Which 1790 law selected a Potomac River site for the permanent U.S. capital?

The Residence Act selected a Potomac River site for the permanent U.S. capital.

President George Washington signed the Residence Act into law on July 16, 1790. Officially titled “An Act for establishing the temporary and permanent seat of the Government of the United States,” it authorized a federal district along the Potomac River and gave Washington authority to choose the precise location.

The law formed part of the Compromise of 1790, a political agreement involving Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton. Southern lawmakers supported federal assumption of state war debts, while northern lawmakers accepted placing the permanent capital on the Potomac. Philadelphia served as the temporary capital while the new district was developed.

The act specified a site no larger than ten miles square and set December 1800 as the deadline for the government’s move. The district later became the District of Columbia, and Washington selected the area near Georgetown and Alexandria. The Residence Act should not be confused with the later Organic Act that created a municipal government for Washington, D.C.