District of Columbia

Front:
District of Columbia Bicentennial 29 ON Pennsybania Akende, direa oo SEP 1991 20066 IKStane DC WASH

Back:
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA First Day of Issue: September 7, 1991 First Issue Location: Washington, D.C. After the Revolutionary War, Congress decided that the federal government needed a permanent home. Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton suggested that the capital be built on federal land, and in 1791 President George Washing- ton selected territory along the Potomac River — ceded from both Maryland and Virginia. In 1800 the federal government took up residence in Washington City, in the newly-estab- lished District of Columbia. The city — initially governed by Congress and later by Congressionally-appointed commis- sioners — underwent massive changes during the next one hundred years. The British set fire to the city in 1814, burning both the Capitol and President's Residence. Enormous growth following the Civil War and both World Wars expanded the city's population base, and local clamors for equal political participation were finally heard in 1964 — when District residents cast their first Presidential election ballots. The stamp and design on this Maximum Card celebrate the Bicentennial of the District of Columbia and salute its proud history. No. 91-69 ©1991 The Maximum Card Collection A division of Unicover Corporation Cheyenne, WY 82008-0007 ® Original painting for the Maximum Card by David K. Stone