What city served as the first U.S. capital under the Constitution from 1789 to 1790?

New York City served as the first United States capital under the Constitution from March 4, 1789, to August 12, 1790.

The new federal government began meeting in New York after the Constitution took effect. Federal Hall on Wall Street hosted Congress, the first Supreme Court, and George Washington’s inauguration as the first president on April 30, 1789.

New York was not the only early national capital. The Continental Congress and Congress under the Articles of Confederation had met in several cities, including Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Annapolis. New York’s constitutional-era role was therefore a temporary stage in a changing national government.

Congress moved the capital to Philadelphia in 1790, where it remained for a decade. The permanent capital then moved to Washington, D.C., in 1800. This history is why Washington is the modern capital but not the first capital under the Constitution.