Date of Award

Spring 1996

Document Type

Restricted Thesis

Terms of Use

© 1996 Rebeccah L. Bennett. All rights reserved. Access to this work is restricted to users within the Swarthmore College network and may only be used for non-commercial, educational, and research purposes. Sharing with users outside of the Swarthmore College network is expressly prohibited. For all other uses, including reproduction and distribution, please contact the copyright holder.

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Black Studies Program, Political Science Department

Abstract

This thesis examines how the case for District statehood is a solid one, but the prospects for "New Columbia" still depend upon the resolution of two hundred years of debate over D.C.'s political structure. Are residents truly invested in statehood as the best political course of action? And, will congressmen as the nation's most apt democratic practitioners internalize the rhetoric they offer newly emerging republics that democracy is good for both government and the economy? At the moment, the responses are not too certain, but an acute understanding of the surrounding political complexities can be gauged from an analysis of the District's historical background and policy issues. Methodology includes historical research and data analysis.

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