Washington / District of Columbia

District of Columbia
The Founding Fathers recognized the need to set aside a federal district for the capital of our new nation, to ensure that the government remained independent of any state. Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution defined the dimensions of such a district ("not exceeding ten miles square"), and granted Congress the power to "exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever". However, there was less agreement as to the best location for the new capital. Archrivals Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton hit upon a compromise in 1790: in exchange for allowing the federal government to assume state debts, the new capital would be established in the South, on the banks of the Potomac. President George Washington selected the site for the federal district, which originally included land on both the Maryland and Virginia sides of the river.
In 1791, Washington appointed Pierre L'Enfant, a Frenchman who had served on his wartime staff, to devise a plan for the new federal city which would be named in his honor.		L'Enfant was soon fired, however, and his plan was actually completed by surveyor Andrew Ellicott. Congress and President John Adams took up residence in the new capital in 1800.
Burned by the British during the War of 1812, Washington, D.C. remained a sleepy village for the first half of the 19th century. The Civil War, many of whose battles were fought nearby, sparked a building boom in the federal capital, whose limits were expanded to encompass the remainder of the district in 1878.
In 1961, the Twenty-third Amendment to the Constitution gave D.C. residents the right to vote in presidential elections, and the district was granted "home rule", with a directly-elected city council and mayor, in 1973. Still, the district has no voting members in Congress, which explains the unofficial motto, "Taxation Without Representation", on D.C. license plates.

National Mall
So much history has played out in "America's front yard" — the 300-acre expanse of real estate between Constitution and Independence Avenues — it's hard to believe that it is a relatively new addition to the city's layout. Conceived as part of L'Enfant's original design, the plan for a National Mall remained unrealized until the McMillan Commission, charged with beautifying the capital, endorsed its development in 1901.
	The mall achieved its modern form with the construction of the Lincoln Memorial at its western end in 1922.

The National Park Service has administered the National Mall and other D.C. memorial parks since 1933. The Trust for the National Mall supports restoration, preservation, and education programs.

Erection of the Washington Monument began in 1848, but was interrupted for 25 years. Completed in 1888, this obelisk was the tallest structure in the world — until the Eiffel Tower was unveiled the following year.
Contrary to popular belief, there is no rule that D.C. buildings be no taller than the Washington Monument (555' 5").		In fact, a 1910 law simply states that Washington edifices can be no more than 20' higher than the width of the adjacent street.

Capitol Hill
L'Enfant's design for Washington divided the "federal city" into four quadrants, centered on the "Congress House" at the crest of Jenkins Hill. Construction of the Capitol began in 1793, with the Senate wing completed in 1800 (in time to host its first session of Congress) and the House wing in 1811. The British torched the place in 1814, but it was quickly reconstructed, and a rotunda and dome were added by 1826.
	The Capitol was expanded in the 1850s, and topped by the current (much larger) dome in 1863. Additional renovations were undertaken in 1904 and 1958-1962.