Why was Philadelphia the national capital for ten years?
During the Revolutionary War it seemed natural that Philadelphia would become the capital of the new nation. It was America’s largest and richest city, it was where the first and second Continental Congresses had met, and its Quaker tradition of tolerance meant that all were welcome. In June 1783, Congress (under the Articles of Confederation) was in session in Independence Hall when several hundred mutinous Pennsylvania militiamen surrounded the building, demanding the back pay they were owed. Congress ordered Pennsylvania’s governor to remove the protesting soldiers, but he refused, claiming that his troops would not fire on their fellow soldiers. An angry and indignant Congress adjourned to Princeton, NJ. The protest had been more annoying than threatening, but it made the point that Congress needed to be able to protect itself, and should not have to rely on the government of a host city or state. The idea took hold of placing the national capital in a district separate from any st
