Episode 222: Adam Costanzo, The Early History of Washington, D.C.

by Emily SneffJanuary 22, 2019

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Have you ever wondered how the capital of the United States came to be situated at Washington, D.C.?

The banks of the Potomac River represent an odd place to build a national city, a place that would not only serve as the seat of government for the nation, but also as an economic, cultural, and intellectual hub. Still in 1790, the United States Congress passed the Residence Act and mandated that it would establish a new, permanent capital along the banks of the Potomac River. Why?

Adam Costanzo, a Professional Assistant Professor of History at Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi and author of George Washington’s Washington: Visions for the National Capital in the Early American Republic, joins us to consider questions of the national capital’s location and construction.

About the Show

Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.

It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.

Each episode features a conversation with a historian who helps us shed light on important people and events in early American history.

Ben Franklin’s World is a production of the Omohundro Institute.

Episode Summary

Adam Costanzo, a Professional Assistant Professor of History at Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi and author of George Washington’s Washington: Visions for the National Capital in the Early American Republic, joins us to consider why and how the United States Congress built the national capital on the banks of the Potomac River.

During our exploration of the national capital’s journey to Washington, D.C., Adam reveals why the national capital of the United States occupied nine different cities and towns between 1774 and 1800 and why Congress felt it needed a new, permanent seat of government; How Congress came to settle upon building the United States’ seat of government along the banks of the Potomac River; And, the ideas, money, and labor needed to build the District of Columbia.

What You’ll Discover

Capitals of the United States
Why the capital of the United States moved from city to city early on
Article 1, Section 8 of the United States Constitution
How Congress settled upon the Potomac River for the new, permanent capital
Lobbying efforts and other possible locations for the national capital
The Residence Act
The geography and topography for the new capital
George Washington’s involvement in placing and building the new capital
Washington’s vision for the new national capital
Pierre L’Enfant
Funding and building the new capital
The Washington Commissioners
The laborers who built Washington, D.C.
Moving the national capital from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C.
Thomas Jefferson and the new capital
The War of 1812 and the burning of Washington, D.C.
Congress thinks about removing and relocating the capital
When and how Washington, D.C. emerges into the capital we know today

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Time Warp Question

In your opinion, what might have happened if Pierre L’Enfant had not quit? If he had seen the building of Washington, D.C. through, how would the look and feel of the District have been different?