That the marshy swamp where WASHINGTON DC now stands
was chosen as the site of the capital of the newly independent United
States of America says a lot about then-prevalent attitudes toward
government. Washington, District of Columbia (the boundaries of the
two are identical) - also known as " DC " and " The
District " - can be unbearably hot and humid in summer, and bitterly
cold in winter. Such an unpleasant climate, it was hoped, would discourage
elected leaders from making government a full-time job. This disdain
for politics is still apparent: DC is run as a virtual colony of Congress,
where residents have just one, nonvoting representative and couldn't
vote in presidential elections until the 23rd Amendment was passed
in 1961.
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