### March 16 On March 16, 1790, I was in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, attending a dinner at the home of Eliza Powel, the wife of my friend, General William Powel. The purpose of the dinner was to come to an agreement on establishing the new federal government. It was a cold evening and tensions were high as the guests debated over how to create the new government. After many hours of conversation, it became clear that there were three major points of contention: the size of the House of Representatives, the composition of the Senate, and the assumption of state debt by the federal government. Finally, after much debate, we struck a deal to establish the size of House, the composition of the Senate and how the debts would be assumed, and this was known as the Compromise of 1790. It was an important moment in history and I have a special place in my heart for this day. **And, who knew _debating the future of the United States_ could be so much fun?!**