The District of Columbia, the national capital of the United States, was formed in 1790 from 100 square miles (260 km²) that were ceded to the federal government by the states of Maryland and Virginia. ... This article concerns places that serve as centers of government and politics. ... Most broadly, cession (to cede) is the assignment of property to another entity. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  US Government Portal      A U.S. state is any one of the fifty subnational entities of... Official language(s) None (English, de facto) Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Largest metro area Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 42nd  - Total 12,407 sq mi (32,133 km²)  - Width 101 miles (145 km)  - Length 249 miles (400 km)  - % water 21  - Latitude 37° 53′ N to 39° 43′ N... This article is about the U.S. state. ...

Retrocession is defined as the reversal of a cession, returning land to the entities to which it originally belonged. The 32 square miles (83 km²) originally ceded by Virginia were returned to Virginia in 1847, and some have proposed that the remaining 68 square miles (176 km²) be returned to Maryland. Most broadly, cession (to cede) is the assignment of property to another entity. ...

Virginia retrocession

Almost immediately after the "Federal City" was laid out north of the Potomac River, the residents south of the Potomac in Alexandria County, D.C. began petitioning to be returned to Virginia's jurisdiction. Over time, a movement grew to separate Alexandria from the District for several reasons: The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States (USA). ... Alexandria County was part of the original 10-mile square created as the District of Columbia in 1791 pursuant to Article I, Section 17, of the United States Constitution. ... Location in Virginia Coordinates: , Country State Founded 1718 Government  - Mayor William D. Euille Area  - City  15. ...

• Alexandria was an important port and market in the Atlantic slave trade. There was increasing talk of abolition of slavery in the national capital, and Alexandria's economy would suffer greatly if slavery were outlawed.
• There was an active abolition movement in Virginia, and the pro-slavery forces held a slim majority in the Virginia General Assembly. (In the American Civil War, the most anti-slavery counties would secede from Virginia to form West Virginia.) If Alexandria and Alexandria County were retroceded to Virginia, they would provide two new pro-slavery representatives.
• Alexandria's economy had stagnated as competition with the port of Georgetown, D.C. had begun to favor the north side of the Potomac. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal was already helping Georgetown take more business from Alexandria, and the canal was still being extended.
• Alexandria's residents had lost representation and the right to vote at any level of government.

After a referendum, voters petitioned Congress and Virginia to return the area to Virginia. By an act of Congress on 9 July 1846, and with the approval of the Virginia General Assembly, the area south of the Potomac, 39 square miles (101 km²), was returned, or "retroceded," to Virginia effective in 1847. [1] The Atlantic slave trade, also known as the Transatlantic slave trade, was the trade of African persons supplied to the colonies of the New World that occurred in and around the Atlantic Ocean. ... This article is about the abolition of slavery. ... The Virginia General Assembly is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Virginia, a U.S. state. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston Largest city Charleston Largest metro area Charleston metro area Area  Ranked 41st  - Total 24,244 sq mi (62,809 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 240 miles (385 km)  - % water 0. ... The familiar golden dome of Washingtons once venerable Riggs Bank, now amalgamated into PNC Bank, at the northeast corner of Wisconsin Avenue and M Street NW. Georgetown in red Georgetown is a neighborhood located in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., along the Potomac River waterfront. ... Canal at Swains Lock The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, also known as the C&O Canal, operated from 1850 until 1924 parallel to the Potomac River in Maryland from Cumberland, Maryland to Washington, DC. The total length of the canal is about 184. ... is the 190th day of the year (191st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1846 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1847 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

The retroceded land was then known as Alexandria County, Virginia, and now includes a portion of the independent city of Alexandria and all of Arlington County, the successor to Alexandria County. A large portion of the retroceded land near the river was an estate of George Washington Parke Custis. It would be passed on to his daughter and her husband, Robert E. Lee, and would eventually become Arlington National Cemetery. Arlington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Virginia (which calls itself a commonwealth), directly across the Potomac River from Washington, DC. By an act of Congress July 9, 1846, the area south of the Potomac was returned to Virginia effective in 1847 As of 2000... An independent city is a city that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity. ... Location in Virginia Coordinates: , Country State Founded 1718 Government  - Mayor William D. Euille Area  - City  15. ... Arlington County is an urban county of about 203,000 residents in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the U.S., directly across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. [1] Originally part of the District of Columbia, the land now comprising the county was retroceded to Virginia in a July... George Washington Parke Custis George Washington Parke Custis (April 30, 1781 – October 10, 1857), the adopted son (and also stepgrandson) of United States President George Washington, was a nineteenth-century American writer, orator, and agricultural reformer. ... // For other uses, see Robert E. Lee (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Proposed Maryland retrocession

It has been proposed that the remainder of the District be given back to Maryland. Retrocession would take a simple act of Congress, though it is generally accepted^{[citation needed]} that Congress would not take such a step without the approval of Marylanders and Washingtonians via referendums. Currently, there is little support for retrocession, though some see it as a solution to the twin problems of D.C. voting rights and D.C. home rule. The Congress of the United States is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States of America. ... District of Columbia voting rights is a term encompassing the controversy regarding the lack of voting representation for citizens of the District of Columbia (i. ... ...

