1 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:06,560 Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of I Heart Radio, Hey 2 00:00:06,640 --> 00:00:12,440 Speaker 1: brain Stuff Lauren bog obam here. On June, the U. S. 3 00:00:12,480 --> 00:00:16,119 Speaker 1: House of Representatives passed historic legislation that would transform the 4 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:19,959 Speaker 1: District of Columbia into the nation's fifty first state. The 5 00:00:20,040 --> 00:00:23,520 Speaker 1: bill would give the district's current seven hundred and five thousand, 6 00:00:23,680 --> 00:00:26,760 Speaker 1: seven hundred and forty nine residents the opportunity to elect 7 00:00:26,800 --> 00:00:30,000 Speaker 1: a congress member and two senators with full voting rights 8 00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:32,559 Speaker 1: for the first time in the nation's history, though the 9 00:00:32,600 --> 00:00:37,239 Speaker 1: bill still faces an uphill battle in the U. S. Senate. Currently, 10 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:40,600 Speaker 1: Washington d C has a non voting delegate to the House, 11 00:00:40,720 --> 00:00:44,600 Speaker 1: Eleanor Holmes Norton, who introduced the statehood legislation, but has 12 00:00:44,640 --> 00:00:47,200 Speaker 1: no say in its passage, as well as to shadow 13 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:51,920 Speaker 1: senators who similarly cannot vote on legislation. The bill would 14 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:55,000 Speaker 1: shrink the federal capital to a small area encompassing the 15 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:58,360 Speaker 1: White House, capital buildings, Supreme Court, and other federal buildings 16 00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:01,000 Speaker 1: along the National Mall. The rest of the city would 17 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:05,280 Speaker 1: become the fifty first state. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said 18 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:08,120 Speaker 1: in a news conference. For more than two centuries, the 19 00:01:08,160 --> 00:01:11,200 Speaker 1: residents of Washington d C, the District of Columbia, have 20 00:01:11,319 --> 00:01:14,520 Speaker 1: been denied their right to fully participate in their democracy. 21 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:18,800 Speaker 1: Pelosi said that the importance of giving Washington d C. 22 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:22,280 Speaker 1: Full voting rights was demonstrated earlier this month when the 23 00:01:22,319 --> 00:01:26,080 Speaker 1: administration of President Donald Trump deployed federal law enforcement agents 24 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:29,040 Speaker 1: and National Guard troops against protesters in Washington, d C. 25 00:01:29,319 --> 00:01:33,960 Speaker 1: Without the resident's approval. House Majority Leader Sunny Hoyer said, 26 00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:37,440 Speaker 1: this is not just an issue of local governance and fairness, 27 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:41,320 Speaker 1: it's a major civil rights issue as well. At this point, 28 00:01:41,440 --> 00:01:45,000 Speaker 1: the legislation is a largely symbolic statement that few expect 29 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:47,560 Speaker 1: to pass, at least for now, because it would have 30 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:50,680 Speaker 1: to get through the Republican controlled U. S. Senate, where 31 00:01:50,760 --> 00:01:53,960 Speaker 1: Majority Leader Mitch McConnell indicated in an interview with Fox 32 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:56,680 Speaker 1: News that he would deny it a vote even if 33 00:01:56,680 --> 00:01:59,800 Speaker 1: the Senate did approve it. Trump most likely would veto 34 00:01:59,840 --> 00:02:03,440 Speaker 1: the measure. Trump said to The New York Post in May, 35 00:02:03,720 --> 00:02:06,560 Speaker 1: Why so we can have two more Democrats senators and 36 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:09,799 Speaker 1: five more Congressmen. No, thank you, That will never happen. 