Just got around to reading this article. I wasn't aware of the 1794 treaty, but the other stuff I knew about. The 1871 and 1913 parts most certainly has taken over the country. And yes that is why it was never taught in History. I'd bet History books printers are British owned.
I can't imagine why George Washington named Washingtonb DC in honor of Christopher Columbus?
https://www.britannica.com/place/Washington-DC/History
The new federal territory was named District of Columbia to honour explorer
Christopher Columbus, and the new federal city was named for George Washington. In 1790 French-born American engineer and designer
Pierre Charles L’Enfant was chosen to plan the new capital city; meanwhile, surveyor Andrew Ellicott surveyed the 100-square-mile (260-square-km) territory with the assistance of
Benjamin Banneker, a self-educated free Black man. The territory surveyed by Ellicott was ceded by
Maryland, a slave state, and
Virginia, the Southern state with the largest slave population, thus contributing to a significant Black presence in Washington.
Construction of the
Capitol building, the presidential palace (now the
White House), and several other government buildings was almost complete when Congress moved from
Philadelphia to Washington in December 1800. There were, however, few finished dwellings and even fewer amenities in Washington at the time, making the first several years rather unpleasant for the new residents. In
1812 the United States declared war against Great Britain (
see War of 1812), and two years later the British invaded the
vulnerable capital city, setting fire to federal buildings. Structural damage was extensive, and the morale of the local citizens sank. By 1817, however, a newly reconstructed White House welcomed Pres.
James Monroe (served 1817–25), and Congress reconvened in the newly built Capitol in 1819, after having spent five years in the temporary Old Brick Capitol Building, which had been erected on the site of the present-day Supreme Court Building.
Capitol prior to 1814 burning
The Capitol, Washington, D.C., as seen from Pennsylvania Avenue before it was burned by the British in 1814.
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Growth and change
Between 1830 and 1865 tremendous changes occurred in Washington, beginning with the arrival of Pres.
Andrew Jackson (served 1829–37), who brought with him a retinue of new civil servants—beneficiaries of the “
spoils system” who introduced democratizing social changes to the workplace and the
community. Challenges were plentiful: the local economy was unstable; silt in the Potomac River restricted navigation; the construction of the
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal was delayed; and
epidemics were common. When railroads reached the city in the 1830s, a flood of tourists came with them, as did a proliferation of congressional spouses, who forever changed Washington’s social scene. Major construction projects for three federal buildings located just blocks apart in Downtown Washington (the Department of the Treasury, the General Post Office, and the Patent Office [the last is now part of the
Smithsonian Institution]) also began in the 1830s.
assassination of Abraham Lincoln
The assassination of U.S. Pres. Abraham Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth, April 14, 1865, lithograph by Currier & Ives.
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (digital file no. 3b49830u)
During the
American Civil War, the city was never far from the front lines, if only because
Richmond, Virginia, the Confederate capital, was so close. Following the assassination of Pres.
Abraham Lincoln at
Ford’s Theatre just days after the war’s end, Washington was plunged into a state of unprecedented desperation and despair.
In the years following the Civil War, the capital was slowly transformed into a showplace. Two factors contributed to this change. First, in 1871 self-government was granted for the first time to Washingtonians. Under the new territorial government, which lasted just three years, numerous city improvement projects were undertaken: modern schools and markets were erected, streets were paved, outdoor lighting was installed, sewers were built, and more than 50,000 trees were planted. The price for these improvements, however, was far more than Congress had anticipated. The new territorial government was short-lived, but Congress was required to complete the projects. Second, beginning in the 1880s, a number of newcomers arrived in Washington from across the country. Many of them were
affluent intellectuals and lobbyists. This new “elite” made Washington their part-time home during the winter social season. Members of the old Washington society became known as “Cave Dwellers,” a local term for descendants of the original families of the area. They generally still keep within their own social circles.
Washington’s character improved significantly with the completion of the
Washington Monument in 1884, the
Library of Congress in 1897, and, beginning in the late 1890s, the proliferation of social organizations, private clubs, and formal societies for the arts. In 1901 the Senate Park Commission (also known as the McMillan Commission) offered
comprehensive and resolute recommendations for revitalizing and beautifying Washington, advocating that no undertaking “be allowed to invade, to mutilate, or to mar the symmetry, simplicity, and dignity of the capital city.” The new plans were stunning, but years would pass before any of them could be realized.
Library of Congress: ceiling of the Great Hall
Ceiling of the Great Hall in the Thomas Jefferson Building, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Kunalm
