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21 unusual facts about 1st United States Congress


13th New York State Legislature

State Senators Philip Schuyler, John Hathorn and John Laurance, and Assemblyman Rufus King retained their seats in the Legislature while serving concurrently in the 1st United States Congress.

The State Legislature met from July 6 to 16, 1789, at the Old City Hall in Albany, to resume the election of U.S. Senators, and elected State Senator Philip Schuyler and Assemblyman Rufus King, both Federalists, who took their seats in the U.S. Senate of the 1st United States Congress a few days later at Federal Hall in New York City, where Congress met until September 29, 1789, and again from January 4, 1790.

8th New York State Legislature

From January 1785 on, the Congress of the Confederation met here, and later it was the venue of the first two sessions of the 1st United States Congress.

Committee of the Whole

The United States Senate used the Committee of the Whole as a parliamentary device for 197 years from the 1st Congress in 1789 and ceased using it in 1986 during the 99th Congress.

Crimes Act of 1790

As an enactment of the First Congress, the Crimes Act is often regarded as a quasi-constitutional text.

Criminal law in the Marshall Court

One of the first statutes passed by the First Congress, the Judiciary Act of 1789, divided original jurisdiction for the trial of federal crimes between the district courts and the circuit courts.

James Schureman

When the United States was formed, Schureman was elected to the First House of Representatives, serving from 1789 until 1791.

John Laurance

In March 1789, Laurance was elected as a Federalist to the 1st United States Congress, and re-elected in April 1790 to the 2nd United States Congress, serving from 1789 to March 4, 1793.

New York Manumission Society

The Quakers of New York petitioned the First Congress (under the Constitution) for the abolition of the slave trade.

New York's 1st congressional district special election, 1791

Townsend had defeated incumbent William Floyd (A) and, as he died before the first meeting of the 2nd Congress and the special election was won by Thomas Tredwell (A), there was no change of parties between the 1st and 2nd Congress

Residence Act

The 1st United States Congress agreed to the compromise, which narrowly passed as the Residence Act.

Royall Tyler

The play's first public showing was shortly after George Washington's inauguration and Washington and several members of the First Congress attended.

Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution

In the 1st United States Congress, following the state legislatures' request, James Madison proposed twenty constitutional amendments based on state bills of rights and English sources such as the Bill of Rights 1689.

Tariffs in United States history

The 1st United States Congress, wanting a straightforward tax that was not too onerous and easy to collect, passed the Tariff Act of 1789.

Third Amendment to the United States Constitution

In the 1st United States Congress, following the state legislatures' request, James Madison proposed twenty constitutional amendments based on state bills of rights and English sources such as the Bill of Rights 1689; one of these was a prohibition against quartering troops in private homes.

United States House of Representatives election in Pennsylvania, 1788

On July 8, 1788, the Congress of the Confederation passed a resolution calling the first session of the 1st United States Congress for March 4, 1789, to convene at New York City and the election of Senators and Representatives in the meanwhile by the States.

United States House of Representatives elections in New York, 1789

The 1st United States Congress had convened at Federal Hall in New York City on March 4, 1789, without any members from the State of New York, and without a quorum in either Senate or House.

The 1789 United States House of Representatives elections in New York were held on March 3 and 4, 1789, to elect 6 U.S. Representatives to represent the State of New York in the 1st United States Congress.

On July 8, 1788, the Congress of the Confederation passed a resolution calling the first session of the 1st United States Congress for March 4, 1789, to convene at New York City and the election of U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives in the meanwhile by the States.

United States Senate election in New York, 1789

The 1st United States Congress convened at New York City, as did the regular session of the New York State Legislature in January 1790.

Virginia Ratifying Convention

James Madison, elected to Congress from his home district was a floor leader in the first session of the First Congress.