Uploaded March 2024 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

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The map of Washington, D.C. changed drastically overnight after Alexandria left in 1846. The geography of the District shrunk by roughly one-third, so in this video we explore all the reasons why.

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Michael's Book:
Hidden History of Alexandria, D.C.. Michael Lee Pope amzn.to/3FqoIna

Full interviews on Nebula:
nebula.tv/videos/exploringhistory-full-interviews-with-michael-pope-and-charlie-grymes-why-dc-was-cut-in-two-in-1846

★ NOTE ON SOURCING IN CAPTIONS:
At the end of a sentence with sourcing, something like this will appear:
"The sky is blue. The ocean is blue (17,89)."
In this example, the 1st number represents the source # from the source list in this description. The 2nd number represents the page number, if the source is a book. If the numbers are separated by a semicolon ie (2;3), the numbers represent two different sources.

1. The Alexandria Retrocession of 1846. Boundary Stones. 07/08/2016 Richard Brownell
2. Proclamation [24 January 1791] By the President of the U. States of America
3. Virginia Places. Cession and Retrocession of the District of Columbia.
4. National Archives. “Editorial Note: Bill to Establish a Government for the Territory…”
5. History Engine. “Retrocession of Alexandria from Washington, D.C. to Become Part…”
6. Alexandria, D.C. alexandria dot gov. Page updated December 2021.
7. Hidden History of Alexandria, D.C.. Michael Lee Pope amzn.to/3FqoIna
8. WaPo 2011. Why Alexandria Lost Its DC. Patricia Sullivan.
9. "An act to amend 'An Act for Establishing the Temporary…” 1791
10. Britannica. Embargo Act. United States [1807]
11. NPS dot gov “184.5 Miles of Adventure…Chesapeake and Ohio Canal”
12. A Chronological History of the Alexandria Canal (Part II) By Maxine Morgan. 1966.
13. Hidden History of Alexandria, D.C. Michael Lee Pope. amzn.to/46ECLBG
14. Ending Slavery in the District of Columbia.Emancipation dot DC dot gov. Accessed Oct ‘23
15. September 7 1846 President Polk. Proclamation 48.
16. History and Reminiscences of St. John's Church, Washington, D. C. Alexander B. Hagner
Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Washington, D.C., Vol. 12 (1909), pp. 89-114
17. The Virginia Portion of the District of Columbia. Casselman. Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Washington, D.C., Vol. 12 (1909), pp. 115-141

00:00-01:10 Intro
01:10-3:06 Quest to Jones Point
03:07-06:07 Early Troubles
06:08-10:51 River & War
10:52-12:58 Voting & Slavery
12:59-14:32 Conclusion

This project is supported in part by the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Stock video and imagery provided by Getty Images.