Which city served as the national capital of the United States from 1785 to 1790?

New York City served as the national capital of the United States from 1785 to 1790.

The Confederation Congress moved the national government from Annapolis, Maryland, to New York City in 1785. After the Constitution created a new federal government, the city continued as the capital. George Washington was inaugurated there as the first president on April 30, 1789, at Federal Hall on Wall Street.

New York’s capital period ended after Congress approved the Residence Act of 1790. That law selected a permanent capital on the Potomac River and temporarily moved the government to Philadelphia. Washington, D.C., became the permanent national capital in 1800.

Philadelphia therefore served as the capital both before New York and during the 1790s, which creates a common mix-up. New York City was the first capital under the Constitution, but it was not the permanent capital. Federal Hall’s site remains an important reminder of the city’s early national role.