In 1791 Pierre L’Enfant was commissioned to begin work on the federal city meant to be the capita... more In 1791 Pierre L’Enfant was commissioned to begin work on the federal city meant to be the capital of the new United States. It had been two years since the Constitution of the United States had come into effect; the strong federal government it created and that L’Enfant’s city was designed to house was still hotly debated. Federalism was an untested system that, despite having clear, delineated structures with checks to its influence and limits to its reach, must have seemed to the founders and to the public like an ambiguous entity with uncertain possibilities. The new federal city that would become Washington D.C. would mirror the new government, and indeed the nation in this aspect of ambiguity. However, as time went on and the nation gained a clearer sense of identity, D.C. would retain its ambiguous character on a number of different levels. Throughout this paper we will try to show how the many conflicts and resolutions over what de ned the city’s identity became the dominant factor in what shaped Washington D.C.: disputes over its Northern or Southern character influenced D.C.’s policies and attitudes towards its predominant African American populous; disagreements over its status as a federal territory or a state altered its industry and its funding; and questions concerning what its role and purpose were and are have left unclear even what to call the city. This unique and multifaceted ambiguity, so ingrained into Washington D.C., was present from its beginnings and, as we hope to show, ultimately helped D.C. create its own clear form and definition.
In 1791 Pierre L’Enfant was commissioned to begin work on the federal city meant to be the capita... more In 1791 Pierre L’Enfant was commissioned to begin work on the federal city meant to be the capital of the new United States. It had been two years since the Constitution of the United States had come into effect; the strong federal government it created and that L’Enfant’s city was designed to house was still hotly debated. Federalism was an untested system that, despite having clear, delineated structures with checks to its influence and limits to its reach, must have seemed to the founders and to the public like an ambiguous entity with uncertain possibilities. The new federal city that would become Washington D.C. would mirror the new government, and indeed the nation in this aspect of ambiguity. However, as time went on and the nation gained a clearer sense of identity, D.C. would retain its ambiguous character on a number of different levels. Throughout this paper we will try to show how the many conflicts and resolutions over what de ned the city’s identity became the dominant factor in what shaped Washington D.C.: disputes over its Northern or Southern character influenced D.C.’s policies and attitudes towards its predominant African American populous; disagreements over its status as a federal territory or a state altered its industry and its funding; and questions concerning what its role and purpose were and are have left unclear even what to call the city. This unique and multifaceted ambiguity, so ingrained into Washington D.C., was present from its beginnings and, as we hope to show, ultimately helped D.C. create its own clear form and definition.
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Papers by Andres Junca