222 The Early History of Washington, D.C.

Ben Franklin's World

Liz Covart

Earlyrepublic, History, Benfranklin, Society & Culture, Warforindependence, Earlyamericanrepublic, Earlyamericanhistory, Education, Colonialamerica, Americanrevolution, Ushistory, Benjaminfranklin

4.6 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 22 January 2019

⏱️ 70 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

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.

Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/222

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Ben Franklin's World is a production of the
0:02.6	O'Mohandro Institute.
0:04.0	Welcome to Ben Franklin's World,
0:08.0	Podcasts About Early American History with Liz Covert.
0:11.0	The study of history is key to understanding who we are and how we can
0:15.5	affect the better future. Van Franklin's world will introduce you to historical people
0:20.6	and events that have impacted and shaped our present day world. people and
0:25.0	welcome,
0:28.0	welcome to episode,
0:30.0	and welcome to episode 222 of Ben Franklin's world,
0:32.0	the podcast dedicated to helping you learn more about how the people
0:36.4	and events of our early American past have shaped the present day world we live in.
0:41.6	Have you ever wondered how the capital of the United States came to be
0:44.3	situated at Washington, D.C? I mean, if you really think about it, the banks of the
0:49.2	Potomac River is kind of an odd location for a capital.
0:53.0	A capital or capital city of a nation is meant to serve as the seat of government.
0:58.0	It's a place where you'd expect to find all sorts of grand administrative buildings and workers.
1:03.0	And where you'd expect to find an economic,
1:05.4	cultural, and intellectual hub.
1:07.8	So when you think about the early history of the United States,
1:10.9	you realize that some of the nation's first capital cities made a whole lot more sense.
1:15.3	I mean, New York and Philadelphia? Now, these were cities naturally suited and well-situated
	...

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