Adding to what others have said about the female entity named "Columbia"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_(name)
She is the woman the District of Columbia (as well as many other things)is named after and her name is based on Christopher Columbus. So she is indeed "the female personification of America"
Adding to what others have said about the female entity named "Columbia"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_(name)
She is the woman the District of Columbia (as well as many other things)is named after and her name is based on Christopher Columbus. So she is indeed "the female personification of America"