# District of Columbia becomes a state--- what should it be called? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 22, 2021, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-of-columbia-becomes-a-state-what-should-it-be-called/940553 "2021-04-22T17:27:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2021, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-of-columbia-becomes-a-state-what-should-it-be-called/940553/81 "2021-04-24T16:15:33Z")
But for the first ten years, the capital was in the of New York and Philadelphia. How does that square with the statement that the Constitution requires that the capital can’t be in a state? ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2021, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-of-columbia-becomes-a-state-what-should-it-be-called/940553/82 "2021-04-24T16:19:29Z")
We are drifting from the question of the name to the actual constitutional basis of the Capital District. But what I’ll say to this is, yeah, it’s a “may” not a “shall”. Not an absolute mandate and it does not create perpetuity once it is executed (see the retrocession of Arlington/Alexandria). ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2021, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-of-columbia-becomes-a-state-what-should-it-be-called/940553/83 "2021-04-24T16:31:51Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > But for the first ten years, the capital was in the of New York and Philadelphia. How does that square with the statement that the Constitution requires that the capital can’t be in a state? What law made Philadelphia the capital? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2021, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-of-columbia-becomes-a-state-what-should-it-be-called/940553/84 "2021-04-24T17:05:53Z")
Making DC (or all of DC except for the tiny bit encompassing the Capitol and White House) a state would still require an amendment, because of the existing amendment that gives DC three electoral votes. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2021, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-of-columbia-becomes-a-state-what-should-it-be-called/940553/85 "2021-04-24T17:19:12Z")
Being discussed in the [Statehood for DC thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/statehood-for-d-c/921442). ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2021, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-of-columbia-becomes-a-state-what-should-it-be-called/940553/86 "2021-04-24T17:50:31Z")
Thus the fairness you speak of is impossible also. Fairness would be to allow the district to become a state just as the various territories were able to. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2021, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-of-columbia-becomes-a-state-what-should-it-be-called/940553/87 "2021-04-24T18:17:53Z")
I see that as being substantially less fair. There’s no ideal solution. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2021, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-of-columbia-becomes-a-state-what-should-it-be-called/940553/88 "2021-04-24T19:03:22Z")
As a Seattleite, I have never said that I am from Washington, unless I am specifically asked which state I’m from. Outside of the U.S., Washington means DC. I like Douglass, but I’ll probably always think of the Douglas fir tree. I did say I’m from Seattle. My odd idea would be Hanson after the other first president. > **[John Hanson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hanson)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > John Hanson (April 14 \[O.S. April 3\] 1721 – November 15, 1783) was an American Founding Father, merchant, and politician from Maryland during the Revolutionary Era. In 1779, Hanson was elected as a delegate to the Continental Congress after serving in a variety of roles for the Patriot cause in Maryland. He signed the Articles of Confederation in 1781 after Maryland joined the other states in ratifying them. In November 1781, he was elected as f... ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2021, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-of-columbia-becomes-a-state-what-should-it-be-called/940553/89 "2021-04-24T19:14:25Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > The people of Washington DC live in Washington DC, not Maryland. Well, sort of. DC was carved out of Virginia and Maryland. It was originally a square. The part that was in Virginia went back to Virginia, during the civil war, i believe, and is now Arlington, VA. The part that’s in Maryland is the part seeking statehood. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2021, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-of-columbia-becomes-a-state-what-should-it-be-called/940553/90 "2021-04-24T19:49:35Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > What law made Philadelphia the capital? The Residence Act (1790), for one. It designated Philadelphia as the temporary capital for a ten-year period, while the permanent capital, also established by the Act, could be built. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2021, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-of-columbia-becomes-a-state-what-should-it-be-called/940553/91 "2021-04-24T20:04:12Z")
