Constitutional Framers Essay -- American History, Washington D.C.

The Constitutional Framers envisioned a national government that, like Plato’s cave, would be â€Å"at a distance and out of sight† of the everyday affairs and thoughts of ordinary Americans. They had envisioned Washington D.C. to be a cultural mecca on par with the capitals of European nations, both economically and socially. The reality of the Washington Community was a disaster compared to the lofty ambitions of the founding fathers; a desolate purgatory to be endured. The socially and economically barren capital combined Spartan living conditions with isolation. High turnover was prevalent in both the house and senate; a disappointment to the Federalists who had hoped for institutional memory within congress. Instead of creating the new form of â€Å"national† and â€Å"long term† thinking by men of prominence, congressmen turned to fellow members of boarding houses for a sense of legitimacy and guidance. Boarding houses were organized along regi onal lines and served to enforce differences between geographical communities; the isolation the founders had hoped would lead to a unique national identity inadvertently strengthened regional ties. The Framers had to isolate the Washington community; removing congressmen from the outside influence of state politics would protect against corruption. â€Å"From this time until the objective was realized, it was never seriously disputed that the government ought to have a home and to wield sole authority over the environs; and when Congress at last reached its permanent abode in Washington, that body showed how dearly it prized its freedom from local interference by refusing the District’s citizenry the right of formal participation in not only national but also state government† (Young, p.96).... ...ir extra official life their constitutional separation in official life† (Young, p. 120). In the early Washington community, the framers achieved isolation but this did not produce the anticipated result of national mind set and body of thought. Rather than elevating the nation’s leaders to a place of prominence, the Washington Community provided no sense of legitimacy. Barbaric conditions and isolation reinforced regional ties; congressmen generally endured a single term before returning to the prestigious and considerably more comfortable job of state politics. Rather than motived by legacy, congressional terms seemed a hardship everyone was eventually forced endure at some point in their political career. The Constitutional Framers succeeded in some aspects but their vision was circumvented by the wasteland which served as the new nation’s capital.