Annapolis served as the temporary United States capital while the Confederation Congress met there from November 1783.
Congress convened in the Maryland State House in Annapolis beginning on November 26, 1783, during the period when the nation operated under the Articles of Confederation. The city remained the seat of Congress until June 3, 1784, before the government moved to Trenton, New Jersey.
Annapolis became especially important in the early national story on December 23, 1783, when George Washington resigned his commission as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. The event demonstrated civilian authority over the military after the Revolutionary War.
Congress also ratified the Treaty of Paris in Annapolis on January 14, 1784. Annapolis was one of several temporary national seats before Washington, D.C., was established as the permanent capital. Other Confederation-era meeting places included Philadelphia, Princeton, Trenton, and New York City.