Colonies

By: Miriam Edelman

As the U.S. will turn 250 years old very soon, celebrating a milestone anniversary of the colonies gaining independence and forming our country, I think about the original 13 colonies and the colonists.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services describes the creation of the U.S.:

“Each colony had its own government, but the British king controlled these governments. By the 1770s, many colonists were angry because they did not have self-government. This meant that they could not govern themselves and make their own laws. They had to pay high taxes to the king. They felt that they were paying taxes to a government where they had no representation. They were also angry because the colonists were forced to let British soldiers sleep and eat in their homes.”

“In 1774, leaders from the colonies met in Philadelphia to discuss British laws that they believed were unfair. They believed that Great Britain did not treat the colonists as equal citizens. They thought the people needed more control over their government.”

Does anything sound familiar? Does any of the above ring true to what happens now in the District of Columbia, the home of the country that the colonists created?

Similar to colonists of centuries ago, D.C. residents have limited home rule, along with taxation without representation. D.C. has its own local government, but the federal government has to approve almost everything D.C. government passes. In 2023, the federal government prevented D.C.’s crime bill from becoming law. Congress wants to do the same with other pieces of D.C. legislation. In recent years, some Members of Congress even introduced bills that would end D.C.’s home rule entirely. If the bills pass, D.C. would lose its elected city government. In addition, D.C. residents pay federal taxes but do not have voting representation in the U.S. Congress, which levies taxes. D.C.’s only representation in Congress is one non-voting person in the House of Representatives. D.C. has no representation in the Senate.

D.C. is akin to a modern-day colony and has been called “the Last Colony.” Ankit Jain wrote about D.C.’s “colonial status” in his 2024 article, entitled “The Heart of America Must Now Become an Official State.” Immediately beneath the title is:

“Washington, DC, is practically a colony on American soil. Its citizens lack proper voting rights, and the federal government can eliminate its local government at any time. This injustice has caused a severe spike in crime, seedy marijuana distribution and a lack of support for abortion services. To fix this, DC needs statehood.”

His piece ends with:

“The colonial status of our capital city is one of the most glaring areas where our nation still fails to live up to its founding creed. We must continue the fundamentally American task of closing the gaps between reality and equality by granting statehood and full voting rights to the almost 700,000 residents living here. We must end colonial injustice, allowing Washingtonians to claim their proper representation and become America’s 51st state.”

Let’s honor colonists of centuries ago by finally ending the unjust situation of  D.C. residents. D.C. residents do not want to leave our country. D.C. residents want and need D.C. statehood.