Isabella Carter
New York City was the first post-Constitution capital of the United States. The new government began operating under the new Constitution on March 4, 1789, in New York, New York. George Washington took the oath of office as the first President of the United States at Federal Hall in New York City on April 30, 1789. Federal Hall was demolished in 1812, and since 1800, Washington, D.C. has been the permanent seat of the United States government.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| First post-constitution capital of the US | New York City |
| Date it became the capital | 1789 |
| Date it stopped being the capital | 1800 |
| Current capital | Washington, D.C |
Explore related products
What You'll Learn
- The Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Lancaster, York, Princeton, Annapolis, Trenton, New York and Washington, D.C
- The 1st Congress met at Federal Hall in New York
- The Residence Act of 1790 established the national capital at a site along the Potomac River
- Philadelphia served as the temporary capital for ten years
- Congress has met outside of Washington, D.C. only twice since
The Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Lancaster, York, Princeton, Annapolis, Trenton, New York and Washington, D.C
The Continental Congress met in nine cities: Philadelphia, Baltimore, Lancaster, York, Princeton, Annapolis, Trenton, New York and Washington, D.C.
New York City was the first capital following the adoption of the Constitution, succeeded by Philadelphia, which was the capital from 1790 to 1800. On 30 April 1789, George Washington took the oath of office as the First President of the United States at Federal Hall in New York City. Federal Hall was demolished in 1812.
In the summer of 1787, the Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to discuss a new system of government. Delegates from each state met to discuss how to consolidate power while ensuring that checks and balances were in place to limit tyrannical control of a centralised government.
Since 1800, Washington, D.C. has been the permanent seat of the United States Government.
The Founding Words of India's Constitution
You may want to see also
The 1st Congress met at Federal Hall in New York
New York City was the first capital of the United States following the adoption of the Constitution. On 21 June 1788, nine out of thirteen states had ratified the Constitution, and the new government began operating under it on 4 March 1789. The 1st Congress met at Federal Hall in New York City. Federal Hall was demolished in 1812, but a reconstruction of it now stands outside of which there is a statue of George Washington overlooking Wall Street.
On 30 April 1789, George Washington took the oath of office as the first President of the United States at Federal Hall in New York City. Washington took the oath of office on the second-floor balcony of the newly renamed Federal Hall. The Congress of Confederation had been meeting in New York's old City Hall on Wall Street since January 1785, and for more than five years, New York served as the seat of American power.
After the ratification of the United States Constitution, delegates met briefly at Fraunces Tavern as the old City Hall was remodelled to become the first capitol building for the new national government. Federal Hall was chosen as the site for the first Congress as it was the location of the Congress of Confederation, which had been meeting there since 1785. The first Congress met at Federal Hall to discuss the new Constitution and how to implement it. They also discussed the creation of a new national government and the consolidation of power, while ensuring that checks and balances were in place to limit tyrannical control of a centralised government.
Who Signed the Constitution First? George Washington's Signature
You may want to see also
The Residence Act of 1790 established the national capital at a site along the Potomac River
New York City was the first capital following the adoption of the Constitution.
The Residence Act of 1790, officially titled 'An Act for establishing the temporary and permanent seat of the Government of the United States', established the national capital at a site along the Potomac River. The Act was signed into law by President George Washington on 16 July 1790. It provided for a national capital and permanent seat of government to be established at a site along the Potomac River, and empowered President Washington to appoint commissioners to oversee the project. The Act also set a deadline of December 1800 for the capital to be ready, and designated Philadelphia as the nation's temporary capital while the new seat of government was being built.
The Residence Act specified that the capital be located along the Potomac River between the Eastern Branch (the Anacostia River) and the Connogochegue (near Williamsport and Hagerstown, Maryland), and encompass an area of no more than "ten miles square" (10 miles (16 km) on a side, for a maximum area of 100 square miles (259 km2)). President Washington chose to place the new “federal district” on land where the Potomac River met the East Branch River (today known as the Anacostia). The 10 square miles of land, ceded to the federal government by Maryland and Virginia, included the two existing port cities of Georgetown and Alexandria.
To design the new federal city, located on the northern banks of the Potomac, Washington appointed Pierre L’Enfant, a French architect and civil engineer.
The First Constitutional Democracy: America's Founding Document
You may want to see also
Explore related products
Philadelphia served as the temporary capital for ten years
New York City was the first capital following the adoption of the Constitution, succeeded by Philadelphia, which was the capital from 1790 to 1800.
In January 1785, the Congress of Confederation convened in New York's old City Hall on Wall Street, and for more than five years, New York served as the seat of American power. After the ratification of the United States Constitution, delegates met briefly at Fraunces Tavern as the old City Hall was remodelled to become the first capitol building for the new national government. On 30 April 1789, George Washington took the oath of office as the first President of the United States on the second-floor balcony of the newly renamed Federal Hall in New York. Federal Hall was demolished in 1812, but the nation that George Washington presided over still lives on.
In 1800, Washington, D.C. became the permanent seat of the United States Government. However, Congress has met outside of Washington, D.C. twice since: on 16 July 1987, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the ratification of the Constitution; and at Federal Hall National Memorial in New York on 6 September 2002, to mark the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Both meetings were ceremonial.
The Father of Constitutional Psychology: Nikolai Vasilyevich
You may want to see also
Congress has met outside of Washington, D.C. only twice since
New York City was the first post-Constitution capital of the United States. On April 30, 1789, George Washington took the oath of office as the First President of the United States at Federal Hall in New York City. Federal Hall was demolished in 1812, but the Nation that George Washington presided over still lives on.
Since 1800, Washington, D.C. has been the permanent seat of the United States Government. Congress has met outside of Washington, D.C. only twice since: on July 16, 1987, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the ratification of the Constitution; and at Federal Hall National Memorial in New York on September 6, 2002, to mark the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Both meetings were ceremonial.
The United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. has been the permanent seat of the United States Government since 1800. On November 17, 1800, the 6th United States Congress formally convened in Washington, D.C.
New York City served as the first capital following the adoption of the Constitution, succeeded by Philadelphia, which was the capital from 1790 to 1800. On October 6, 1783, after the Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783 forced the capital to move from Philadelphia to Princeton, New Jersey, Congress resolved to consider a new location for it. The following day, Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts moved "that buildings for the use of Congress be erected on the banks of the Delaware near Trenton, or of the Potomac, near Georgetown, provided a suitable district can be procured on one of the rivers as aforesaid, for a federal town".
Amendments' Cornerstone: Understanding the First Four
You may want to see also
Frequently asked questions
New York City.
The new government began operating under the new Constitution on March 4, 1789.
Federal Hall in New York City.
Washington, D.C. has been the permanent seat of the United States Government since 1800.
Nine cities.
