New York City became the first capital of the United States under the Constitution in 1789.
The city had already served as the national capital under the Articles of Confederation. After the Constitution took effect, New York continued in that role and hosted the first Congress under the new government.
George Washington took the first presidential oath of office at Federal Hall on Wall Street on April 30, 1789. Congress also drafted the Bill of Rights in New York City, adding to the city's importance during the government's earliest constitutional years.
The capital moved to Philadelphia at the end of 1790 under a compromise that selected a future permanent capital on the Potomac River. Washington, D.C., became the national capital in 1800 after the federal government moved there. Philadelphia was therefore an important early capital, but it was not the first capital under the Constitution.