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Georgetown
The Maryland Assembly had the commissioners put down a town on the Potomac river, above Rock Creek, this was on 60 acres of land. Which was purchased by George Gordon and George Beall. They finally came up with a name of Georgetown. -
Georgetown
They finally completed Georgetown. It was 80 lots huge. -
Constitution
The Constitution was signed by the members of the Constitutional Convention. The consitutional convention was when a group of delegates came together and came up with changes and additions. -
Constitution
The 1788 U.S. Constitution, was adopted by the Constitutional Convention on September 15, 1787, and they ratified it by the states. In Article 1, Section 8, Clause 17, it gave Congress authority "to exercise exclusive legislation in all cases no matter what, over the District (not going over ten square miles) as may by cession of particular States, and the acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the government of the United States...." -
Residency Act
The Residency Act of 1790 gave the president power to choose a site for the capital city on the east bank of the Potomac River between the Eastern Branch and the Connogocheague Creek (now is known by Conococheague) which is near Hagerstown, which is almost 70 miles upstream. -
Commissioners
George Washington appointed Thomas Johnson and Daniel Carroll of Rock Creek, and representing Maryland and Dr. David Stuart, and to represent Virginia, as "Commissioners for surveying the District. -
George Washington
President George Washington selected a place that includes parts of Maryland and Virginia. -
Census
The federal capital is transferred from Philadelphia to some where by the Potomac river and now called the City of Washington. However when the 1800 census was done, the population of the new capital had 10,066 whites, 793 free Blacks and 3,244 slaves. Notice that there is more blacks counted as slaves then they are as blacks. -
Congress
Congress divideed the District into the counties of Washington and Alexandria. -
First charter
Washington is granted thier first charter by Congress.
The white guys who pay taxes, that have lived there for at least a year, they have the opportunity to elect a 12-member council.
Also on this day the President appoints the mayor. -
Congress amends charter
Congress revised the charter for the City of Washington to provide for an 8-member board of aldermen and a 12-member common council.
The council elected a mayor. -
War of 1812
English troops burnt the capitol and other federal buildings during the War of 1812.
On August 24, 1814, during the War of 1812, the British troops burned the Capitol and almost all of the other public buildings in Washington. The Capitol, shown ablaze in the background, was gutted, and only a sudden rainstorm prevented its complete destruction. -
Act of 1820
Under the Land Act of 1820, Congress amends the Charter of the City of Washington for the direct election of the mayor by resident voters. Land Act of 1820 is a United States federal law that eliminated the purchase of public land in the United States on credit. -
Smithsonian
The Smithsonian Institute was created. The Smithsonian Institution is a research institute and is like a museum, it gets it money from by the government of the United States. -
Congress passes law
Congress passes a law returning the city of Alexandria and Alexandria County to the state of Virginia. -
Congress adopts new charter
Congress adopts a new charter for the City of Washington and expands the number of elected offices to include a board of assessors, a surveyor, a collector and a registrar. -
Congress abolishes slavery
Slavery is abolished by Congress in the federal district (the City of Washington, Washington County, and Georgetown). This says that both the Emancipation Proclamation and the adoption of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. -
Black Males Rights
Congress grants black males the right to vote in local elections. -
Combining of governments
The elected mayor & council of Washington City & Georgetown, & the County Levy Court are abolished by Congress & replaced by a governor. Council appointed by the president. An elected House of Delegates & a non-voting delegate to Congress are created. In this act, the jurisdiction & territorial government came to be called the District of Columbia, thus combining the governments of Georgetown, the City of Washington & the County of Washington. A seal and motto, "Justitia Omnibus" are adopted. -
non-voting delegate
The government of the District of Columbia, including the non-voting delegate to Congress, was abolished. -
Organic Act
In The Organic Act of 1878, Congress adopted the District of Columbia as a corporation run by three commissioners. This remained until August of 1967. However in 1874 an Congress got rid of the territorial government, and in 1878 it passed the Organic Act. -
Washington Monument
Washington Monument opens to the public.The Washington Monument is an obelisk near the west end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to remember the first U.S. president, General George Washington. The monument is made of marble, granite, and sandstone. And is the world's tallest stone structure. -
District Building
The District Building, on the corners of 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, is now the official City Hall Building. -
Lincoln Memorial
The Lincoln Memorial has finally been completed.The Memorial is was made to remember Abraham Lincoln, Our 16th president. It was officially dedicated to him on May 30, 1922. -
Reorganization Plan
The Reorganization Plan of 1952 transfers to the three commissioners the functions of more than 50 boards. -
23rd Amendment
The 23rd Amendment to the Constitution gave District residents the right to vote for president.
