New York City became the first U.S. national capital under the Constitution, a government milestone relevant to America250.
The federal government began operating in New York City in 1789. George Washington was inaugurated there as the first president on April 30, 1789, at Federal Hall on Wall Street.
Philadelphia became the capital in 1790 under a compromise connected to the future location of a permanent capital on the Potomac River. Washington, D.C., became the national capital in 1800, after the federal government moved into the newly developing district.
New York City had also served as a wartime and Confederation-era meeting place, but its constitutional-era status was brief. This history is why Philadelphia, New York, and Washington are all associated with early American government, though they held different capital roles.