United States capitals. The U.S. government had no permanent capital until 1800, when it took up residence in Washington, D.C. Until that time, the government, in the form of its Congresses, had many different meeting places. The Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, except for brief periods during the Revolutionary War (1775-1783), when British troops forced it to flee. The Continental Congress was succeeded in 1781 by the Congress of the Confederation, which moved several times before settling in New York City in 1785. In 1789, the Congress of the Confederation was succeeded by the Congress that was established by the Constitution of the United States. This Congress met in New York City until 1790, when it moved to Philadelphia.
The Constitution gave the new Congress power to govern a district given by the states as the site of a new capital. In 1790, the government decided to locate the capital along the Potomac River. Virginia and Maryland gave land for the new capital. In 1791, President George Washington chose the site. A commission was appointed to survey the ground and plan the city. The commission named the capital The City of Washington in honor of President Washington. Congress moved from Philadelphia to Washington in 1800.
The earliest American Congresses met in the cities listed below, with the dates Congress met in each city.
Philadelphia, Sept. 5, 1774, to Dec. 12, 1776. Baltimore, Dec. 20, 1776, to March 4, 1777. Philadelphia, March 5, 1777, to Sept. 18, 1777. Lancaster, Pa., Sept. 27, 1777. York, Pa., Sept. 30, 1777, to June 27, 1778. Philadelphia, July 2, 1778, to June 21, 1783. Princeton, N.J., June 30, 1783, to Nov. 4, 1783. Annapolis, Md., Nov. 26, 1783, to June 3, 1784. Trenton, N.J., Nov. 1, 1784, to Dec. 24, 1784. New York City, Jan. 11, 1785, to Aug. 12, 1790. Philadelphia, Dec. 6, 1790, to May 14, 1800.
Most scholars agree that the United States was formed when Congress issued the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Thus, the first capital of the United States was Philadelphia.
