Where and when did the First Congress meet? How many days were they in session and how does that compare to the current Congress? Levelland, TX - 11/21/00

The First Congress was one of the longer ones -- but then so was its agenda. It drafted the Bill of Rights, it established the Departments of Treasury, War, and Foreign Affairs, and it established the structure and procedures of the federal judiciary. Other issues the First Congress worked through included settling the Revolutionary War debts, choosing a site for a new capital city, creating a national bank, establishing copyright and patent procedures, regulating trade with Indians, and providing for a national census.

The First Congress consisted of three separate sessions. It convened on March 4, 1789 and adjourned sine die on March 3, 1791, for a total of 519 days.

The first session was held from March 4, 1789 to September 29, 1789. The second session convened on January 4, 1790 and adjourned on August 12, 1790. The third session convened on December 6, 1790 and adjourned on March 3, 1791, which ended the First Congress.

The first and second sessions were held in Federal Hall in New York City, the third session was held in Congress Hall in Philadelphia.

The First Congress had 65 Representatives and 26 Senators. Each state had 2 Senators and Representatives were sent as follows:

• Connecticut, 5
• Delaware, 1
• Georgia, 3
• Maryland, 6
• Massachusetts, 8
• New Hampshire, 3
• New Jersey, 4
• New York, 6
• North Carolina, 5
• Pennsylvania, 8
• Rhode Island, 1
• South Carolina, 5
• Virginia, 10

The current Congress, the 106th, is still underway, so a length comparison is not yet possible. However, in the last completed Congress, the 105th (1997-1998), the Senate met for 296 days of session, and the House for 251. In the previous Congress, the 104th (1995-1996), the Senate met for 343 days of session and the House for 290.

For more information on the First Congress, see the website of the First Federal Congress Project, and the book, Birth of the Nation: The First Federal Congress, 1789-1791, by Charlene Bangs Bickford and Kenneth R. Bowling, published in 1989. A paperback edition is available from Madison House Press, Madison, Wisconsin.