37 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:15,480 Speaker 1: But the current controversy raises another question. Why didn't the 38 00:02:15,560 --> 00:02:18,160 Speaker 1: nation's founders make Washington d C. A state in the 39 00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:20,720 Speaker 1: first place, But when they decided to create a new 40 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:23,960 Speaker 1: national capital, why did they choose to deny residents the 41 00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:26,600 Speaker 1: same representation in the national government that the rest of 42 00:02:26,639 --> 00:02:31,760 Speaker 1: the nation citizens have. As historians explain, Washington's lack of 43 00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:35,959 Speaker 1: full representation has mainly to do with two things. First, 44 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:38,080 Speaker 1: there was a desire on the part of some of 45 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:41,240 Speaker 1: the founders to have a strong federal government that wouldn't 46 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:43,920 Speaker 1: be dependent upon the state it was in for services 47 00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:47,240 Speaker 1: and protection. But it also has something to do with 48 00:02:47,280 --> 00:02:50,880 Speaker 1: Southern slaveholders desire to have a national capital in their 49 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:55,000 Speaker 1: territory with weak self governance so that slavery wouldn't face 50 00:02:55,080 --> 00:02:59,880 Speaker 1: any local political resistance. Even after the Civil War, segregationists 51 00:02:59,880 --> 00:03:02,720 Speaker 1: in Congress fought for many years to keep control over 52 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:06,080 Speaker 1: the district's administration and deny any power to the city's 53 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:11,359 Speaker 1: largely black population. On that first count, though, an early 54 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:14,880 Speaker 1: U s military mutiny was a primary event that convinced 55 00:03:14,919 --> 00:03:19,760 Speaker 1: the founders to keep Washington, d C. From statehood. Ec Initially, 56 00:03:19,919 --> 00:03:24,040 Speaker 1: Philadelphia served as the nation's capital, but the Confederation Congress, 57 00:03:24,120 --> 00:03:27,440 Speaker 1: which was the predecessor of the present legislative branch, found 58 00:03:27,440 --> 00:03:31,640 Speaker 1: itself in a difficult situation. In June of three, that's 59 00:03:31,680 --> 00:03:35,400 Speaker 1: when Pennsylvania militiamen who had been furloughed after the Revolutionary 60 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:38,880 Speaker 1: War decided to march to Philadelphia to protest the government 61 00:03:38,920 --> 00:03:41,240 Speaker 1: taking away their jobs and not paying them what they 62 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:45,680 Speaker 1: were owed. When these mutineers arrived in Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania 63 00:03:45,720 --> 00:03:49,440 Speaker 1: government began negotiating with them, but rumors started to spread 64 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:53,080 Speaker 1: among the nervous national legislators that the soldiers might loot 65 00:03:53,160 --> 00:03:56,080 Speaker 1: the government chartered Bank of North America if they didn't 66 00:03:56,080 --> 00:03:59,800 Speaker 1: get their money. A committee of delegates led by Alexander 67 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:03,480 Speaker 1: Wilton demanded the Pennsylvania state government put down the rebellion, 68 00:04:03,840 --> 00:04:07,480 Speaker 1: but the state government declined, saying that the protesters weren't violent. 69 00:04:08,520 --> 00:04:11,440 Speaker 1: In the view of some historians, that actually was just 70 00:04:11,600 --> 00:04:14,240 Speaker 1: fine with Hamilton's, who was looking to advocate for a 71 00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:17,440 Speaker 1: central government with its own police powers over its domain. 72 00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:21,919 Speaker 1: Hamilton's persuaded an Ally, the then President of Congress, to 73 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:24,400 Speaker 1: convene a session on a weekend, even though there weren't 74 00:04:24,520 --> 00:04:27,080 Speaker 1: enough members around to reach a quorum, so that it 75 00:04:27,080 --> 00:04:30,320 Speaker 1: would create the impression that they were menaced by the protest. 76 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:34,400 Speaker 1: Hamilton's then chastised state leaders for failing to protect the 77 00:04:34,400 --> 00:04:36,919 Speaker 1: federal government against the soldiers and thus putting it in 78 00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:41,680 Speaker 1: a weak and disgusting position. The handful of legislators then 79 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:45,080 Speaker 1: fled to New Jersey, perhaps specifically to add to the drama. 