New York City was the first U.S. national capital under the Constitution.
The new federal government began operating in New York City in 1789, with Congress meeting at Federal Hall on Wall Street. George Washington took the presidential oath there on April 30, 1789, making the building a central site in the early national government.
New York’s constitutional capital period lasted until 1790. The Residence Act selected a permanent capital site on the Potomac River, while Philadelphia served as the temporary national capital during construction. Washington, D.C., became the permanent capital in 1800.
New York had also served as a national seat under the Articles of Confederation before the Constitution took effect. That earlier role can cause confusion, but New York was both the last capital under the Articles and the first under the Constitution.