[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 192 (Thursday, December 17, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E3056-E3057]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  225TH ANNIVERSARY OF TRENTON'S TIME AS CAPITAL OF THE UNITED STATES

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                           HON. RUSH D. HOLT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 16, 2009

  Mr. HOLT. Madam Speaker, I rise to commemorate the 225th anniversary 
of the city of Trenton's tenure as the capital of the United States.
  Students of American history are familiar with the Compromise of 
1790. James Madison

[[Page E3057]]

and Thomas Jefferson won permanent residence for Congress on the 
Potomac in exchange for the Federal Government's assumption of State 
debts from the Revolution--a priority of Alexander Hamilton. What 
followed was the Residence Act, which established what we now know as 
the District of Columbia.
  What is less understood is the capital's journey through eight other 
towns, the abandoned proposals and the near-misses before Congress 
settled here on the Potomac. During the Revolutionary War, Congress 
moved frequently to avoid British troops--meeting famously in 
Philadelphia then in Baltimore, York, and Lancaster. Upon ratification 
of the Articles of Confederation, Congress returned to Independence 
Hall only to be removed abruptly in the summer of 1783.
  That June, approximately 500 mutinous Pennsylvania militiamen 
demanding back pay from their service during the Revolution, encircled 
Independence Hall and refused to let Members of Congress leave the 
building unless their demands were met. Uncertain of their safety and 
the integrity of Congress, the delegates fled across the Delaware to 
Princeton, New Jersey.
  In Princeton, Congress redoubled its efforts to select a permanent 
seat of government. To settle regional animosity, Congress agreed on 
two permanent capitals on the Delaware and Potomac, while designating 
Annapolis and Trenton as interim capitals.
  On November 1, 1784, Congress convened in Trenton. Travel-weary 
legislators reluctantly trickled into Trenton--then a town of roughly 
500 people--and it began official business at the French Arms Tavern on 
the corner of Warren and State Streets.
  When Congress finally reached a quorum on November 29 it considered 
matters of foreign affairs and finance, appointing ministers to Britain 
and France and selecting commissioners to the Board of Treasury.
  The highlight of Trenton's time as the capital was a visit by the 
Marquis de Lafayette. During his visit he petitioned Congress to take 
official leave to France and addressed a joint session of the New 
Jersey State Legislature. In honor of Lafayette, one of George 
Washington's most trusted generals, Congress drafted a letter to the 
King of France praising Lafayette's service and passed a resolution 
commending Lafayette for his bravery during the siege of Yorktown.
  As the session concluded before Christmas, Congress scrapped the plan 
for two capitals and took up a resolution to establish a permanent 
capital in Trenton. Unfortunately for Trenton, debate stalled, and on 
Christmas Eve Congress agreed to meet in New York City after the New 
Year.
  The rest as they say is history. The bustling, city life of New York 
was more appealing to Members of Congress than the calm of small-town 
Trenton. They quickly forgot their plans and continued to meet in New 
York until 1790.
  Still, Congress's brief visit to Trenton offers a fascinating glimpse 
into the early history of the United States and should remind us that 
the remarkable Capitol building in which we conduct the people's 
business should not be taken for granted.
  I commend the Crossroads of the American Revolution National Heritage 
Area, the Trenton Historical Society, and the other organizations that 
make up Trenton 1784--The Nation's Capital Committee, for their 
excellent work, schedule event and lectures and preparing exhibits and 
online resources to bring to life this fascinating yet fleeting moment 
in American history. Trenton was then and is today a town with great 
appeal.

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