Residence Act

The Residence Act of 1790 designated Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as the temporary capital of the United States federal government for a period of ten years, and selected a site on the Potomac River as the permanent capital (Washington, D.C.).

Related Topics:
Philadelphia - Pennsylvania - United States - Washington, D.C.

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Officially titled "An Act for Establishing the Temporary and Permanent Seat of the Government of the United States," it was passed by the Senate by a vote of 14 to 12 on July 1, 1790, and by the House of Representatives by a vote of 31 to 29 on July 9, 1790.

Related Topics:
July 1 - 1790 - July 9

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The legislation was passed as a compromise in a dispute between Northern and Southern states. Northern states had accumulated a huge amount of debt during the Revolutionary War, and wanted the Federal Government to assume their burden. The Southern states, whose citizens would effectively be forced to pay a portion of this debt if it was assumed by the Federal Government, were disinclined to acquiesce to this proposal. A compromise was reached. Far from its logical setting in the urban centers of New York, Boston or Philadelphia, the Capital of the young country would be located in the South. The Federal Government would then assume the North's debt. Nevermind that the proposed site in the newly formed District of Columbia was a malarial swamp.

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