Some have proposed that in such a move, the the small part of the district containing the main offices of government (the National Capital Service Area) remain officially separate as the District of Columbia to sidestep the constitutional question of whether a federal capital district is required (as opposed to merely authorized) by the U.S. Constitution.

However, it is unclear if the Constitution even requires the creation of a District to begin with; after all, the country did not have such a district until Washington was founded.

The remainder of Washington would become a city in Maryland, allowing residents to vote for Maryland's Congressional delegation like any other resident of the state, as well as in state elections. The only residents of the remaining District of Columbia would be the First Family, who vote in their hometown. This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ...

Arguments for retrocession

Proponents like the Committee for the Capital City feel such a move would be of financial benefit to Washington; the city would be relieved of burdens not shared by other American cities such as running a prison system and a Department of Motor Vehicles, and it would finally be free from the veto power of the United States Congress. Maryland would benefit from the prestige of being the home state of the national capital of the world's superpower and would gain additional tax revenue. Congress would benefit from no longer having to scrutinize the decisions of the city government; committees overseeing DC government have traditionally been amongst the least prestigious jobs for members. Further, it would give most residents of the District a say in federal government, as they would be able to vote for a representative and senators, and thus have representation. The additional population from Washington would earn Maryland at least one new representative (from 8 to 9 in the current Congress). In the United States of America, Department of Motor Vehicles (or DMV) is a commonly used name of the government agency of a U.S. state which administers the registration of automobiles (e. ... Type Bicameral Houses Senate House of Representatives President of the Senate President pro tempore Dick Cheney, (R) since January 20, 2001 Robert C. Byrd, (D) since January 4, 2007 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, (D) since January 4, 2007 Members 535 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political... This article is about powerful states. ... Map of states populations (2006) This is a list of states of the United States by population (with inhabited non-state jurisdictions included for comparison) as of July 1, 2006, according to the 2005 estimates of the United States Census Bureau. ...

Arguments against retrocession

This article does not cite any references or sources. (October 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Proponents of D.C. statehood are against the idea of retrocession because they feel that the city, having been separated from Maryland since the 18th century, has a separate identity; although Maryland is mere city blocks away from many Washingtonians, there is no connection to the state for them. Others see it as a means to block proper representation, which they feel includes two senators. Because the city is a stronghold of the Democratic Party, Republicans in the Senate would not be eager to admit the District as a state. Republicans would have less of a problem giving the city back to Maryland, as that would, given the city's current population, add only a single Democrat to the House of Representatives. Many in Washington object to Maryland's use of the death penalty, which has been abolished in the District. Many in Maryland, meanwhile, object to retrocession because they feel that the city, which has relatively high crime and poverty rates, would be a burden on state government agencies. Others feel that the federal government should have a role in running the national capital; such a role allows for proper management of the city as a symbol of the nation and can be used to reject projects that would be seen by a majority of Americans as ruinous to the capital. Finally, the measure still fails to completely solve the problem of voting representation for all Washingtonians, because any transfer of less than the entirety of the District could still leave some citizens without representation. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... D.C. Statehood is a political campaign intended to grant the District of Columbia the full privileges of a U.S. state. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic... The Republican Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States of America, along with the Democratic Party. ... The United States Senate is the upper house of the U.S. Congress, smaller than the United States House of Representatives. ... The House of Representatives is the larger of two houses that make up the U.S. Congress, the other being the United States Senate. ... Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is the execution of a convicted criminal by the state as punishment for crimes known as capital crimes or capital offences. ...

Current legislation

On April 16, 2007, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) introduced H.R. 1858, the "District of Columbia-Maryland Reunion Act," which would transfer the bulk of Washington to Maryland if Maryland will have it. [2] Louis Buller Louie Gohmert, Jr. ... The Republican Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States of America, along with the Democratic Party. ... For other uses, see Texas (disambiguation). ...

See also

• Washington, D.C.
• District of Columbia voting rights
• District of Columbia home rule
• District of Columbia Vote in House of Representatives
• D.C. Statehood

For other uses, see Washington, D.C. (disambiguation). ... Voting rights in the District of Columbia differ from those of United States citizens in other parts of the country. ... District of Columbia home rule is a term encompassing the controversy regarding the lack of an intrinsic right for citizens of the District of Columbia (i. ... The District of Columbia has never had voting representation in the United States Congress, but efforts are currently under way to enact a statute that would give the District one vote in the House of Representatives, though not in the Senate. ... D.C. Statehood is a political campaign intended to grant the District of Columbia the full privileges of a U.S. state. ...

External links

• Committee for the Capital City (pro-retrocession)
• The Debates over the Retrocession of the District of Columbia, 1801–2004