Washington, D.C., has been the capital of the United States since 1800. Eight other cities have served as the meeting place for the U.S. Congress and are therefore considered to have once been the capital of the United States. In addition, each of the fifty U.S. states and the five principal territories of the United States maintains its own capital.
State capitals
In 33 of the 50 U.S. states, the state capital is not the state's most populous city. Trenton, New Jersey, and Carson City, Nevada â€" border another state, while Juneau, Alaska, shares a border with the Canadian province of British Columbia.[a] The dates listed in the following table indicate the year in which the city started to continuously serve as the state's sole capital. Most states have changed their capital city at least onceâ€"see Historical state capitals for details.
Insular area capitals
An insular area is a United States territory that is neither a part of one of the fifty states nor a part of the District of Columbia, the nation's federal district. Those insular areas with territorial capitals are listed below.
Former national capitals
United States of America
From 1774 to 1800, Congress met in numerous locations; therefore, the following cities can be said to have once been the United States capital:
- First Continental Congress
- Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: September 5, 1774 to October 24, 1774
- Second Continental Congress
- Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: May 10, 1775 to December 12, 1776
- Henry Fite House, Baltimore, Maryland: December 20, 1776 to February 27, 1777
- Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: March 4, 1777 to September 18, 1777
- Court House, Lancaster, Pennsylvania: September 27, 1777 (one day)
- Court House, York, Pennsylvania: September 30, 1777 to June 2, 1778
- College Hall, College of Philadelphia: July 2, 1778 to July 20, 1778
- Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: July 23, 1778 to March 1, 1781
- Articles of Confederation
- Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: March 1, 1781 to June 21, 1783[b]
- Nassau Hall, Princeton, New Jersey: June 30, 1783 to November 4, 1783
- Maryland State House, Annapolis, Maryland: November 26, 1783 to August 19, 1784
- French Arms Tavern, Trenton, New Jersey: November 1, 1784 to December 24, 1784
- City Hall (Federal Hall), New York City, New York: January 11, 1785 to October 2, 1788
- Fraunces Tavern, New York City, New York: October 6, 1788 to March 3, 1789
- United States Constitution
- Federal Hall, New York City, New York: March 4, 1789 to December 5, 1790
- Congress Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: December 6, 1790 to May 14, 1800
- United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.: November 17, 1800 to December 8, 1815[c]
- Old Brick Capitol, Washington, D.C.: December 8, 1815 to 1825
- United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.: 1825 to present
Kingdom and Republic of Hawaii
Prior to becoming a territory of the United States in 1898, Hawaii was an independent country. Five sites served as its capital:
- WaikÄ«kÄ«. Served as the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii, 1795â€"1796
- Hilo. Served as the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii, 1796â€"1803
- Kailua-Kona. Served as the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii, 1812â€"1820
- Lahaina. Served as the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii, 1820â€"1845.
- Honolulu
- Served as the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii, 1803â€"1812.
- Served as the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii, 1845â€"January 17, 1893.
- Served as the seat of the Provisional Government of Hawaii after the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii, January 17, 1893 â€" July 4, 1894.
- Served as the capital of the Republic of Hawaii when it was established on July 4, 1894 until the Republic was annexed by the United States on July 7, 1898 under the Newlands Resolution to become the Territory of Hawaii. On becoming a state in 1959, Honolulu became the capital of the State of Hawaii.
Republic of Texas
Before joining the United States under the Texas Annexation in 1845, Texas was an independent nation known as the Republic of Texas. Seven cities served as its capital:
- Washington (now Washington-on-the-Brazos), 1836
- Harrisburg, 1836
- Galveston, 1836
- Velasco, 1836
- West Columbia, 1836
- Houston, 1837â€"1839
- Austin, 1839â€"1845 (also present-day capital of the State of Texas)
Unrecognized national capitals
There have been a handful of nations within the current borders of the United States which were never officially recognized as legally independent sovereign entities; however, these nations did have de facto control over their respective regions during their existence.
Vermont Republic
Before joining the United States as the fourteenth state, Vermont was an independent republic known as the Vermont Republic. Two cities served as the capital of the Republic:
- Westminster, 1777
- Windsor, 1777â€"1791
The current capital of the State of Vermont is Montpelier.
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America had two capitals during its existence. The first capital was established on February 4, 1861 in Montgomery, Alabama and remained there until it was moved to Richmond on May 29, 1861. The Confederate state capitals remained the same as in the Union, although as advancing Federals used the same capitals for military districts, some of the Confederate governments were relocated or they moved out of state, traveling along with rebel armies.
