The city of Washington, D.C., was created to be the center of the national government. A special home was built for the president at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. It’s now called the White House. George Washington chose the place and approved the plans.
But he never lived there. When he was president, New York was the capital city of the U.S. Then it was Philadelphia. When the second president, John Adams, moved into the presidential home in 1800, it wasn’t even done yet. Since then, the building has been remodeled, added to, and redecorated many times.
How did Washington, D.C., become the nation’s capital? James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Jefferson went to dinner. They worked out a deal. Madison said the federal government would help states get out of debt. In return, Hamilton let the new capital be in the South.