> [@stuccosuperstar2020](#): > > According to the Washington Post it would renamed State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth. The sentiment is nice, but won’t having two states with the same name cause confusion? > > You really can’t stick with District of Columbia because its not longer just a “district”. > > As a matter of fact renaming it to just Columbia would probably meet backlash because of Christopher Columbus. > > Anyone have better ideas or do you like any of the above? I had all of those thoughts the other day. I feel like new states should have Native names wherever possible. Though I’m not fluent in that lingo, I know ‘Potomac’ was the name of the Algonquin village that was there first, so I would strongly advocate for that. (There are other places called ‘Potomac’ but I don’t think they’re comparable enough to cause much confusion). ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2021, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-of-columbia-becomes-a-state-what-should-it-be-called/940553/92 "2021-04-24T20:19:27Z")
I’d have to agree with Potomac. Not only won’t it confuse people - it’s way less confusing than DC is now and would be less confusing in the transition because you can easily locate it in your mind when hearing it. And it also _sounds_ much more like a state than the rest of the suggestions. I know that many states are ultimately named after people, but I haven’t had all my life to get used to a new state-that-is-also-someone’s-name, so those suggestions would sound distinctly un-statelike for a decade or more. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2021, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-of-columbia-becomes-a-state-what-should-it-be-called/940553/93 "2021-04-24T20:23:25Z")
There’s already a Potomac, Maryland, though I like the idea of an indigenous name. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2021, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-of-columbia-becomes-a-state-what-should-it-be-called/940553/94 "2021-04-24T20:27:26Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > And it also _sounds_ much more like a state than the rest of the suggestions. I know that many states are ultimately named after people, but I haven’t had all my life to get used to a new state-that-is-also-someone’s-name, so those suggestions would sound distinctly un-statelike for a decade or more. Yes, I would not want to name a new state after a person. You know there’d be endless political wrangling and nobody would be happy about it. Of course some people won’t be happy _unless_ it’s named after a dead white dude, but I think it’s solidly defensible to name that place after its earliest known name, so named by the people who lived there and “donated” the land for its present purpose. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2021, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-of-columbia-becomes-a-state-what-should-it-be-called/940553/95 "2021-04-24T21:14:41Z")
There is no part in Maryland. It was removed from Maryland long ago. Should 12 states in part or in whole be considered part of Louisiana? ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2021, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-of-columbia-becomes-a-state-what-should-it-be-called/940553/96 "2021-04-24T23:28:48Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > Yes, I would not want to name a new state after a person. You know there’d be endless political wrangling and nobody would be happy about it. > > Of course some people won’t be happy _unless_ it’s named after a dead white dude I can just imagine the debates between people wanting to name it the State of Madison or, yeah, what the heck, State of Reagan, and those wanting to call it the State of Ellington; plus of course those who would be proposing Statey McStateface for the lulz …and those supporting State of Marion Barry just to troll and piss off everyone. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2021, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-of-columbia-becomes-a-state-what-should-it-be-called/940553/97 "2021-04-25T00:34:28Z")
> [@Die\_Capacitrix](#): > > … My odd idea would be Hanson after the other first president. > [John Hanson - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hanson) I like it. And they’d have their state song all ready to go: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/NHozn0YXAeE/maxresdefault.jpg "Hanson - MMMBop (Official Music Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHozn0YXAeE) ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2021, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-of-columbia-becomes-a-state-what-should-it-be-called/940553/98 "2021-04-25T00:43:24Z")
_Hail, hail **Freedonia** …_ ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2021, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-of-columbia-becomes-a-state-what-should-it-be-called/940553/99 "2021-04-25T00:54:29Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Well, sort of. DC was carved out of Virginia and Maryland. It was originally a square. The part that was in Virginia went back to Virginia, during the civil war, i believe, and is now Arlington, VA. The return was made in 1847. It’s unlikely we would have given part of the District of Columbia back to Virginia during the Civil War. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2021, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/district-of-columbia-becomes-a-state-what-should-it-be-called/940553/100 "2021-04-25T01:01:29Z")
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