New York City was the first U.S. capital under the Constitution. The federal government began operating there in 1789, and Federal Hall on Wall Street hosted the first presidential inauguration and the first session of Congress under the new system.
George Washington took the presidential oath at Federal Hall on April 30, 1789. The first Congress met there and worked on foundational measures, including legislation that helped organize the new federal government. New York City therefore served as the national capital during the government’s earliest constitutional period.
The capital moved to Philadelphia in 1790 under the Residence Act. Philadelphia remained the temporary capital while a permanent federal district was developed along the Potomac River. The government moved to Washington, D.C., in 1800.
New York City had also served as the national capital under the Articles of Confederation from 1785 until 1788. That earlier role is why some accounts distinguish between New York’s Confederation-era capital status and its first capital under the Constitution.