"Free D.C:" The Struggle for Civil, Political, and Human Rights in Washington, D.C., 1965-1979, illuminates one of the greatest political shortcomings in 20th century America, which was the failure to provide full political enfranchisement for the citizens of Washington, D.C. - the first major American city with a majority African-American population. This project centers on the Free D.C. Movement, a political crusade to fully enfranchise Washingtonians, through grassroots organizing and by pressuring the Federal government to address the political, social, and economic ills that plagued the nation's capital for nearly a century. Washingtonians' struggle for full political enfranchisement was one of the most significant goals and significant shortcomings of the 20th century. Washington has been an under-researched part of Civil Rights Movement history, even though the city had an instrumental role during this era. My project explores the "Free D.C." Movement through the lens of residential segregation, employment, and education. I examine how the desire for institutional changes and improvements in these areas helped shape and direct the local movement, and consequently undermined Washington, D.C. as the beacon of democracy and freedom. The Free D.C. Movement culminated in the late 1960s when many civil rights activists were starting to shift their focus from boycotts and protests, to political power and economic control in the black community. Unlike other civil rights activism, "Free D.C." activism began with the intention of gaining full political enfranchisement and economic control. I have concluded that the lack of statehood and the lack of full political enfranchisement, essentially retarded Washingtonians' social, political and economic progress, in what should have been one of the most transformative eras in their history.

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