Why was the Capital of the United States taken out of any State's jurisdiction and made into its own District?

skysmom65

The District of Columbia and the city of Washington are coextensive and are governed by a single municipal government, so for most practical purposes they are considered to be the same entity, though this was not always the case. As late as 1871, when Georgetown ceased to be a separate city, there were multiple jurisdictions within the District. Although there is a municipal government and a mayor, Congress has the supreme authority over the city and district, which results in citizens having a different status and less representation in government than residents of the states. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington,_D.C. Nov 30 06, 10:13 PM

lanfranco

One reason was that after the Revolution, various states had been vying to become the location of the capital, and it was thought best to create an independent federal district that would not lie within the borders of any particular state: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Washington%2C_D.C. Dec 01 06, 3:01 PM