Philadelphia: The First U.S. Capital (1790–1800)

The Old Capital of the United States

Before Washington, D.C. was ready, the federal government resided in **Philadelphia, Pennsylvania** for a decade.

Timeline

• 1774–1776: First & Second Continental Congresses meet in Carpenters' Hall & Independence Hall.
• 1777–1778: Congress flees to York, PA (British occupy Philadelphia).
• 1781–1783: Congress under Articles of Confederation meets in Philadelphia (Independence Hall).
• 1787: Constitutional Convention drafts Constitution in Independence Hall.
• 1790 (Residence Act): Congress votes to create permanent capital on Potomac (DC). **Philadelphia designated temporary capital for 10 years.**
• Dec 6, 1790 – May 14, 1800: **Congress Hall (6th & Chestnut)** hosts U.S. Congress. **President's House (6th & Market)** hosts Washington & Adams.
• June 1800: Government moves to **Washington, D.C.** (White House, Capitol still unfinished).

Why Philadelphia?

• Largest city in US (~40,000 then).
• Central location (north-south).
• Existing infrastructure (Independence Hall, Congress Hall built 1787–89).
• Political compromise: North got assumption of state debts; South got capital on Potomac.

Other Early Capitals

• New York City: First capital under Constitution (1789–1790) — Federal Hall, Wall St. Washington inaugurated there.
• Annapolis, MD: Continental Congress 1783–84 (Treaty of Paris ratified).
• Trenton, NJ / Princeton, NJ / Lancaster, PA / York, PA: Brief Continental Congress sessions.