WI: No Washington D.C

What if Washington D.C is never built and the U.S Capital remains in Philadelphia or goes to other city? What would be the consequences in regional and national level?
 
What if Washington D.C is never built and the U.S Capital remains in Philadelphia or goes to other city? What would be the consequences in regional and national level?

Regionally: The area we think of as the "District of Columbia" would be dominated by the town of Georgetown in the west and the "Anacostia National Wildlife Refuge" (read: "Anacostia Swamp Nobody Really Wants") in the east.

Nationally: Right from the start, the federal government would get into the habit of maintaining a slightly larger army under its direct control, just to protect itself in case of another Pennsylvania Mutiny.
 
Perhaps the capital eventually moves west due to the westward shift of the country's central of gravity. There could eventually be a newer planned capital in the Midwest somewhere, similar to Brasilia.
 
Perhaps the capital eventually moves west due to the westward shift of the country's central of gravity. There could eventually be a newer planned capital in the Midwest somewhere, similar to Brasilia.

Possible, but doubtful. Whatever site is chosen instead of OTL Washington D.C. is likely to remain the national capital through to the present day, as Washington has, unless it turns out to be a terribly unsuitable and trouble-plagued location.
 
Regionally: The area we think of as the "District of Columbia" would be dominated by the town of Georgetown in the west and the "Anacostia National Wildlife Refuge" (read: "Anacostia Swamp Nobody Really Wants") in the east.

Nationally: Right from the start, the federal government would get into the habit of maintaining a slightly larger army under its direct control, just to protect itself in case of another Pennsylvania Mutiny.

Having the federal capital in Philadelphia also tips the balance of power in favor of the northern states, at least that's how the southern states would perceive it.

Also, the Anacostia watershed would certainly be better off as a NWR then it is now.
 
I seem to recall reading somewhere that the capital was originally planned to be further up the Potomac (Georgetown would be Southeast DC in that scenario). The somewhere may have been a Gore Vidal essay, so grain of salt. New York was the seat of the federal gov't while DC was being built, so if it never gets built I think that New York would remain the capital out of inertia.
The Southern states were very much insistent on a capital located in the South, and any such location would have to be accessible to the rest of the country. I therefore think that a spot on the Potomac was very likely. Plausible alternatives to its current location would be the slightly upriver location I mention above, or perhaps a Virginia location across the river. The latter option presents some difficulties. It would increase the sense of Virginian domination during the 'Virginia dynasty', and it puts the feds in a rotten position should something like OTL civil war occur.
 
I dimly recall reading that the position of the capital was a VERY political decision and that if it had remained in the North (NY or Philly) the South would have needed to be "paid off" in some way.

It may well be that if NY remains the capital that the ACW never happens as the North agreed in the 1790's that slavery would always be allowed.
 

Anaxagoras

Banned
Nobody has yet mentioned the BIG consequence of this POD.

IOTL, we had the famous compromise between Jefferson/Madison and Hamilton, in which the former agreed to Hamilton's plan for the assumption of state debts by the federal government in exchange for Hamilton agreeing to a national capital located on the Potomac. If there is to be no national capital on the Potomac, then Jefferson and Madison will firmly reject Hamilton's debt assumption plan.

The consequences of this would be enormous. It means the Republic will begin its existence with a much weaker federal government than was the case IOTL.
 
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