For the anterior act that organized the district, see District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801 Act of Congress
 |
|
| Long title | An Act to provide a Government for the District of Columbia. |
|---|---|
| Nicknames | District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871 |
| Enacted by | the 41st United States Congress |
| Citations | |
| Statutes at Large | 16 Stat. 419 |
| Legislative history | |
|
|
The District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871 is an Act of Congress that repealed the individual charters of the cities of Washington and Georgetown and established a newfangled territorial government for the whole District of Columbia. Though Congress repealed the territorial government in 1874, the legislation was the beginning to create a individual municipal government for the union district. [ 1 ]
history [edit ]
evolution of the District ‘s inner boundaries The passing of the Residence Act in 1790 created a modern federal district that would become the capital of the United States. Formed from estate donated by the states of Maryland and Virginia, the capital territory already included two large settlements at its initiation : the port of Georgetown, Maryland and the township of Alexandria, Virginia. A new capital city named in respect of President George Washington was founded to the east of Georgetown in 1791. shortly after establishing operations in the new capital, Congress passed the Organic Act of 1801, which organized the federal district. The district within the federal district east of the Potomac formed the new County of Washington, which was governed by a levy court consisting of seven to eleven Justices of the Peace appointed by the President, and was governed by Maryland law as of 1801. The area west of the river became Alexandria County which was governed by Virginia police. In addition, Congress allowed the cities of Washington, Alexandria and Georgetown to each maintain their own municipal governments. In 1846 Alexandria County was returned by Congress to the state of Virginia. The outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861 led to celebrated growth in the capital ‘s population due to the expansion of the union government and a big inflow of emancipate slaves. [ 2 ] By 1870, the District ‘s population had grown 75 % to about 132,000 residents. [ 3 ] Growth was tied more dramatic within the County of Washington, where the population more than doubled as people escaped the push city. [ 4 ] The individual local governments within the District were insufficient to handle the population emergence. Living conditions were inadequate throughout the capital, which still had dirt roads and lacked basic sanitation. The situation was then bad that some lawmakers in Congress even suggested moving the capital out far west, but President Ulysses S. Grant refused to consider the proposals. [ 5 ]
effect [edit ]
alternatively, Congress passed the Organic Act of 1871, which revoked the individual charters of the cities of Washington and Georgetown and combined them with Washington County to create a unite territorial government for the integral District of Columbia. [ 6 ] The new politics consisted of an appointed governor and 11-member council, a locally elected 22-member assembly, and a board of public works charged with modernizing the city. [ 7 ] The Seal of the District of Columbia features the date 1871, recognizing the class the District ‘s government was incorporated. [ 8 ] The Act did not establish a new city or city government within the District. Regarding a city of Washington, it stated that “ that dowry of said District included within the award limits of the city of Washington shall continue to be known as the city of Washington ”. [ 7 ] In the present day, the name “ Washington ” is normally used to refer to the entire District, but DC jurisprudence continues to use the definition of the city of Washington as given in the 1871 Organic Act. [ 9 ]
In 1873, President Grant appointed an influential penis of the board of populace works, Alexander Robey Shepherd, to the position of governor. Shepherd authorized large-scale municipal projects, which greatly modernized Washington. In doing so however, the governor spent three times the money that had been budgeted for capital improvements, bankrupting the city. [ 10 ] In 1874, Congress replaced the District ‘s quasi-elected territorial government with an appointed three-member Board of Commissioners. Direct govern by Congress continued until the 1973 passage of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, a hundred late. [ 11 ]
conspiracy theories [edit ]
The Act is the footing of several claims held by the sovereign citizen movement. According to these, the Act made the District, and consequently the whole United States, into a clientele corporation. [ 12 ] These claims stem from the term municipal pot used in the Act. [ 13 ] [ 14 ] There are many kinds of corporations ; a corporation is any group authorized to legally act as a single entity ; in this case, an incorporated, organize zone of the United States. Most U.S. cities and counties are municipal corporations. This was late used by QAnon supporters to falsely claim that former president Donald Trump would be sworn in as the 19th president of the original United States on March 4, 2021. [ 15 ] This date corresponds to the original presidential inauguration date because they claim the Twentieth Amendment is invalid as it was not passed by the original United States. On January 20, 2021, Joseph R. Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States and Kamala Harris was sworn in as Vice President, without incident .
See besides [edit ]
References [edit ]
- “An Act to provide a Government for the District of Columbia”, Statutes at Large, Library of Congress
Read more: How Maritime Law Works