Three red stars, two red bars, a white field. Washington D.C.'s flag takes up the coat of arms of George Washington – simple, elegant, instantly recognizable. Ranked first among American municipal flags in the 2004 NAVA survey.
Washington D.C. is unique: a city that belongs to no state. The District of Columbia was created in 1790 as a neutral federal capital, carved out of Maryland and Virginia. It has more residents than Vermont or Wyoming, yet no full representation in Congress.
"Taxation Without Representation" – the slogan on the license plates captures the frustration. Residents pay federal taxes but have only a non-voting delegate, no senators. The movement to make D.C. the 51st state remains politically stalled.
America monumentalized. The government dominates the economy, life, the landscape.
But D.C. also has a cultural identity: Chocolate City, go-go music born here, historic neighborhoods (U Street, Shaw, Adams Morgan), rapid gentrification reshaping it all.
The flag with Washington's stars captures the founding heritage – but shows nothing of the paradox: capital of democracy, deprived of democracy.