This concept engages students in an analysis of the political development of Washington, DC and the ways in which local Washingtonians fought for economic, political and social equality. Students should evaluate the political context for the loss of local governance in the 1870s, and the impact of the loss of local democracy on life in the District. Students should understand this time period through a study of the perspectives of different segments of the Washington, DC population including but not limited to immigrants, giving agency and voice to different segments of the DC community as historical actors.