Democracy Deferred: Race, Politics, and D.C.’s Two-Century Struggle for Full Voting Rights

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dc.contributor.authorMusgrove, George Derek
dc.contributor.authorAsch, Chris Myers
dc.date.accessioned2021-04-29T17:56:45Z
dc.date.available2021-04-29T17:56:45Z
dc.description.abstractThis report provides a summary and analysis of the circumstances that led the citizens who lived in the area designated as the seat of government to lose their right to vote in 1801, why Congress has only partially addressed this state of affairs in the intervening 220 years, and how the modern struggle for self-determination among Washington, D.C., residents has evolved into the present push for statehood. Key historical points to understand include: • The Founders never reconciled the tension between the revolutionary imperative for “no taxation without representation” and the federal government’s need for “exclusive legislation” regarding the seat of government. D.C. residents originally voted for U.S. senators and representatives, but that right was stripped away when Congress claimed “exclusive legislation” over the federal district with the Organic Act of 1801. D.C. residents objected to losing their rights, arguing for the primacy of the principle of “no taxation without representation.” • After a brief flowering of interracial democracy during Reconstruction, D.C. residents, Black and White, lost all voting rights in 1874. For nearly a century, race — and the fear of Black political power — played a significant role in defeating all attempts to win home rule and congressional representation as segregationists successfully derailed efforts to return suffrage to District residents. • Buoyed by the civil rights movement, a bipartisan, interracial coalition of activists, with support from federal leaders, won a series of victories that provided for a vote in presidential elections, local self-government, and a non-voting delegate in the House of Representatives in the 1960s and 1970s. D.C. activists gained bipartisan support for a constitutional amendment providing for voting representation in Congress in the mid-1970s, but it was defeated by New Right opposition at the state level. In the late 20th century, D.C. residents embraced statehood as their favored vehicle for winning representation in Congress. • In the 220 years since Congress set the precedent of taxation without representation, District residents have repeatedly demanded a return of the democratic rights that they considered their birthright as American citizens. Today, Washingtonians and their supporters nationwide have coalesced behind a bill to grant statehood, which they believe will protect the principles of both “exclusive legislation” and “no taxation without representation.”
dc.description.urihttps://assets.website-files.com/5df7f915fcb12b538aa0494f/60541fb1af8047a0fde84ad7_Democracy%20Deferred.March.2021.pdfen_US
dc.format.extent31 pagesen_US
dc.genrereportsen_US
dc.identifierdoi:10.13016/m2dene-asgo
dc.identifier.citationGeorge Derek Musgrove and Chris Myers Asch, Democracy Deferred: Race, Politics, and D.C.’s Two-Century Struggle for Full Voting Rights, Statehood Research DC, March 2021, https://assets.website-files.com/5df7f915fcb12b538aa0494f/60541fb1af8047a0fde84ad7_Democracy%20Deferred.March.2021.pdfen_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11603/21404
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.publisherStatehood Research DCen_US
dc.relation.isAvailableAtThe University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC History Department Collection
dc.relation.ispartofUMBC Faculty Collection
dc.rightsThis item is likely protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. Unless on a Creative Commons license, for uses protected by Copyright Law, contact the copyright holder or the author.
dc.subjectgovernmenten_US
dc.subjectvoteen_US
dc.subjectWashington D.C.en_US
dc.subjectCongressen_US
dc.subjectlose the right to voteen_US
dc.titleDemocracy Deferred: Race, Politics, and D.C.’s Two-Century Struggle for Full Voting Rightsen_US
dc.typeTexten_US

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