New York City was the first national capital under the United States Constitution.
The First Congress began meeting at Federal Hall in New York City on March 4, 1789, the same day the Constitution’s new federal government formally began operating. George Washington was inaugurated there as the first president on April 30, 1789.
New York’s capital status was brief. Congress passed the Residence Act in 1790, selecting a permanent capital site on the Potomac River while designating Philadelphia as the temporary capital. The federal government moved to Philadelphia later that year and eventually relocated to Washington, D.C., in 1800.
A common mix-up is treating Washington, D.C., as the nation’s first capital. It became the permanent capital, but New York City came first under the Constitution. New York had also served as the last capital under the Articles of Confederation, making it an important setting during the transition to the new federal system.