The District constituting the seat of government of the United States shall appoint in such manner as the Congress may direct: but in no event more than the least populous state; they shall be in addition to those appoint. number of electors of President and Vice President equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives in Congress to which the District would be entitled if it were a state. -
Washington Metro Area
The Washington Metro Area Transit Authority is created between the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia.
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is a tri-jurisdictional government agency authorized by Congress, that operates mobile services in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, including the Washington Metro and Metrobus. -
Residents
District residents receive the right to elect a Board of Education. -
Reorganization Act
Congress approved the District of Columbia Self-Government and the Reorganization Act, P.L. 93-198, which established an elected mayor and a 13-member council. An American Act of Congress became a law on April 3, 1939, & gave the President of the United States the authority to hire additional secret staff and reorganize the executive branch for 2 years.
It was the first major planned reorganization of the executive office of the president. -
General Elections
Voters of the District of Columbia approve by referendum the District Charter and the establishment of advisory neighborhood commissions. General elections are held for mayor and council on November 5, 1974. -
Walter Washington
Walter Washington was elected for mayor. -
First election
The first election for local citizens. -
Metorail Red Line
The first part of the Metrorail Red Line is opened. The Red Line of the Washington Metro is a rail rapid transit service operating between 27 stations in Montgomery County, Maryland and the District of Columbia. Its a primary line through downtown Washington, and the oldest and busiest line. It forms a long, narrow U by its terminal stations at Shady Grove and Glenmont. -
Voting Rights Amendment
Congress approves the District of Columbia Voting Rights Amendment, which would give District residents voting representation in the House and the Senate. The proposed constitutional amendment was not ratified by the necessary number of states (38) within the allotted seven years. -
Marion Barry
The Mayor Marion Barry took office. Barry is an American Democratic politician who served as the 2nd elected mayor of Washington, D.C. He served from 1979 to 1991, and again as the fourth mayor from 1995 to 1999.
In the 1960's he was involved in the Civil Rights Movement and served as the first president of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. -
District of Columbia Statehood
District electors approve the District of Columbia's Statehood. The Constitutional Convention of 1979 became a D.C. Law 3-171 and called for a state constitutional convention.
The District of Columbia statehood movement is a political movement that made the District of Columbia become U.S. state.
Statehood would give all the citizens of Washington, D.C. full representation in the United States Congress and full control over their own local affairs. -
New Columbia
After the constitutional convention, a Constitution for the State of New Columbia is ratified by District voters. -
Bond Market
The District enters the bond market. -
Airports
The Metro Washington Airports Authority is created to acquire Washington National and Washington - Dulles International airports from the federal government, pursuant to P.L. 99-151, The Metropolitan Washington Airports Act of 1986. The authority begins operating the airports on June 7, 1987. -
St. Elizabeth's Hospital
Saint Elizabeth's Hospital is transferred to the District of Columbia government pursuant to P.L. 98-621, The St. Elizabeth's Hospital and the D.C. Mental Health Services Act of 1984. It was the first large-scale, federally-run psychiatric hospital in the United States. Housing several thousand patients at its peak, St. Elizabeths had a fully functioning medical-surgical unit and offered accredited internships and psychiatric residencies. -
Stadium Act
Congress approves an amendment to the District of Columbia Stadium Act of 1957, which authorized the transfer of Robert F. Kennedy Stadium from the federal government to the District of Columbia government. -
Sharon Pratt Dixon
Mayor Sharon Pratt Dixon, the first woman mayor, takes office. Sharon Pratt Dixon was born on January 30, 1944 in Washington, D.C. to parents Carlisle Pratt and Mildred (Petticord) Pratt. She was the third mayor of the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1995. Pratt was the first African-American woman to serve as mayor of a major American city. She is also to date the only woman to have served as mayor of Washington D.C. -
Statehood
The House of Rep. approves statehood for Washington D.C., but the Senate does not. -
Marion Barry
Marion Barry takes office for an unprecedented fourth term as Mayor of the District of Columbia. -
Bill Clinton
President Clinton signed the law creating a presidentially appointed District of Columbia Financial Control Board and a mayor-appointed Chief Financial Officer. was the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He was the third-youngest president; only Theodore Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy were younger when entering office. -
first public meeting
The newly appointed financial control board holds its first public meeting. It is composed of Dr. Andrew Brimmer, chair; and members - Joyce A. Ladner, Constance B. Newman, Stephen D. Harlan and Edward A. Singletary. John Hill is the Executive Director and Daniel Rezneck is the General Counsel. -
Marion Barry
Mayor Marion Barry tells people his plan to minimize the size of the government and increase the efficiency. -
The Pentagon
The Terrorist attack destroyed the Pentagon Building. The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States. located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.
