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The Continental Congress

The Continental Congress was a meeting of delegates from the thirteen original colonies. Delegates are people that are chosen by the citizens to speak on their behalf in important meetings. These delegates made decisions for the people of the colonies during the American Revolution.

First Continental Congress

The First Continental Congress was a group of fifty-six men from twelve of the thirteen colonies that would eventually become the United States of America. Only the delegates from Georgia were unable to attend this first group of meetings, which lasted almost two months. They met in Carpenter’s Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from September 5 to October 26, 1774. Ben Franklin had tried to convince the delegates to meet earlier, but some were not ready yet. Some famous men who were elected by their colonies to represent them in the First Continental Congress were George Washington, Patrick Henry, John Adams, Samuel Adams, Joseph Galloway, and John Dickinson.

The settlers of the colonies were not happy with how Great Britain was treating them. They thought that Great Britain kept too much power over them, especially since the king enacted the Intolerable Acts to punish the colonies for the Boston Tea Party. Some of the colonies were ready to split completely away from Great Britain and rule themselves. Others just wanted Great Britain’s king and British Parliament to treat them more fairly. The delegates wrote to King George III to tell him that if he did not stop the Intolerable Acts, the colonies would no longer buy any of England’s products that they sent over to the colonies. This action is called a boycott.

Before the last meeting of the First Continental Congress in October, the delegates decided that if the king did not meet their demands, they would meet again in May of 1775. King George did not respond in a way the colonies had hoped he would, and the American Revolutionary War began in April.

Second Continental Congress

The Second Continental Congress first met on May 10, 1775. One of their first orders of business was to establish George Washington as the General of the Continental Army. The colonies needed organized soldiers if they were going to fight the British.

Meanwhile, in an effort reconcile with the king, the delegates wrote a petition to King George III on July 8, 1775, asking him to speak to Parliament on their behalf. King George refused to see the man who brought the petition and on August 23, he proclaimed that the colonies were rebelling against Great Britain.

The king’s proclamation forced the colonies further into war. The delegates began writing the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain, which was issued on July 4, 1776. The thirteen colonies were on their way to becoming an independent nation.

Timeline

1774
1775
1776
  • January 10: Thomas Paine publishes Common Sense
  • June 7: Richard Henry Lee of Virginia presents a three-part resolution to Congress, calling on Congress to declare independence, form foreign alliances, and prepare a plan of colonial confederation
  • June 10: Congress votes on June 10 to postpone further discussion of Lee's resolution for three weeks to allow time for the delegates to confer with their state assemblies
  • June 11: Congress appoints a "Committee of Five", Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, John Adams of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Roger Sherman of Connecticut and Robert R. Livingston of New York, to draft a declaration justifying independence.
  • June 12: Congress appoints a Committee of Thirteen to draft of a constitution for a union of the states
  • July 2: Lee Resolution (also known as "The Resolution for Independence"), asserting the independence of the 13 colonies from Great Britain, is adopted
  • July 4: Final text of the Declaration of Independence is adopted
  • July 12: John Dickinson presents the Committee of Thirteen's draft constitution to Congress
  • August 2: Delegates sign an engrossed copy of the Declaration of Independence
  • December 12: Congress adjourns to move to Baltimore, Maryland
  • December 20: Congress convenes in Baltimore at the Henry Fite House
1777
1778
  • June 27: Congress adjourns to return to Philadelphia
  • July 2: Congress reconvenes in Philadelphia, first at College Hall, then at the State House
1780
1781
  • March 1: Having been ratified by all 13 states, the Articles of Confederation becomes effective; Continental Congress becomes the Congress of the Confederation
  • May 26: Proposed plan from Robert Morris to establish Bank of North America approved by Congress
  • October 17: Surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, Virginia
  • December 31: Bank of North America chartered by Congress
1783
1784
1785
1786
1787
  • February 21: Congress calls a constitutional convention "for the sole and express purpose of revising the Articles of Confederation and reporting to Congress and the several legislatures such alterations and provisions therein and when agreed to in Congress and confirmed by the States render the Federal Constitution adequate to the exigencies of Government and the preservation of the Union"
  • May 25: Constitutional Convention convenes in Philadelphia; every state except for Rhode Island sends delegates
  • July 13: Congress passes the Northwest Ordinance
  • September 17: Constitutional Convention adjourns after completing work on the United States Constitution
  • September 28: Congress votes to transmit the proposed Constitution to the 13 states for ratification
1788
  • July 2: Congress President Cyrus Griffin informs Congress that New Hampshire has ratified the Constitution and notes that it is the ninth ratification, thereby allowing for the establishment of the new government
  • July 8: A committee is formed to examine all ratifications received and to develop a plan for putting the new Constitution into operation.
  • September 13: Congress certifies that the new constitution has been duly ratified and sets date for first meeting of the new federal government and the presidential election
  • October 10: The last session during which the Continental Congress succeeded in achieving a quorum; and passes its last ordinance
  • November 15: Cyrus Griffin, the 10th president of Congress under the Articles of Confederation, resigns
1789
  • March 2: Last meeting of the Continental Congress, held at Fraunces Tavern, is adjourned sine die; Philip Pell is the only member in attendance
  • March 4: First session of the 1st United States Congress begins at Federal Hall
  • April 30: George Washington inaugurated as first President of the United States
  • July 23: Charles Thomson transmits to President Washington his resignation of the office of Secretary of Congress
  • July 25: In accordance with President Washington's directions, "the books, records, and papers of the late Congress, the Great Seal of the Federal Union, and the Seal of the Admiralty" are delivered over to Roger Alden, deputy secretary of the new Congress, who had been designated by President Washington as custodian for the time being

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Congreso Continental para niños

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