Washington, Douglass Commonwealth: Key Points to Becoming America’s 51st State
“No taxation without representation”. A phrase used and sentiment held by the American colonists who were obliged to pay taxes to the crown, but left voiceless in public matters. This sentiment was the leading force that invoked the revolution and resulted in the founding of the United States of America.
Now, nearly 250 years later, “No taxation without representation” is leading the case in granting statehood to our nation’s capital. With just under 700,000 residents without voting representation in Congress, the long-sought representation may soon arrive.
Without Representation
Nine months before the Emancipation Proclamation, slaves in Washington D.C. had been freed, turning the District into a hub for freed slaves. For a moment, D.C. served as a haven for freed slaves, but in the 150 years since, residents have been voiceless in public matters. In fact, residents of the District had been unable to vote in presidential elections until 1964 and only elected their first Mayor in 1973. The District is still without voting members of Congress and with the attacks on the Capitol that took place at the beginning of 2021, the urgency to give D.C. Federal voting representation is higher than ever.
Population as a Reason for Statehood
The D.C. metro area contains roughly 5.3 million people. The District itself is just under 700,000 people. This is more than those who live in the already established states of Wyoming and Vermont, therefore, it seemingly makes sense to close the case and call D.C. a state already. Although traditionally, population has never exactly been a condition for statehood. If it had been, we would have seen California become multiple states by now. The state of Chicago would have split from Illinois decades ago. Newly colonized land and established territories have previously served as the predecessor for statehood admission, but D.C. could set a new standard where population is a factor for statehood admission. Viewing statehood admission as a means to better represent the people, rather than a body of land or territory with natural resources to explore could become the path forward for many underrepresented populations in the United States.
Merging D.C. into Maryland or Virginia
Establishing D.C. as the capital, the founders of the United States intended the area to serve as the seat of the federal government and to be a separate entity from the states. Therefore, the current proposal would first reduce the boundaries of the capital down to only the federal buildings and then give the remaining borders of the city statehood status. As far as merging the city into Maryland or Virginia, there has been no clear support from either state to absorb D.C. as a city or county. In fact, a poll conducted by the Washington Post — University of Maryland showed that Marylanders oppose absorbing D.C. into Maryland. The will of the people of D.C. is not to merge into another state, but to operate independently and with their own identity.
In 2016, the referendum for Washington D.C. statehood passed with an overwhelming 86 percent approval. The people have made it clear they are looking for the representation they have been denied for over two centuries. The haven that once was for abolitionists and freed slaves such as Frederick Douglass, has since left residents abandoned and without a voice. The time to end taxation without representation that those in the District of Columbia have endured is long overdue. The bill passed in the House of Representatives with a 216–208 vote and moves to the Senate for the first time in history. There remain hurdles to overcome such as majority support among Democrats as well as ending the filibuster, but we may soon be welcoming the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth as the 51st state of the United States of America and giving a voice to thousands.