- Montgomery, Alabama, February 4, 1861 â€" May 29, 1861
- Richmond, Virginia, May 29, 1861 â€" April 3, 1865
Following the surrender of General R.E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, which ended the American Civil War on April 9, 1865, the eleven southern states which had vacated their delegations gradually had their Senators and Representatives recognized and seated by Congress. The first was Tennessee on July 24, 1866, then Arkansas on June 22, 1868, Louisiana, Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina on June 25, 1868, Alabama on July 14, 1868, Virginia on January 26, 1870, Mississippi on February 23, 1870, Texas on March 30, 1870 and finally Georgia on July 15, 1870.
In Williams v. Bruffy the U.S. Supreme Court held that recognition of revolution "depends entirely upon its ultimate success". Likewise in the Court's decision in Texas v. White it allowed some possibility of divisibility of the union "through revolution, or through consent of the States." But in the case of the American Civil War, Texas never left the Union. Essentially, once a territory is admitted and recognized as a state, it is in perpetuity a state in the Union.
State of Franklin
The State of Franklin was an autonomous, secessionist United States territory created, not long after the end of the American Revolution, from territory that later was ceded by North Carolina to the federal government. Franklin's territory later became part of the state of Tennessee. Franklin was never officially admitted into the Union of the United States and existed for only four years.
- Jonesborough, Tennessee, 1784â€"?
- Greeneville, Tennessee, 1785?â€"?
State of Muskogee
The State of Muskogee was a short-lived Native American state in Florida. It consisted of several tribes of Creeks and Seminoles. It existed from 1799 to 1803. It had one capital:
- Miccosukee, 1799â€"1803
Republic of West Florida
The Republic of West Florida was a short-lived republic consisting of parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida and Alabama.
- St. Francisville, Louisiana, 1810
Republic of Indian Stream
The Republic of Indian Stream was an unrecognized independent nation within the present state of New Hampshire.
- Pittsburg, New Hampshire, 1832â€"1835
California Republic
Before being annexed by the United States in 1848 (following the Mexicanâ€"American War), a small portion of north-central California declared itself the California Republic, in an act of independence from Mexico, in 1846 (see Bear Flag Revolt). The republic only existed a month before it disbanded itself, to join the advancing American army and therefore became part of the United States.
The very short-lived California Republic was never recognized by the United States, Mexico or any other nation. There was one de facto capital of the California Republic:
- Sonoma, 1846
Historical state capitals
Most of the original Thirteen Colonies had their capitals occupied or attacked by the British during the American Revolution. State governments operated where and as they could. The City of New York was occupied by British troops from 1776 to 1783. A similar situation occurred during the War of 1812, during the American Civil War in many Confederate states, and during the Pueblo Revolt of 1680â€"1692 in New Mexico.
Twenty-two state capitals have been a capital longer than their state has been a state, since they served as the capital of a predecessor territory, colony, or republic. Boston, Massachusetts, has been a capital city continuously since 1630, making it the longest-running U.S. capital. Santa Fe, New Mexico, has been a capital city the longest having become capital in 1610 and interrupted only by the Pueblo Revolt of 1680â€"1692.
The table below includes the following information:
- The state, the year in which statehood was granted, and the state's capital (as of 2014) are shown in bold.
- The year listed for each capital is the starting date; the ending date is the starting date for the successor unless otherwise indicated.
- In many cases, former capital cities of states are outside the current state borders. These cities are indicated with the abbreviated name of the state in which the city is located (as of 2010).
See also
- Historic regions of the United States
- History of the Philippines (1898â€"1946)
- History of the United States
- Lists of capitals
- Outline of United States history
- Political divisions of the United States
- Territorial evolution of the United States
- Timeline of country and capital changes
Notes
References
Further reading
- Christian Montes. American Capitals: A Historical Geography (University of Chicago Press; 2014) 394 pages; scholarly study of geographic and other factors that have shaped the designation of capitals in all 50 states
External links
- Florida Facts - The Capitol
- The Capitalization of Georgia
- The State Houses of Louisiana
- Las Vegas: Nevada's Next State Capital?
- New Hampshire Senate for Kids - Capitals
- Handbook of Texas Online â€" Capitals
- Colonial Capitals of the Dominion of Virginia
- Utah History To Go - Utah's Capitols
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