Federal Hall is one of the most distinguished places in
American history. It has been the site
of government activity for more than 300 years. Here on Wall Street, George
Washington took the oath of office as our first President, and this site was
home to the first Congress, Supreme Court, and Executive Branch offices.
The first building on this site was built in 1700 as New York's City Hall.
In October 1765 the Stamp Act Congress met in
this building. Congress was the first colonial action against a
British measure and was formed to protest the Stamp Act issued by British
Parliament on March 1765.
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The model of New York city hall built in 1700 |
The Stamp Act 1765 was an act of the Parliament of Great Britain
that imposed a direct tax on the colonies of British America. It required that many
printed materials in the colonies, such as
legal documents, magazines,
playing cards, newspapers, should be printed
on
stamped paper produced in London, carrying an embossed revenue stamp. The stamp
tax had to be paid in valid British currency, not in colonial paper money.
British government
invented the doctrine of "virtual
representation" in attempt to
legitimize the policies of the Stamp Act. Many Colonists saw it as a direct violation
of their rights. Virtual representation was wholly rejected in the colonies,
who said the "virtual" was a cover for political corruption.
There were 27 representatives of nine of the thirteen
colonies (that eventually formed the United States of America ) attending congress. On October 19, 1765 the Stamp Act Congress
adopted a Declaration of Rights and Grievances, which stated among other things
that only the colonial assemblies had a right to
tax the colonies.
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The model of remodeled building |
After the American Revolution, the City Hall served as the
meeting place for the Congress of the United States under the Articles of
Confederation, from 1785 until 1789. After the new federal government was
launched with the 1788 ratification of the U.S. Constitution in 1789 New York City became the nation's first capital and the building was renamed Federal Hall.
Hoping to convince the new Congress to make New York the
capital local businessmen contributed funding for a major expansion of the city
hall. In 1788, the building was remodeled and enlarged under the direction of
Pierre Charles L'Enfant, who was later selected by President George Washington
to design the capital city on the Potomac River.
On April 14, 1789, at Mount Vernon Washington
received official notification that he had been unanimously selected by the
Electoral College to be the nation's first president. In ten days Washington arrived in smaller barge to New York, where
he was greeted by New York
Governor and citizens.
Rudolph Von Dorsten was the Secretary of the Dutch Legation
in New York City and describes Washington's entrance into the city: "President George Washington made his entry into New
York on Thursday, April 23d. On the previous day a barge left this city. The
barge was built expressly by the citizens of New York, and was rowed by
thirteen pilots, all dressed in white. A committee of three Senators and five
Representatives on behalf of Congress, and three of the first officers on
behalf of New York, went to Elizabethtown in New Jersey, to welcome the
President, and to await his arrival there. His Excellency was also accompanied
by some well-equipped sloops and by a multitude of small craft with citizens of
New Jersey and New York on board"
On April 30, 1789,
the inaugural ceremony took place on the balcony of Federal Hall. Although the
Constitution does not require it, most presidents have sworn the oath of office
with their right or left hands placed upon a Bible. George Washington was Mason. The Bible used for the inaugural oath,
printed in 1767, was the Altar Bible of St. John's Masonic Lodge, No. 1.
Presidents George H.W. Bush, Carter, Eisenhower, and Harding also used the same
Bible when they were inaugurated.
St. John's Lodge No.1 is the oldest operating Masonic Lodge
under the jurisdiction of the Grand Lodge of New York F&AM. The Lodge is active and have meetings every month on third Thursday between September and May on the 6th floor of
Masonic Hall in Manhattan.
In 1790 the United
States capital was moved to Philadelphia and the building once again housed the government of New York
City until 1812. Later the building
was abandoned , razed and
the polished marble mantles, crimson draperies and other remnants sold for $425.

The present building is named in honor of that earlier
structure. It was constructed in 1842 as
a first Customs House. It took more than
a decade to complete the building.
Twenty years later in 1862,
Customs moved to 55 Wall Street and the building served as one of six United
States Sub-Treasury locations. Federal
Hall's subbasement was reinforced with steel. At one point
there were 1,178 tons of gold and silver stored here. Millions of
dollars of gold and silver were kept in the basement vaults until the Federal
Reserve Bank replaced the Sub-Treasury system in 1920.
There is a huge statue of General Washington in front of the
redesigned Federal Hall. The statue was
unveiled in 1883 to commemorate Washington's 1789 inauguration in the building.
It was done by American sculptor John Quincy Adams Ward. There are several other statues by Ward in New York- four of
them are in the Central Park and one (
high relief) - across the street from the Washington Statue. The 110 ft. wide pediment of New York Stock
Exchange contains eleven figures, including figures symbolizing Science,
Industry, Agriculture, Mining, and a figure that represents "Realizing
Intelligence."
The building today houses
a very small museum. Park
rangers inside help to answer questions.
Federal Hall a nice place to visit for 30 minutes if you have interest in early American
history. The hall is open Monday-Saturday, 9am-5pm. It is free and there
are restrooms inside.
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