December 1789 to December 1790
The Southwest Territory and a site for the capital
On 22 December 1789 North Carolina’s legislature votes to cede the state’s land west of the mountains to the federal government. Congress accepts the cession on 2 April 1790 and on 26 May organises it as the Territory South of the River Ohio, usually called the Southwest Territory. William Blount becomes its governor, with his seat at Rocky Mount.
William Blount, governor of the Southwest Territory, etching by Albert Rosenthal, 1888Wikimedia Commons, Albert Rosenthal (etching), Thomas Addis Emmet (reproduction), Public domain (William-blount-rosenthal-etching-nypl.jpg)
Rocky Mount, the first seat of the territory's government, print by Allen Ross PittmanWikimedia Commons, Allen Ross Pittman, Public domain (Rocky Mount, Tennessee - Vanderbilt Fine Arts Gallery - 1966.008.jpg)
The Residence Act of 16 July 1790 places the permanent capital on the Potomac, in a district of up to ten miles square to be chosen by the president between the Eastern Branch and the Conococheague. Until it is ready, Congress sits in Philadelphia from December 1790.
The Residence Act of 16 July 1790Wikimedia Commons, National Archives and Records Administration. Office of the Federal Register. 4/1/1985, Public domain (Act of July 16, 1790 (D.C. Residence Act), 1 STAT 130, Establishing the Temporary and Permanent Seat of Government of the United States - DPLA - 1911adc07c62531e87da10b28ba41eb4.jpg)
Sources
- Gordon S. Wood, Empire of Liberty (2009).
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