New York City was the first U.S. capital under the Constitution, and Congress met there in 1789.
The new federal government convened at Federal Hall, a building on Wall Street. George Washington took the presidential oath there on April 30, 1789, making the city the setting for the first inauguration under the Constitution.
The capital later moved to Philadelphia in 1790 under the Residence Act. Philadelphia remained the national capital for a decade while the permanent federal district on the Potomac River was planned and built.
Washington, D.C., became the permanent capital in 1800. New York City is sometimes omitted from lists of American capitals because it served for only a short period, but it was the first capital of the constitutional government. Annapolis had been the capital under the Articles of Confederation before the Constitution took effect.