New York City served as the temporary national capital when the United States Constitution took effect in 1789.
The Confederation Congress was sitting in New York City when it received the newly signed Constitution in September 1787. After the states ratified the document, Congress established March 4, 1789, as the date for the new federal government to begin operating. The first Congress therefore convened in New York City, where the first president and other federal officials began work.
New York’s role was temporary. The Residence Act of 1790 selected a permanent capital on the Potomac River, while Philadelphia served as the interim capital during the transition. The federal government moved from New York to Philadelphia in 1790 and then to Washington, D.C., in 1800.
This sequence can cause confusion because Philadelphia was the meeting place of the Constitutional Convention and the location of the Constitution’s signing. Washington, D.C., was the first permanent national capital, but it was not yet the seat of government when the Constitution first took effect.