For America250, what was the first U.S. capital under the Constitution?

New York City was the first capital of the United States under the Constitution.

The federal government began operating in New York in 1789. George Washington was inaugurated at Federal Hall on Wall Street on April 30 of that year, and Congress met there while the new government was organized.

The capital moved to Philadelphia in 1790 under the Residence Act. Philadelphia served as the temporary national capital until 1800, when the government moved to Washington, D.C., the permanent capital established along the Potomac River.

New York’s role is often confused with Philadelphia’s because Philadelphia hosted the Continental Congress for much of the Revolutionary era and the Constitutional Convention. New York City was also the first capital of the government created by the Constitution, a distinct period beginning in 1789. Federal Hall’s site is now marked by the Federal Hall National Memorial.