Everything about The First Continental Congress totally explained
The
First Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from twelve
British North American colonies that met in 1774, early in the
American Revolution. Called in response to the passage of the
Intolerable Acts by the
British Parliament, the Congress was held in
Philadelphia, attended by 55 members appointed by the legislatures of the
Thirteen Colonies, except for the
Province of Georgia, which didn't send delegates. The Congress met briefly to consider options, organize an economic
boycott of British trade, publish a list of rights and grievances, and petition
King George for redress of those grievances.
The Congress also called for another
Continental Congress in the event that their petition was unsuccessful in halting enforcement of the Intolerable Acts. Their appeal to the Crown had no effect, and so the
Second Continental Congress was convened the following year to organize the defense of the colonies at the outset of the
American Revolutionary War.
Background
Like the
Stamp Act Congress, which was formed by American colonists to respond to the infamous
Stamp Act, the First Continental Congress was formed largely in response to the
Intolerable Acts.
The idea of a continental congress first appeared in a letter written and published by
Samuel Adams on 27 September 1773. In May 1774, New York City's
Committee of Fifty-One, called for a continental congress when it issued a declaration: "Upon these reasons we conclude that a Congress of Deputies from all the Colonies in general is of the utmost moment; that it ought to be assembled without delay, and some unanimous resolutions formed in this fatal emergency".
The Congress was planned through the permanent
committees of correspondence. They chose the meeting place to be
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in
Carpenters' Hall, which was both centrally located and one of the leading cities in the colonies. The Congress was held in
1774.
Convention
The Congress met from 5 September to 26 October 1774. From 5 September through 21 October,
Peyton Randolph presided over the proceedings;
Henry Middleton took over as
President of the Congress for the last few days, from 22 October to 26 October.
Charles Thomson, leader of Philadelphia
Sons of Liberty, was selected to be Secretary of the Continental Congress.
Galloway's Plan of Union
Patrick Henry already considered government dissolved, and was seeking a new system. Pennsylvania delegate
Joseph Galloway sought reconciliation with Britain. He put forth a "
Plan of Union", which suggested an American legislative body be formed, with some authority, and whose consent would be required for imperial measures. (Galloway would later join the
Loyalists).
Accomplishments
The Congress had two primary accomplishments. First, the Congress created the
Continental Association on 20 October 1774. The Association was a compact among the colonies to boycott British goods beginning on
1 December 1774. The West Indies were threatened with a boycott unless the islands agreed to nonimportation of British goods. Imports from Britain dropped by 97 percent in 1775, compared with the previous year.
If the “Intolerable Acts” were not repealed, the colonies would also cease exports to Britain after 10 September 1775.
List of delegates
Further Information
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