Washington

We all know that the capital of the United States is Washington DC. However, when America first became a country, Washington didn't even exist. Back then, Philadelphia was the logical choice as the new country's capital. Why Philadelphia Why not Boston, New York, or even Charleston For several reasons. First, Philadelphia had a roughly central location in the US at that time. Also, it had been a focal point of the American Revolution. The Continental Congress had met there before the war, and several major events took place there. So, why is Washington the capital and not Philadelphia Mostly because of a riot in Philadelphia in 1783. Congress was meeting there when some soldiers disrupted them. The soldiers demanded payment for their service during the war, but Congress had no money. It asked the government of Pennsylvania to protect it. But the government refused. Congress promptly left Philadelphia so that, um, ruled out Philadelphia. Congress realized it couldn't rely on the states to defend it. Thus, the members of Congress decided to create an entirely new area called the District of Columbia. Several states competed for the right to host the district. But ultimately, Congress decided on a stretch of land between Virginia and Maryland. Like Philadelphia, it was near the geographical center of the country. The necessary land was given to the federal government. Construction on the new capital then began. And that's how Washington, D.C. became our capital. Let's look at its design now.