New York’s Federal Hall

Creating the Declaration of Independence | Creating the United States Constitution | Creating the Bill of Rights

Forging a Federal Government | Demand for a Bill of Rights | Formation of Political Parties | Election of 1800 | Peaceful Transition

Federal Hall, New York City. Lithograph after an engraving by Cornelius Tiebout, 1789. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (73)
[Digital ID# ppmsca-15703]

Enlarge
Add to my collection
Send a Postcard

Federal Hall in New York was the site of the meeting of the first federal Congress in 1789. Built in 1700 as New York’s City Hall and demolished in 1812, it also was the site of key events on America’s road to freedom. After the first and second sessions of Congress in 1789 and 1790, the federal government moved to Philadelphia until 1800, when it moved to Washington.