Existing comment:
District of Columbia
This map depicts the original ten-square mile District of Columbia limits as established by the Residence Act of 1790 that George Washington signed into law. It appeased southerners by establishing a capital city along the Potomac, and northerners by permitting the assumption of states' debts. At Washington's urging, Congress amended the act to include his hometown of Alexandria, raising hopes among residents that the port would achieve its commercial potential.
William Davis Tickner, publisher, Boston, MA, engraving, 1835 |