80 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:50,120 Speaker 1: A few years later, the Constitution's framers specified in Article one, 81 00:04:50,200 --> 00:04:53,400 Speaker 1: Section eight, clause seventeen that the national capital should be 82 00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:56,719 Speaker 1: located in a district quote not exceeding ten miles square 83 00:04:57,120 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 1: that would be controlled by the federal government and not 84 00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:03,080 Speaker 1: by any date. That meant that members of Congress wouldn't 85 00:05:03,080 --> 00:05:06,120 Speaker 1: be dependent upon local or state officials to protect them 86 00:05:06,120 --> 00:05:10,600 Speaker 1: from future mobs of aggrieved citizens, and, as future President 87 00:05:10,680 --> 00:05:14,599 Speaker 1: James Madison noted in Federalist forty three, by not being 88 00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:18,480 Speaker 1: dependent upon a state, Congress would avoid potential for corruption 89 00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:23,719 Speaker 1: quote an imputation of awe or influence equally dishonorable to 90 00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:27,360 Speaker 1: the government and dissatisfactory to the other members of the Confederacy. 91 00:05:28,839 --> 00:05:31,520 Speaker 1: Southerners and Northerners in the new government worked out a 92 00:05:31,560 --> 00:05:34,240 Speaker 1: compromise in which the capital would be located in the 93 00:05:34,279 --> 00:05:37,960 Speaker 1: South in exchange for Southern Congress members dropping their opposition 94 00:05:38,000 --> 00:05:40,880 Speaker 1: to the federal government, paying off Northern States debts from 95 00:05:40,920 --> 00:05:44,719 Speaker 1: the Revolutionary War. The location along the Potomac River was 96 00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:47,520 Speaker 1: attractive to George Washington because it was less than twenty 97 00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:50,599 Speaker 1: miles or about thirty two kilometers from his Mountain Vernon estate, 98 00:05:50,960 --> 00:05:53,200 Speaker 1: and because he had a vision of turning the capital 99 00:05:53,240 --> 00:05:57,320 Speaker 1: into a prosperous riverport and commercial hub. In eighteen o one, 100 00:05:57,520 --> 00:06:01,239 Speaker 1: Congress passed the Organic Act, which took away district residents 101 00:06:01,360 --> 00:06:05,080 Speaker 1: right to vote for congressional representatives, and the following year 102 00:06:05,360 --> 00:06:07,640 Speaker 1: granted a charter to a portion of the district the 103 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:10,440 Speaker 1: city of Washington, which was allowed to elect a twelve 104 00:06:10,520 --> 00:06:14,040 Speaker 1: member city council. The mayor initially was appointed by the U. 105 00:06:14,160 --> 00:06:17,040 Speaker 1: S President, though in eighteen twenty the law was changed 106 00:06:17,160 --> 00:06:21,160 Speaker 1: to allow a mayoral election as well as for that 107 00:06:21,320 --> 00:06:26,120 Speaker 1: second count. Washington, d C. Was situated between two slave states, 108 00:06:26,279 --> 00:06:30,039 Speaker 1: Maryland and Virginia, which helped protect the slavery there from 109 00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:34,200 Speaker 1: northern influence. But we spoke via email with J. D. Dickey, 110 00:06:34,440 --> 00:06:38,320 Speaker 1: the author of the book Empire of Mud, the Secret 111 00:06:38,400 --> 00:06:42,520 Speaker 1: History of Washington, d C. He said that district became 112 00:06:42,560 --> 00:06:46,039 Speaker 1: a bulwark of Southern legislative power and slave trading and 113 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:50,039 Speaker 1: human bondage became legion there, and so, with the population 114 00:06:50,040 --> 00:06:52,520 Speaker 1: in the district largely made up of enslaved people and 115 00:06:52,640 --> 00:06:56,359 Speaker 1: disenfranchised citizens, the only people who could vote federally or 116 00:06:56,440 --> 00:07:00,200 Speaker 1: hold federal power of any kind were congressmen elected by 117 00:07:00,240 --> 00:07:03,640 Speaker 1: voters who didn't live there. In the first half of 118 00:07:03,680 --> 00:07:07,320 Speaker 1: the eighteen hundreds, Washington became a center for the domestic trade, 119 00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:10,200 Speaker 1: home to one of the busiest markets involved in the 120 00:07:10,280 --> 00:07:13,160 Speaker 1: sale of human beings. It was a sort of place 121 00:07:13,160 --> 00:07:16,520 Speaker 1: where free black man such as Solomon Northrope, whose memoir 122 00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:19,200 Speaker 1: was adapted into the film Twelve Years as Slave, ran 123 00:07:19,280 --> 00:07:21,679 Speaker 1: the danger of being kidnapped and thrown into the slave 124 00:07:21,720 --> 00:07:24,400 Speaker 1: pen that was located at what's now the Federal Aviation 125 00:07:24,440 --> 00:07:29,600 Speaker 1: Administration's headquarters at eight hundred Independence Avenue Southwest. But we 126 00:07:29,720 --> 00:07:33,000 Speaker 1: also spoke via email with Chris Myers Ash, who's the 127 00:07:33,040 --> 00:07:36,880 Speaker 1: co author, along with George Derrek Musgrove, of the book 128 00:07:37,080 --> 00:07:40,040 Speaker 1: Chocolate City, A History of Race and Democracy in the 129 00:07:40,120 --> 00:07:44,280 Speaker 1: Nation's Capital. Ash