the mountains and a period of
   prosperity. New states were added to the Union, and bitter divisions
   arose connected to the issue of slavery.

5. Civil War

   Conflict
   between the Union and the seceding southern states began on April 12,
   1861, and plunged Washington and the nation into crisis. Union
   supporters, joined by thousands of blacks escaping slavery in the South,
   doubled the city’s population in four years. Although threatened, the
   city was never taken by Confederate troops, and when the war ended in
   1865, Washington was unharmed.

   
   

   
   
   

   Civil War victory parade

6. McMillan Plan

   The
   McMillan Plan of 1901, named for its congressional supporter, Senator
   James McMillan, was the first application of city planning in the US. It
   created much of the layout of the Mall and President’s Park seen today.

7. New Deal

   The
   Roosevelt era (1933– 1945) brought tremendous growth to the city.
   Efforts to bring the nation out of the Great Depression increased the
   size and number of government agencies, and provided direct funds for
   construction. Most of the buildings in the Federal Triangle, the
   completion of the Supreme Court, and the National Gallery of Art were
   New Deal works.

8. World War II

   More
   than 10 percent of the US population of approximately 115 million was
   in uniform at the peak of the war, and the central management of these
   troops remained in Washington.

9. March on Washington

   On
   August 28, 1963, African-American leaders led 250,000 people to rally
   in front of the Lincoln Memorial in support of equal rights. Dr. Martin
   Luther King, Jr.’s eloquence in expressing his dream for America, along
   with the size of the march, gave strong impetus to the struggle for
   justice for all races.

   
   

   
   
   

   March on Washington

10. Home Rule

    The
    federal government’s policy of maintaining full control over the city
    was modified with the Home Rule Charter in 1973. This legislation gave
    the city the power to elect its own mayor, city council, and school
    board.

Top 10 Citizen Rights of the Constitution