Hvem besluttede, hvor hovedstaden skulle placeres?
History of Washington, D.C.
James Madison, der skrev i Federalist nr. 43, argumenterede også for, at den nationale hovedstad skulle være adskilt fra staterne for at kunne sørge for sin egen vedligeholdelse og sikkerhed. I forfatningen er der imidlertid ikke valgt et specifikt sted til det nye distrikt. Forslag fra Marylands, New Jerseys, New Yorks og Virginias lovgivende forsamlinger tilbød alle et område til placering af den nationale hovedstad. De nordlige stater foretrak en hovedstad placeret i en af landets fremtrædende byer, som ikke overraskende næsten alle lå i nord. Omvendt foretrak sydstaterne, at hovedstaden skulle ligge tættere på deres landbrugs- og slaveholdningsinteresser. Valget af området omkring Potomac-floden, som var grænsen mellem Maryland og Virginia, der begge var slavestater, blev aftalt mellem James Madison, Thomas Jefferson og Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton havde et forslag om, at den nye forbundsregering skulle overtage den gæld, som staterne havde oparbejdet under revolutionskrigen. I 1790 havde sydstaterne imidlertid stort set tilbagebetalt deres oversøiske gæld. Hamiltons forslag ville kræve, at sydstaterne skulle overtage en del af Nordstaternes gæld. Jefferson og Madison gik ind på dette forslag og sikrede sig til gengæld en sydlig placering af den føderale hovedstad.
History of Washington, D.C.
James Madison, writing in Federalist No. 43, also argued that the national capital needed to be distinct from the states, in order to provide for its own maintenance and safety. The Constitution, however, does not select a specific site for the location of the new District. Proposals from the legislatures of Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Virginia all offered territory for the location of the national capital. Northern states preferred a capital located in one of the nation's prominent cities, unsurprisingly, almost all of which were in the north. Conversely, Southern states preferred that the capital be located closer to their agricultural and slave-holding interests. The selection of the area around the Potomac River, which was the boundary between Maryland and Virginia, both slave states, was agreed upon between James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton had a proposal for the new federal government to take over debts accrued by the states during the Revolutionary War. However, by 1790, Southern states had largely repaid their overseas debts. Hamilton's proposal would require Southern states to assume a share of Northern debt. Jefferson and Madison agreed to this proposal and in return secured a Southern location for the federal capital.
History of Washington, D.C.