The relocation of the United States Government to Trenton occurred in August 1799 due to a

yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. ...

epidemic An epidemic (from Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of patients among a given population within an area in a short period of time. Epidemics of infectious ...

in the

capital of the United States This is a list of capital cities of the United States, including places that serve or have served as federal, state, insular area, territorial, colonial and Native American capitals. Washington has been the federal capital of the United Stat ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. The government was restored to Philadelphia by the following November.

Background

Until 1800, Philadelphia served as the capital city of the United States and the seat of its federal government. In 1799, an outbreak of

spread rapidly through Philadelphia, the fourth such outbreak of the decade. Incorporated in 1792, the city of

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784. According to a contemporary account by

François Alexandre Frédéric, duc de La Rochefoucauld-Liancourt François Alexandre Frédéric de La Rochefoucauld-Liancourt (11 January 1747 – 27 March 1827) was a French social reformer. Early life He was born at La Roche Guyon, the son of François Armand de La Rochefoucauld, duc d'Estissac, g ...

, the city was "but very modest in appearance," though there were a "number of handsome villas which greatly enrich the landscape".

Relocation

Evacuation of the government

As a

continuity of government Continuity of government (COG) is the principle of establishing defined procedures that allow a government to continue its essential operations in case of a catastrophic event such as nuclear war. COG was developed by the British government befo ...

measure, on 26 August 1799, several of the principal offices of the United States Government evacuated Philadelphia for Trenton. Two days prior, the Navy had started its withdrawal from the city. The Department of State completed its evacuation on 29 August 1799. The department's important documents, records, and furniture were sent by barge via the Delaware River from Philadelphia to

Lamberton, New Jersey Lamberton was the name of a port community on the Delaware River in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It was annexed by the city of Trenton as part of South Trenton in 1856. It is now known simply as Waterfront. Lamberton is often inc ...

, and, from there, overland to Trenton. The Department of State's temporary quarters during this period were in the

New Jersey State House The New Jersey State House is located in Trenton and is the capitol building for the U.S. state of New Jersey. Built in 1792, it is the third-oldest state house in continuous legislative use in the United States; only the Maryland State Capit ...

. Approval for evacuation of the

United States Department of War The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, ...

was issued by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before his presidency, he was a leader of t ...

via post on 30 August 1799 from his personal residence in

Quincy, Massachusetts Quincy ( ) is a coastal U.S. city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest city in the county and a part of Greater Boston, Metropolitan Boston as one of Boston's immediate southern suburbs. Its population in 2020 was 1 ...

Adams arrives in Trenton

Adams initially expressed reluctance at the prospect of joining the rest of the government in Trenton due to the disagreeable accommodations available in the city, instead remaining in Quincy from where he ran the government via correspondence. However, after word reached the United States of the deteriorating situation in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and the

Coup of 30 Prairial VII The Coup of 30 Prairial Year VII (''Coup d'État du 30 prairial an VII''), also known as the Revenge of the Councils (''revanche des conseils'') was a bloodless coup in France that occurred on 18 June 1799—30 Prairial Year VII by the French R ...

, the

Cabinet of the United States The Cabinet of the United States is a body consisting of the vice president of the United States and the heads of the executive branch's departments in the federal government of the United States. It is the principal official advisory body to t ...

insisted Adams join them. In a 13 September letter to Adams, Secretary of the Navy Stoddert advanced his apologies for the lack of amenities in Trenton but expressed his strong desire that Adams join the Cabinet in the city. Adams capitulated and departed Quincy for Trenton with a small staff, though

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...

Abigail Adams Abigail Adams ( ''née'' Smith; November 22, [ O.S. November 11] 1744 – October 28, 1818) was the wife and closest advisor of John Adams, as well as the mother of John Quincy Adams. She was a founder of the United States, an ...

remained in Massachusetts. Adams and his entourage entered Trenton on 10 October 1799. His arrival was celebrated with a

fireworks Fireworks are a class of Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a l ...

display.

Repatriation to Philadelphia and aftermath

The United States Government restored itself to Philadelphia in the middle of November, after the epidemic had been brought under control. Six months later, on 15 May 1800, Adams ordered the government's relocation to the new capital city of

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

References

{{reflist, 2 1799 in the United States History of Trenton, New Jersey