First Continental Congress After the Boston Tea Party of 1773, the British parliament passed a series of laws called the Coercive Acts, which the British Colonists were quick to rename the Intolerable Acts. These acts were designed to bring the colonies to their knees and force submission upon them. It stated that the Boston Harbor would be closed until the tea was repaid and that town meetings were to be outlawed. Colonies outside of Massachusetts were worried that they would soon also be faced with such harsh and dramatic laws as protests continued in every colony. A call was made for representatives from all 13 colonies to meet and provide a unified single voice to list their concerns and present it to the king. The first Continental Congress met in Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia, from September 5 to October 26, 1774. Twelve of the 13 colonies sent representatives. Georgia didn’t send representative delegates because they were in the middle of a war with Native Americans and needed the British Troops for protection. The Royal Governor of Georgia didn’t want to jeopardize the relationship by partaking in the meeting. The goals of the congress were not clear. Never before had the colonies come together in this manner. The colonies had always, up to this time, acted as independent entities. There was much distrust to overcome. A huge step in moving past this distrust was the cooperation of the well known leaders at the time like George Washington from Virginia, John Adams from Massachusetts, and John Jay from New York. Patrick Henry of Virginia stirred up sentimental feelings when he stated on the second morning of the conference “the distinctions between Virginians, Pennsylvanians, and New Englanders are no more. I am not a Virginian, but an American." The congress had worked hard and is remembered for several accomplishments. The first was a plan to hurt the British economy by boycotting all British goods being imported to the colonies. The Congress also decided that for protection, colonies should begin organizing and training militias, or citizens willing to fight if needed, as well as stockpiling weapons in secret locations. Finally, the colonist sent a list of specific complaints of rights being violated to the king in hopes of a positive change to come as a result. The congress stopped short of declaring war or advocating violent actions. Second Continental Congress Shortly after the first continental congress finished, their conference events in New England took a turn for the worse. British soldiers were attempting to arrest patriot leaders and fighting had broken out between British soldiers and colonists in Lexington and Concord outside of Boston. When news of these events spread throughout the colonies, calls for the congress to meet again grew louder than ever before. The Second Continental Congress assembled on May 10, 1775 in State Hall, later known as Independence Hall, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Most of the delegates in the first congress met again for the second like John Adams, George Washington, and John Jay; however, there were several notable additions. Virginia brought a young, intelligent scholar named Thomas Jefferson. Massachusetts invited the wealthiest man in the colonies, John Hancock. Pennsylvania included the biggest celebrity in America, known throughout the world for his brilliant mind and humor, Benjamin Franklin. This time, all 13 colonies were represented because Georgia sent a single representative. As the first course of action, the Congress hoped to come up with a solution to the British-­‐American conflict. Independence was not a sentiment of most of the delegates. Congress issued the “Olive Branch Petition” (an olive branch is the international symbol for peace) to urge cooperation in finding a solution to the armed conflict. The petition to King George III accepted loyalty to him but disapproved colonial policy issued by parliament. It was approved by Congress on July 5, 1775 and was sent to the King three days later. It claimed that the colonies were not demanding independence but wanted to negotiate a taxation and trade policy. The King refused to accept the petition and declared the colonies in a state of rebellion. When word of the rejection reached the colonies, calls for a united colonial army grew stronger, as did a call for independence. Congress agreed that war was inevitable and provided funding for a new Continental Army to combat the growing British forces in the colonies. The Congress appointed George Washington as the General in charge and he immediately left Philadelphia to take control of the army in New England. As events continued to worsen, the thoughts and feelings of delegates began to change. The move towards independence was slow but inevitable. Congress acted as an official government even though they technically had no authority. They issued policy, made treaties, printed paper money and directed the army. They didn’t have the power to collect taxes, which made paying colonial soldiers difficult. Acting as a government, the Congress called for a formal declaration for independence to be written by a sub-­‐
committee. Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and two others joined the committee. On July 4, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was ratified. Fifty-­‐six of the delegates signed it and, pending a victory in the War, the colonies would be free from Great Britain. Before the end of the Revolutionary War, the Second Continental Congress established a government under what is known as the Articles of Confederation to govern the new United States of America.