The First Continental Congress was a convention of twelve delegates
that met on September 5, 1774 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE [ edit ]
Compare the goals of the First and Second Continental Congress
KEY POINTS [ edit ]
The First Continental Congress was called in response to the passing of the Coercive Acts by the
British Parliament.
The Congress was attended by 56 members appointed by thelegislatures of twelve of the
Thirteen Colonies, the exception being the Province of Georgia, which was hoping for British
assistance with Indian conflicts on its frontier.
The Congress met briefly to consider options, including an economic boycott of British trade; rights
and grievances; and petitioning King George III 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 Coercive Acts.
The delegates also urged each colony to set up and train its own militia.
The First Continental Congress was the result of a need to coordinate demands made to the British
Parliament and King.
TERMS [ edit ]
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a political protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, a town in the British
colony of Massachusetts, against the British government and the monopolistic East India Company
that controlled all the tea imported into the colonies.
Coercive Acts
A series of laws (also called the Intolerable Acts) passed by the British Parliament in 1774 relating to
Britain's colonies in North America. The acts triggered outrage and resistance in the Thirteen
Colonies, and were important developments in the growth of the American Revolution.
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that
started meeting on May 10, 1775, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, soon after warfare in the
American Revolutionary War had begun.
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OVERVIEW
The First Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from twelve British North
American colonies that met on September 5, 1774 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was
called in response to the passage of the Coercive Acts by the British Parliament. The
Congress was attended by 56 members appointed by the legislatures of twelve of the Thirteen
Colonies. The sole exception was the Province of Georgia, which was hoping for British
assistance with Indian conflicts on its frontier. The Congress met briefly to consider options,
including an economic boycott of British trade; rights and grievances; and petitioning King
George III 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 theSecond Continental
Congress was convened the following year to organize the defense of the colonies at the onset
of the American Revolutionary War. The delegates also urged each colony to set up and train
its own militia .
The Congress
An opening prayer at the First Continental Congress, September 7, 1774, in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania
BACKGROUND
The necessity of a Continental Congress was not convincing until the British placed
a blockade at the Port of Boston in response to the Boston Tea Party in 1773. The colonies
were united in their effort to demonstrate their authority to Great Britain by virtue of their
common causes and through their unity. The delegates organized an economic boycott of
Great Britain in protest against the Coercive Acts passed by the British Parliament in 1774
and petitioned the King for a redress of grievances.
Nevertheless, their ultimate objectives were not consistent. Pennsylvania and New York had
sent delegates with firm instructions to pursue a resolution with Great Britain. While the
other colonies all held the idea of colonial rights as paramount, they were split between those
who sought legislative equality with Britain and those who instead favored independence and
a break from the Crown and its excesses. On October 26, 1774, the First Continental
Congress adjourned. They agreed to reconvene in May 1775 if Parliament still did not address
their grievances.
In London, Parliament debated the merits of meeting the demands made by the colonies.
However, it took no official notice of Congress' petitions and addresses. On November 30,
1774, King George III opened Parliament with a speech condemning Massachusetts and the
Suffolk Resolves. At that point it became clear that the Continental Congress would have to
convene once again.
Carpenter's Hall
The First Continental Congress met briefly in Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from
September 5 to October 26, in 1774