New York City served as the U.S. national capital from 1789 to 1790.
The First Congress met in Federal Hall on Wall Street, where George Washington was inaugurated as the first president on April 30, 1789. New York was the first capital under the Constitution, making it an important setting during the launch of the new federal government.
The capital moved to Philadelphia in 1790 under a compromise that selected a future permanent capital on the Potomac River. Washington, D.C., became the national capital in 1800 after the federal government moved into the newly developed district.
New York City is sometimes mistakenly identified as merely a colonial or state capital in this context. It briefly held the nation’s capital role after the Constitution took effect, while Philadelphia had served as the capital under the Confederation during earlier years.