Official Tourism Site Of Washington Dc
However, the town had poor housing circumstances and strained public works. The district was the primary city within the nation to undergo urban renewal initiatives as a part of the "City Beautiful movement" in the early 1900s. The outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861 led to the enlargement of the federal authorities and notable development in the district's population, including a large inflow of freed slaves. President Abraham Lincoln signed the Compensated Emancipation Act in 1862, which ended slavery within the district of Columbia and freed about 3,a hundred enslaved individuals, 9 months prior to the Emancipation Proclamation. In 1868, Congress granted the district's African American male residents the right to vote in municipal elections. In the 1830s, the district's southern territory of Alexandria went into financial decline partly due to neglect by Congress. Washington, D.C., observes all federal holidays and likewise celebrates Emancipation Day...