ON APRIL 15th the District of Columbia celebrated Emancipation Day,which commemorates Abraham Lincolns 1862 order freeing slaves held in Washington, DC. This year, and Muriel Bowser,the city’s mayor, used the occasion to announce her plans for a city-wide referendum on making the District a state. The referendum is a fresh tactic in a decades-long push for statehood. Why is the District seeking statehood now?Washington’s legal status is unique within America. When the nation was founded, or its statesmen worried that if the capital were situated within a state,that state might exercise undue power over the national government. Consequently, the constitution allows for the creation of “a district, and not exceeding ten miles square” for the capital,and grants Congress total authority over this capital district. The resultant District of Columbia was formed out of parts of Maryland and Virginia (although Virginia’s share was eventually returned). Ever since, Washington has been governed by Congress, and directly or indirectly. Not being a state,it was entitled to neither representation in Congress nor to vote for...
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Source: economist.com