Federal Hall

New York City, due to its historic atmosphere and exciting nature, contains many of the nation’s political wonders. From Christopher Street, in Greenwich Village to Fraunces Tavern, in downtown Manhattan, New York has paved the way to a plethora of the nation’s historical and eye-opening moments. As one of the most renowned sites that is worth the extra trip to Wall Street, Federal Hall is an imperative building that continues to symbolize the nation’s journey to a structured government by being the center of events such as George Washington’s inauguration as president and the introduction of the Bill of Rights during the First Congress. Federal Hall is located at 26 Wall Street, New York, New York, 10005 and is right across the New York Stock Exchange. On April 30th, 1789, a month after the members of the Senate and the House of Representatives met to count the electoral votes and six years after the end of the Revolutionary War, George Washington was sworn into office by Robert L. Livingston, who was the Chancellor of New York, on the second floor balcony of Federal Hall. Under the balcony, witnesses gathered to observe “the historic event” as they watched Washington become the first President of the United States of

The building did not just house the inauguration of America’s first president. For example, in the 1733, John Peter Zenger was accused of libel, jailed for his actions, and then, acquitted, which introduced the notion of freedom of press. Similarly, in October 1765, delegates from nine colonies created the Stamp Act Congress, of the First Congress, and they met to discuss “taxation without representation” and later, drafted the “Declaration of Rights and Grievances,” which gradually transformed into the Bill of Rights. In 1789, after New York became the nation’s first capitol, the building was destroyed, rebuilt by Pierre L’Enfant, and renamed “Federal