New York City served as the first U.S. capital under the Constitution celebrated by America250.
The new federal government began operating in New York City in 1789. Congress met at Federal Hall on Wall Street, where George Washington took the presidential oath on April 30 of that year.
The capital moved to Philadelphia in 1790 under the Residence Act, which selected a future permanent site on the Potomac River. Philadelphia therefore became the temporary national capital before Washington, D.C., assumed that role in 1800.
A common mix-up is treating Washington, D.C., as the capital from the beginning. The District of Columbia was planned as the permanent capital, but it did not immediately house the federal government. New York City’s brief role connects the founding Constitution with the first years of federal administration.