Democrats have lately revived their campaign to make the District of Columbia the 51st state — or 52nd, if they get their way on Puerto Rican statehood. Besides being politically and legally infeasible, D.C. statehood would be bad for the health of the American republic. While some aspects of the argument in favor of it have improved in recent years, events this year have thrown into sharp relief why the Founders wanted the federal district to be forever separate from any state.
The Constitution defines a unique status for the seat of the federal government. A constitutional amendment is required to …
This article appears as “The Nation’s Capital Should Not Also Be a State” in the October 19, 2020, print edition of National Review.
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