Why the Hell is D.C. Here?

0:00 Intro
1:11 Influence of Versailles and L'Enfant
3:33 American characteristics infused
5:18 1783 Mutiny
9:50 Dinner Table Bargain
13:54 Slavery in the District
18:16 Comparison with Peter I's New City

6. From Alexander Hamilton to John Dickinson, [25–30 September 1783]
7. Federalist 43, Madison.
8. Thomas Jefferson's Federal Town
9. The Complexities of Slavery in the Nation's Capital
11. Jefferson’s Account of the Bargain on the Assumption and Residence Bills. Founders Online
12. George Washington to David Stuart, 15 June 1790
13. The grand bargain on debt that made D.C… Chris Myers Asch. WaPo. 2011
15. To George Washington from Pierre L’Enfant, 11 September 1789
16. How Alexander Hamilton Tackled the National Debt
17. Did enslaved people build the White House? WH Historical Association
18. Notorious ‘Yellow House’ That Made Washington, D.C. a Slavery Capital. Smithsonian Mag.

Stock video and imagery provided by Getty Images.

[williamcfox]

Hope you enjoy! A little extra context: The slave trade was outlawed in DC through the Compromise of 1850. However, slavery itself remained legal in the District until 1862.

[danacerick]

Just discovered your channel today. Great work! I am a DC tour guide and always have to hold my tongue on the reality of the formation of our Capital. I never get to explore further in discussion as so few can fathom the harsh reality. You said it perfectly and succinctly.
I will be watching all of your videos, keep up the great work!

[yodorob]

Notice that while the site along the Potomac River between Maryland and Virginia was chosen as the federal capital, and hence it's in the South, no site in the Deep South (e.g. South Carolina or Georgia) was chosen as the federal capital. As well as being the choice of slaveholders of the South, the site of the federal capital was chosen as being in proximity to the North. Such compromises would later govern the choice of capital cities of later federal countries at neutral spots - for instance, think Canberra in Australia (a compromise between Sydney and Melbourne, and as long as it could be carved out of New South Wales).

[Terra-YT]

Wow exploring history this might be my favorite video of yours yet. You're a total inspiration and actually because of seeing your success I've decided to start making videos too! Keep grinding, your hard work clearly pays off!

[TheTephin]

Wow.

William… all I can say is bravo! This was so eloquent, brief, yet still precise where necessary.

I’ve been a patreon supporter for a long while but just (quite literally) watching your growth as a subject matter expert in such a congested, convuluted, and contested area is inspiring.

This video offers a lot to reflect upon. Thank you for the effort and time you spent producing this (and all of your other) content.

You truly are a diamond in the rough.

[MrLesegoN]

Your channel is great. You really have a skill and talent for explaining complex issues in layman terms, thus making it easy to follow.

[ODISeth]

Heyo heads up, just watched this video on Nebula and it cuts off unexpectedly at 12:28
I’m guessing this was just either a render or exporting mistake, but I figured you’d wanna know!

[nd_ntr]

Stay consistent my dude, you've got some good content!

[wrexxy]

Now that's how we talk about past sins. Fantastic video.

[legoboy]

I don’t agree with Hamilton on a lot of things, but I think he was definitely right about the need for a strong central government. State governments are selfish, arbitrary, more authoritarian, and often less representative of the people than the federal government

[timothymclean]

People have been talking about moving the capital for centuries, but until someone designs a pickup truck with a 68-square-mile bed, I don't think it'll happen.

[NihilistSolitude]

Jefferson did also free what slaves he could upon his death, if he wasn't so seriously in debt he would have release more but since slaves were consider part of the estate all his will wishes couldn't occured.

[Shmeks]

YouTube search is useless, just searched for today’s videos “why Washington is there” and this video did not come up for me

[KingBranBDM]

No it is not in need of Amending. But as an African American born in Washington, DC who has been all over the city I would say that it is time that America pays off the debt of its forced labor by a jump start of Education & Economic Development in the Communities who forced labor built our wonderful nation's capital Washington, DC aka Chocolate City.


Drinks on me!

[danacerick]

I would love to see your take on DC voting rights and how much having a large black population had to do with them being taken away from regular DC taxpaying citizens. And our fight for statehood!

[philipj.sherman]

7:40 Please use better words.
There was no "insurrection".
They came to get paid, not overthrow anything.

[fatherstevek]

Some would read nothing about slavery into the location, because it is not in writing. You, on the other hand, with 20-20 hindsight, are reading too much about slavery into the location! It was a compromise in location: as close as practical to the North-South center of a nation that was 1, 000 miles long and 200 miles wide. It was also seen as a great place to limit how much the government seated there would impact the people...after all, with miserably hot and humid weather from mid-Spring through mid-Fall (and no A/C!), the Founding Fathers who wanted limited government presumed the elected lawmakers would stay home half the year! Little did they know...

[davidtirschman]

Why don't you do a video of the real tragedy. After the civil war during Grant's presidentency banksters from England bought rhe district of Columbia for the head office of their corporation. The civil war over and the government in dire debt and a small amount of politicians sold out our country to British and European banksters. 1873 act took our country if states into a corporation. The constitution put aside for corporate status. Presidents were devalued to the rank of Esquire one rank below a knight. This was rhe beginning of the end of American sovereignty. The banksters bought out or leaders turning the States into debt slaves. Now the cooperation is broke and our time to recover our sovereignty is at hand. No more serfs of the stinking corporation.

[thatcoolkidjoey]

but also you could argue putting it in that location would force to see the horrors of what was actually going on unlike if they would have kept the capital in the North?

[GreenBlueWalkthrough]

Your wrong there is a smoking gun... The founders thought about making all men equal but decided slavery was to important in the now and was going away on it's own so why rush it? And let's remember what happened when Washinton's city rushed it.... The Civil War.