<P> The United States Congress was established upon ratification of the United States Constitution and formally began on March 4 , 1789 . New York City remained home to Congress until July 1790 , when the Residence Act was passed to pave the way for a permanent capital . The decision to locate the capital was contentious , but Alexander Hamilton helped broker a compromise in which the federal government would take on war debt incurred during the American Revolutionary War , in exchange for support from northern states for locating the capital along the Potomac River . As part of the legislation , Philadelphia was chosen as a temporary capital for ten years ( until December 1800 ) , until the nation 's capital in Washington , D.C. , would be ready . </P>
when was the seat moved to the capitol
December 1800