On September 9, 1791, the U.S. Capital of Washington D.C. was named after President George Washington.

Article I of the U.S Constitution states that Congress shall create a district, separate and unique from the states, to act as the nation’s seat of government. This idea had been promoted by many of our founding fathers, including James Madison. However, debate rose on what to name the district, where to locate it, and how to establish it.

In July 1790, Congress passed the Residence Act that determined the location for the nation’s capital along the Potomac River between Virginia and Maryland. President George Washington selected the exact location of the new federal district and he appointed three commissioners to oversee its development. The land measured ten square miles that lay on both sides of the Potomac River. Congress met for the first time in Washington D.C. on November 17, 1800, and the nation’s capital officially transferred from Philadelphia in June 1801.

Today, Washington, D.C. is governed by a mayor and city council, but ultimate authority rests with U.S. Congress. Washington D.C. has a non-voting member of U.S. Congress and no Senators. And residents of Washington, D.C. were not allowed to vote in presidential elections until 1961.