▁dead lock ▁in ▁Congress . ▁Southern ers ▁were ▁blocking ▁the ▁assumption ▁of ▁state ▁deb ts ▁by ▁the ▁tre as ury , ▁thereby ▁destroy ing ▁the ▁Hamiltonian ▁program ▁for ▁building ▁a ▁f isc ally ▁strong ▁federal ▁government . ▁Northern ers ▁rejected ▁the ▁proposal , ▁much ▁desired ▁by ▁Vir g ini ans , ▁to ▁locate ▁the ▁permanent ▁national ▁capital ▁on ▁the ▁Virginia – M ary land ▁border . ▁ ▁The ▁comprom ise ▁made ▁possible ▁the ▁passage ▁of ▁the ▁Res idence ▁and ▁Fund ing ▁( Ass umption ) ▁Act s ▁in ▁July ▁and ▁August ▁ 1 7 9 0 . ▁According ▁to ▁historian ▁Jacob ▁Co oke , ▁it ▁is ▁" gener ally ▁regarded ▁as ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁most ▁important ▁b arg ains ▁in ▁American ▁history , ▁ranking ▁just ▁below ▁the ▁better ▁known ▁Missouri ▁Comp rom ise ▁and ▁the ▁Comp rom ise ▁of ▁ 1 8 5 0 ." ▁ ▁Me eting ▁Polit icians ▁at ▁the ▁federal ▁and ▁the ▁state ▁levels ▁sought ▁to ▁break ▁the ▁legisl ative ▁dead lock ▁by ▁uno fficial ▁negoti ations . ▁A ▁number ▁of ▁c land est ine ▁meet ings ▁and ▁political ▁d inners ▁were ▁held ▁in ▁New ▁York ▁City , ▁then ▁serving ▁as ▁the ▁nation ' s ▁temporary ▁capital , ▁in ▁the ▁summer ▁of ▁ 1 7 9 0 . ▁ ▁The ▁" d inner ▁table ▁b arg ain " ▁was ▁a ▁p iv otal ▁episode ▁in ▁the ▁final ▁stages ▁of ▁these ▁comprom ise ▁efforts . ▁Based ▁on ▁an ▁account ▁given ▁by ▁former ▁Secretary ▁of ▁State ▁Thomas ▁Jefferson , ▁two ▁years ▁after