Foreword
The U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1789, created a permanent home for the new national government and gave Congress exclusive power over its existence (Article I, Section 8). But the Constitution also provided that only citizens of States should have voting representation in the national legislature (Article I, Sections 2 and 3).How to reconcile these two provisions — the District’s unique political status and Congress’s broad control over the rights and privileges of its citizens — has been an ongoing subject of debate, as Washington, D.C., residents for two centuries have sought voting representation in the House and Senate and autonomy…
