The District Clause and the Congress
Analysis of Legislative Authority
As delegates gathered in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 for the Constitutional Convention, among the questions they faced was whether the young United States should have an autonomous, independent seat of government. Just four years prior, in 1783, a mutiny of disbanded soldiers had gathered and threatened congressional delegates when they met in Philadelphia. Congress called upon the government of Pennsylvania for protection; when refused, it was forced to adjourn and reconvene in New Jersey. According to James Madison, without a permanent national capital, not only the public authority might be insulted and its proceedings be interrupted, with impunity;…
