How many capitals has the united states had

The City of Brotherly Love has actually been the official U. It once again served as the U. Spending a few hours walking around Old City, I learned a lot even though I had considered myself to be fairly well versed in early American history. In , British troops began to close in on Philadelphia, forcing the Continental Congress to flee to Baltimore.

My first memory of Baltimore was of a young kid, there on a short vacation with my family. The only thing I remember is the Inner Harbor and the world famous National Aquarium, which is why I was so happy to experience it again more than 30 years later. The Inner Harbor was perhaps the best idea the city has ever had, this pedestrian friendly waterfront features lots of options for food, shopping and sightseeing.

What I think is the star of the experience is the National Aquarium. Next to the aquarium is another fun site, the Historic Ships in Baltimore. To be fair, Lancaster was the capital for only a day, but York held the title for about 9 months in Both cities find themselves in a great part of Pennsylvania, what many call Amish country.

Strasbourg is one of the few operating steam locomotives in the country, and visitors get a taste of the grand era of railroading when they visit. Fire destroyed the Henry Fite House in The present-day heart of Amish country was once the heart of the American government—if only for a day. After the legislative equivalent of a cup of coffee, the Continental Congress adjourned its one-day session inside the courthouse, which was destroyed by a fire in the s, and continued to move west.

During its four-month stay inside the enormous stone building, which still stands on the Princeton campus, the United States government received its first foreign minister, a diplomat from the Netherlands, as well as word of the signing of the Treaty of Paris, which formally ended the American Revolution. Continuing to avoid Philadelphia, the nomadic Congress continued its travels to the Maryland capital.

Under the leaky dome of the still unfinished Maryland State House, delegates first convened on November 26, Inside the Senate chamber, Washington resigned as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army on December 23, , to return to Mount Vernon as a private citizen. Congress also ratified the Treaty of Paris in Annapolis on January 14, , before leaving the Maryland capital in August Instead of paying them, Congress elected to move from town to town for the next few years.

The Maryland State House in Annapolis served a similar function from November 26, to August 13, , and a couple of historic events took place here: George Washington resigned as commander in chief of the Continental Army, and the Articles of Confederation were ratified although the latter was actually done a couple of years prior to Congress occupying the State House. Trenton, N. One historian called it "The handsomest and most commodious house in Trenton in its day. It's where Washington had his inauguration as the first President of the United States.

In fact, when the First United States Congress met there in , the first thing they did was tally the votes that would declare Washington Commander in Chief.

In turn, Washington declared that a permanent housing solution for the frequently-traveling lawmakers was in order. The Bible he was sworn in on is still there. Finally, in , the Residence Act was passed.