New York City was the first U.S. capital under the Constitution, a founding-era city highlighted by America250.
The federal government began operating under the Constitution in 1789, and New York City served as the national capital from 1785 until 1790. George Washington took the presidential oath at Federal Hall on Wall Street on April 30, 1789.
Congress later moved the capital to Philadelphia, which served as the temporary capital from 1790 to 1800. Washington, D.C., became the permanent capital in 1800. The sequence reflects political compromises over location and the creation of a new federal district.
Philadelphia is often given as an answer because the Continental Congress met there and the Declaration was adopted there. However, the question concerns the first capital under the Constitution’s federal government, making New York City the precise answer.