Will Washington, D.C. Become the 51st State?
By Elora Derbyshire
By Elora Derbyshire
In 1800, the capital of the United States was moved from Pennsylvania to Washington, D.C., where it is today. However, its residents are not fully represented in Congress -- they currently only have one non-voting House delegate, Eleanor Holmes Norton, and do not have any Senators -- yet pay higher taxes than 22 States and more per capita than any State. In a referendum in 2016, 85% of D.C.’s 712,000 residents wanted it to become a state. The Washington, D.C. Admission Act, which passed in the House in June 2020, would make it the “State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth”, to commemorate the abolitionist Frederick Douglass, leaving federal buildings in a smaller nation’s capital. A similar Bill has been introduced into the new, 117th Congress. However, unless the Senate’s filibuster rule requiring a supermajority doesn’t apply to this bill, meaning that it would only need 51 votes, it would need the support of 60 senators to pass in the Senate. This is unlikely to happen because the Senate is deadlocked, and most Republicans oppose it because it would likely add another voting Democratic representative to the House and two new Democratic senators.
Historically, Washingtonians’ voting-rights have been suppressed. In the early 1870s, Congress withdrew their right to vote in presidential elections to reduce the political power of African Americans in the district, and only restored it in 1964. Today, activists say that, because D.C. would be the only plurality-Black state, statehood would be beneficial in helping to prevent systemic-discrimination. Recent events have provided advocacy groups, such as Indivisible and 51 for 51, with another reason in support of D.C. statehood: D.C.’s mayor, Muriel Bowser, lacked the authority to quickly call-in the National Guard in response to the January 6 insurrection on the Capitol, as a governor could have done. And, previously, in Summer 2020, President Trump called-in the National Guard to stop a peaceful Black Live Matter protest, overriding Mayor Bowser’s decision.
For over 200 years, Washingtonians have not had full representation in Congress. How long will this continue?
Sources:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/dc-statehood/2021/03/20/e7c7efb6-88ca-11eb-bfdf-4d36dab83a6d_story.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/22/us/politics/democrats-dc-statehood.html
https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2021/03/19/why-is-washington-dc-not-a-state
https://www.npr.org/2021/03/22/978975249/with-stronger-democratic-support-d-c-statehood-fight-returns-to-capitol-hill (Image)
https://statehood.dc.gov/page/why-statehood-dc
Historically, Washingtonians’ voting-rights have been suppressed. In the early 1870s, Congress withdrew their right to vote in presidential elections to reduce the political power of African Americans in the district, and only restored it in 1964. Today, activists say that, because D.C. would be the only plurality-Black state, statehood would be beneficial in helping to prevent systemic-discrimination. Recent events have provided advocacy groups, such as Indivisible and 51 for 51, with another reason in support of D.C. statehood: D.C.’s mayor, Muriel Bowser, lacked the authority to quickly call-in the National Guard in response to the January 6 insurrection on the Capitol, as a governor could have done. And, previously, in Summer 2020, President Trump called-in the National Guard to stop a peaceful Black Live Matter protest, overriding Mayor Bowser’s decision.
For over 200 years, Washingtonians have not had full representation in Congress. How long will this continue?
Sources:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/dc-statehood/2021/03/20/e7c7efb6-88ca-11eb-bfdf-4d36dab83a6d_story.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/22/us/politics/democrats-dc-statehood.html
https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2021/03/19/why-is-washington-dc-not-a-state
https://www.npr.org/2021/03/22/978975249/with-stronger-democratic-support-d-c-statehood-fight-returns-to-capitol-hill (Image)
https://statehood.dc.gov/page/why-statehood-dc