The Capital
Episode 2: Ten Square Miles
Episode 2 | 3m 7sVideo has Closed Captions
President George Washington enlists Pierre Charles L'Enfant to design the new nation's capital city.
With the passage of The Residence Act of 1790, President George Washington is tasked with creating the official capital of the new nation along the banks of the Potomac River. But with only ten years to build the city, Washington engages the talents of a Revolutionary War colleague who possesses the artistry and shares his vision: Pierre Charles L’Enfant, a French immigrant.
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The Capital is a local public television program presented by WETA
The Capital
Episode 2: Ten Square Miles
Episode 2 | 3m 7sVideo has Closed Captions
With the passage of The Residence Act of 1790, President George Washington is tasked with creating the official capital of the new nation along the banks of the Potomac River. But with only ten years to build the city, Washington engages the talents of a Revolutionary War colleague who possesses the artistry and shares his vision: Pierre Charles L’Enfant, a French immigrant.
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipIn 1790, after months of fierce debate, the long, agonizing question of where to place the new capital of the United States was finally resolved.
Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Hamilton had worked out a deal that would bring the capital to the banks of the Potomac River between the colonies of Maryland and Virginia.
On July 16th, 1790, George Washington signed into law the Residence Act of 1790.
Officially, the act was called "An Act for Establishing the Temporary and Permanent Seat of the Government of the United States."
The vision was bold.
A new federal district was to be carved from 10 square miles of land, and it had to be completed by deadline of December 1800.
If the federal city wasn't created by the deadline, it was assumed the capital would revert to the northern city of Philadelphia, than the temporary capital.
For President George Washington, who was tasked to personally oversee the development, the decision was deeply satisfying.
He had long believed that the Potomac River would become America's great gateway to the West.
Now, the nation's future capital would stand on its shores.
George Washington understood this new capital needed to be more than a seat of government.
It had to embody the revolutionary promise of an American experiment: a physical symbol of a new nation built on the radical idea of a "We, the people" government.
To achieve that, President Washington would need extraordinary talent.
His first call was to a man he already knew and trusted: Pierre Charles L'Enfant, someone who had served with him in the Revolutionary War.
L'Enfant was trained in Paris.
He was inspired by the majesty and grandeur of France, specifically Versailles and Paris.
But L'Enfant had no interest in glorifying monarchy.
This new capital would honor the people.
(dramatic music) In 1791, the process of realizing this new capital was underway.
President Washington has hired Pierre L'Enfant to be his visionary architect.
Now, Washington needed to find their talented surveyor to bring L'Enfant's vision to life.
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The Capital is a local public television program presented by WETA