No Taxation Without Representation

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Description

The lack of representation in Congress was a long-standing issue with citizens of the District of Columbia, particularly when DC citizens paid substantial amounts of federal income taxes. Cartoonist Clifford Berryman relies on his familiar character, Mr. DC, to raise anew the issue of lack of representation. Holding a paper outlining how the District compares with other states in paying income taxes, Mr. DC notes “they called it ‘tyranny’ in 1776.”

Residents of the District of Columbia—the capital of the United States—cannot vote for Congress, although in 1961 the 23rd Amendment gave the District three electoral college votes for President. The DC Voting Rights Amendment that failed in 1985 would have given the District a vote in Congress. Like the Revolutionaries in 1776, DC residents pay taxes but cannot vote.

Citation

This primary source comes from the Records of the U.S. Senate.

National Archives Identifier: 6011646

Full Citation: No Taxation Without Representation; 11/20/1920; Records of the U.S. Senate, Record Group 46. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/document/no-taxation-without-representation/, April 2, 2026]

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