Post 4: Life Writing

I found many elements of Rosalie Calvert’s narrative interesting, however, what made me the most curious was her discussion on United States urbanization. Particularly, she refers to Georgetown as underdeveloped. This immediately caught my attention because we think of our nation’s capital as the epicenter for US government and politics and would certainly never associate it with underdevelopment. Consequently, my interest peaked, and I decided to look into the history and urbanization of Washington DC.

The city was established on July 16, 1790 and it was made the capital from its inception. Its location was decided out of compromise: Alexander Hamilton and the northern states wanted the capital to assume Revolutionary War debts, while Andrew Jackson and the southern states wanted a slave-holding agricultural location. Therefore, the decision to place it between Maryland and Virginia. The city took an extremely long time to develop because it was up to Congress to appropriate funds for economic initiatives. Unlike the other states, the District, as it was often referred to during the 18^th century, did not have the local and state government support to fund urbanization efforts. Therefore, it was all federally mandated. And the District’s late 18^th century residents lacked trust in Congress. Therefore, it took until 1809, when Congress was finally able to acquire funding for the Washington City Canal for the city to finally begin its urban development process.

Keeping all of this in mind, it’s immediately apparent why Rosalie Calvert was able to remark on Georgetown and the whole city’s lack of development. This is also particularly interesting because Baltimore was much more developed during this time, so a cross-urban comparison would be another interesting topic for future research.

Lylah Uttamsingh

Works Cited

Gray., By C. H. "Washington, the Planned City, is really a Collection of Old Villages: Small Towns Swallowed as D.C. Grew Georgetown, Hamburg, Carrollsburg all were Absorbed. Alexandria is One of Few which Still Remain. Florida Ave. Once Marked North Limit Washington and D.C. Lines Later were made Same. Neighborhoods are Now Known by Former Town Titles." The Washington Post (1923-1954), May 30, 1937, pp. 1. ProQuest, https://search.proquest.com/docview/151042834?accountid=14696.

“The History of Washington, DC.” Washington.org, 23 May 2016, washington.org/dc-information/washington-dc-history.

Townsend, George Alfred. Washington, outside and inside. A picture and a narrative of the origin, growth, excellencies, abuses, beauties, and personages of our governing city. Hartford, Conn., Chicago, Ill., J. Betts & Co.; Cincinnati, Ohio, S.M. Betts & Co, 1873. Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/06028587/>.