explained it developed as a southern city, 130 00:07:44,520 --> 00:07:47,800 Speaker 1: not a northern one. Slavery was embedded into the fabric 131 00:07:47,840 --> 00:07:50,360 Speaker 1: of the city from its inception, and the slave trade 132 00:07:50,440 --> 00:07:54,680 Speaker 1: quickly became a major industry. After emancipation and a brief 133 00:07:54,720 --> 00:07:59,320 Speaker 1: flowering of interracial democracy, the city lost itself government, and 134 00:07:59,400 --> 00:08:03,560 Speaker 1: city leader is embraced Southern style segregation in customs and 135 00:08:03,680 --> 00:08:06,360 Speaker 1: social relations. D C was a Southern city until the 136 00:08:06,440 --> 00:08:10,760 Speaker 1: late twentieth century. The issues of self government and statehood 137 00:08:10,760 --> 00:08:13,800 Speaker 1: in Washington, d C. Are intertwined with race. Ash says 138 00:08:14,440 --> 00:08:17,320 Speaker 1: the Washington had limited self rule for much of the 139 00:08:17,320 --> 00:08:21,520 Speaker 1: eighteen hundreds. In the eighteen seventies, Congress took that away. 140 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:26,119 Speaker 1: For the next century, Washington was run largely by Southern segregationists, 141 00:08:26,160 --> 00:08:29,520 Speaker 1: such as Senator Theodore Bilbo, a Mississippian who had the 142 00:08:29,600 --> 00:08:33,680 Speaker 1: unofficial title of Mayor of Washington. He once warned in 143 00:08:33,679 --> 00:08:36,439 Speaker 1: a speech that the voting rights were granted in Washington, 144 00:08:36,880 --> 00:08:41,840 Speaker 1: blacks quote would soon have control of the city. Eventually, 145 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:46,040 Speaker 1: Washington's residence did achieve some rights granted two other American citizens. 146 00:08:46,760 --> 00:08:49,640 Speaker 1: In nineteen sixty one, the twenty third Amendment gave them 147 00:08:49,679 --> 00:08:52,840 Speaker 1: the right to vote in presidential elections, and in nineteen 148 00:08:52,840 --> 00:08:56,200 Speaker 1: seventy three they regained the right to elect council members 149 00:08:56,240 --> 00:08:59,800 Speaker 1: and the mayor. In nineteen seventy eight, Congress passed a 150 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:04,479 Speaker 1: institutional amendment that would have given Washington residents representation in Congress, 151 00:09:04,480 --> 00:09:07,760 Speaker 1: but it had a seven year window for ratification, and 152 00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:11,800 Speaker 1: by the time that expired in only sixteen states had 153 00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:16,160 Speaker 1: approved it. In another effort to pass a bill in 154 00:09:16,200 --> 00:09:18,920 Speaker 1: the House to grant statehood to Washington failed by a 155 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:21,559 Speaker 1: vote of two hundred and seventy seven to just one 156 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:25,720 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty three, but statehood advocates didn't give up. 157 00:09:26,520 --> 00:09:29,240 Speaker 1: The current legislation, whose two hundred and twenty five co 158 00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:32,840 Speaker 1: sponsors include Speaker Pelosi, is on a path to pass 159 00:09:32,920 --> 00:09:36,040 Speaker 1: on a party line vote. The new bill gets around 160 00:09:36,120 --> 00:09:39,120 Speaker 1: the Constitution's Article one by carving out of space in 161 00:09:39,160 --> 00:09:42,800 Speaker 1: the capital for government buildings, which would remain under federal control, 162 00:09:43,120 --> 00:09:46,840 Speaker 1: while converting Washington's mayor to the equivalent of a state governor. 163 00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:51,320 Speaker 1: The current Washington statehood legislation would create the state of 164 00:09:51,360 --> 00:09:54,679 Speaker 1: Washington d C, with the d C standing no longer 165 00:09:54,720 --> 00:09:59,240 Speaker 1: for District of Columbia, but rather Douglas Commonwealth. Thus, the 166 00:09:59,240 --> 00:10:02,200 Speaker 1: state would draw it's new name from President George Washington 167 00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:06,680 Speaker 1: and abolitionist Frederick Douglas, thereby differentiating it from the Washington 168 00:10:06,760 --> 00:10:15,360 Speaker 1: state that already exists. In the Pacific Northwest. Today's episode 169 00:10:15,360 --> 00:10:17,960 Speaker 1: was written by Patrick Jake Tiger and produced by Tyler Clang. 170 00:10:18,520 --> 00:10:20,440 Speaker 1: For more on the lots of other topics, visit how 171 00:10:20,480 --> 00:10:23,760 Speaker 1: stuff works dot com brain stuff It's production of iHeart Radio. 172 00:10:23,960 --> 00:10:26,360 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the iHeart 173 00:10:26,400 --> 00:10:29,200 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 174 00:10:29,240 --> 00:10:29,920 Speaker 1: favorite shows.