First United States Congress Convenes
- When
- 1789
- Where
- Federal Hall, New York City
- Episodes
- 6
The 1st United States Congress, a bicameral body of Senate and House, convened at Federal Hall in New York City on March 4, 1789, beginning federal government operations under the 1787 Constitution. Quorums formed in April, the electoral count certified Washington and Adams, and the first session ran through September 29, 1789.
Episodes
- First Congress convenes at Federal Hall
The bicameral 1st United States Congress first met at Federal Hall in New York City on March 4, 1789, starting federal operations under the 1787 Constitution.
- Quorums, officers, and the electoral count
The House reached quorum on April 1, 1789, the Senate on April 6; in joint session Congress certified Washington's unanimous election and Adams as Vice President.
- Vice presidential and presidential inaugurations
John Adams was inaugurated as the nation's first vice president on April 21, 1789, and George Washington as first president at Federal Hall on April 30, 1789.
- Foundational statutes of the first session
Between June and September 1789 the Congress enacted the Oaths Act, Tariff of 1789, Departments of State, War, and Treasury, Customs Service, and the Judiciary Act.
- Decision of 1789 on removal power
On September 2, 1789, Congress decided that power to remove executive officers was vested in the President of the United States.
- Twelve amendment articles proposed
On September 25, 1789, Congress approved twelve proposed constitutional articles guaranteeing individual rights and limiting federal power, sending them to the states.
Background and detail
Background. The 1st United States Congress comprised the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives, meeting during the first two years of George Washington's presidency. It first assembled at Federal Hall in New York City, later moving to Congress Hall in Philadelphia. With its initial meeting, the United States federal government officially began operations under the frame of government established by the 1787 Constitution.
Convening and Organization. The Congress met from March 4, 1789, to March 4, 1791. The House of Representatives first achieved a quorum and elected its officers on April 1, 1789, and the Senate did so on April 6, 1789. That same day, in joint session, the two chambers counted Electoral College ballots, certifying George Washington as unanimously elected President and John Adams, with 34 of 69 votes, as Vice President.
First Session Legislation. The first session, held March 4 through September 29, 1789, at Federal Hall, produced foundational statutes: the Oaths Act (June 1), the Tariff of 1789 (July 4), the Department of State (July 27), the Customs Service (July 31), the Department of War (August 7), the Treasury (September 2), and the Judiciary Act of 1789 establishing the federal judiciary and the Attorney General's office (September 24).
Amendments and Ratification. On September 25, 1789, the Congress approved twelve proposed articles of amendment to guarantee individual rights and limit federal power, dispatching them to state legislatures for ratification. Articles three through twelve were ratified simultaneously on December 15, 1791, becoming the Bill of Rights; North Carolina ratified on November 21, 1789, and Rhode Island on May 29, 1790.
People involved
- George Washington · President-elect certified by Congress; unanimously elected
- John Adams · Vice President-elect, certified with 34 of 69 electoral votes
- James Mathers · Doorkeeper, elected April 7, 1789
Sources
- 1st United States Congress Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-28
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.