Chapter 3: Foundations of Human Activity

This chapter outlines the different peoples who settled in the U.S. and made the vast landscape their own.

In this post I will talk about:
1. The history/settlers in Washington D.C.
2. Demographics/population of Washington D.C. at present
3. Prominent religions in Washington D.C.


History/Settlers in Washington D.C.
Before the Europeans came to America in the 17th century, Washington D.C. was inhabited by an Algonquian-speaking people known as the Nacotchtank. They lived around the Anacosta River when the Europeans arrived in the 1600s, but the native American people had largely left the area by the early 1700s.

Aerial Photo of Washington D.C. 1919

In 1788, James Madison declared his belief in a need for a federal district--a national capital. He believed the capital needed to be separate and distinct from states in order to provide for it's own well-being and safety. The Constitution does not, however, specify a location for a new capital. On July 16, 1790, the Residence Act established the new permanent capital to be located on the Potomac River, and left the exact area to be selected by President George Washington. The Organic Act of 1802 officially organized the District of Columbia and put the federal territory, including Washington, Georgetown, and Alexandria under exclusive control of Congress.

Although the slave trade was banned in the city, slavery technically wasn't and by 1860, approximately 80% of the city's African American citizens were free, mainly due to a surge of freed slaves coming Northward at the end of the Civil War. From 1800 to 1900 the population increased by 270,000 people, starting the trend of the continuously growing city.


Demographics/population of Washington D.C. at present
As of 2010, 601, 723 people live in the District of Columbia. As in most American cities, the majority of the population is white, but as mentioned above, Washington had a large black population and still continues to have one this day, with blacks making up 36.3% of the population. Additionally, many foreign immigrants make their homes in D.C., with an estimated 74, 000 living in the city as of 2007. The most common countries the immigrants migrate from are El Salvador, Vietnam, and Ethiopia.

An LGBT Demonstrator in Washington D.C.

Additionally, Washington D.C. has a large and vibrant LGBT community. A report in 2007 found that approximately 33,000 adult residents in D.C. identify themselves as gay, lesbian, or bisexual. This amounts to about 8.1% of the city's population--a sizable amount compared to most cities in America.

And finally, D.C. host a strongly educated population, as 46% of D.C. residents have at least a four year degree.




Prominent religions in Washington D.C.


Consistent with most of America, the largest religion in D.C. is Christian. In 2000, more than half the D.C. population identified themselves as Christian. Within Christianity are many different denominations, and as also consistent with what the textbook said (that the majority of Americans are Roman Catholic) the same applies in Washington. Close to 28% of D.C. citizens are Roman Catholic, 9.1% are American Baptist, 1.3% are Easter or Oriental Orthodox, and 13% are members of other Christian denominations.

The Pope--The leader of the Roman Catholic Church

Islamic residents make up 10% of the population, disciples of Judaism make up 4.5%, and a very large number (26.8%) do not practice a religion.

AND.....A quick tour of Modern Washington D.C.