New York City served as the temporary national capital when George Washington was inaugurated in 1789, a fact tied to America250 history.
Washington took the presidential oath on April 30, 1789, at Federal Hall on Wall Street. New York City was the seat of the new federal government because Congress had designated it as the first capital under the Constitution.
The ceremony occurred before the permanent capital in the District of Columbia was established. Philadelphia became the national capital in 1790, and the federal government moved to Washington, D.C., in 1800.
Federal Hall stood on the site of New York City’s former City Hall. The building was later demolished, but the Federal Hall National Memorial marks the location. Washington’s inauguration there symbolized the transition from the Confederation government to the constitutional government.