George Washington's Washington: Visions for the National Capital in the Early American Republic (Early American Places #1)

By: Adam Costanzo

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Synopsis: The vision, controversy and political rivalries that shaped America&’s capital are examined in this fascinating history of Washington, D.C.When America&’s first congress declared that a national capital was to be built along the Potomac, President Washington was given complete control over its design and construction. Eager to establish a federal city worthy of a powerful and rapidly expanding empire, Washington recruited commissioners, surveyors, architects, and craftsmen. But there were many—including Thomas Jefferson—who opposed Washington&’s vision for a grand American metropolis. In the fiercely partisan environment of the early republic, the construction, development, and oversight of the District of Colombia became a symbolic pawn in the contest between rival political groups. George Washington&’s Washington traces the president&’s original plan for the capital over the course of decades, through its formation, abandonment, and eventual revival in the Jacksonian era. It is not simply a history of the city during Washington&’s life but a history of his vision for the national capital and of the local and national conflicts surrounding this vision&’s acceptance and implementation.