Which 1790 law established the future permanent capital of the United States?

The Residence Act established the future permanent capital of the United States in 1790.

Officially titled “An Act for establishing the temporary and permanent seat of the Government of the United States,” the law was signed by President George Washington on July 16, 1790. It authorized a federal district along the Potomac River and allowed Philadelphia to serve temporarily as the national capital.

The law emerged from a political compromise involving Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and other leaders. Southern delegates supported federal assumption of state war debts, while northern delegates accepted locating the permanent seat of government near the Potomac. The compromise helped the legislation pass both houses of Congress.

The capital district was surveyed and developed during the following decade. The federal government moved from Philadelphia to Washington in 1800. The Residence Act is distinct from the later Organic Act of 1801, which formally organized the District of Columbia under congressional authority.