First Continental Congress

The First Continental Congress was a meeting of delegates from twelve of the Thirteen Colonies (Georgia did not attend) held from September 5 to October 26, 1774, at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia. This meeting happened at the start of the American Revolution, after the British Navy blocked Boston Harbor and the Parliament of Great Britain passed harsh laws called the Intolerable Acts in response to the Boston Tea Party.

During the Congress, the delegates talked about how the colonies could work together to answer the British government's strict actions. They first agreed to the Suffolk Resolves, which listed problems the colonies had and called for stopping trade with Britain. They also suggested a plan to unite Britain and the colonies, but decided not to use that plan.

The Congress created a Declaration and Resolves that included the Continental Association, a plan to stop trading with Britain. They also wrote a Petition to the King asking for their problems to be fixed and for the Intolerable Acts to be removed, but this request was not successful. Because of this, the colonies met again the next year in the Second Continental Congress, this time to organize defense after the Battles of Lexington and Concord and the start of the American Revolutionary War.

Convention

The Congress met from September 5 to October 26, 1774, in Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia with delegates from 12 of the Thirteen Colonies participating, while Georgia chose not to attend. The delegates were chosen by the people, colonial legislatures, or by the Committee of Correspondence of each colony.

On the first day, Peyton Randolph of Virginia was elected as president of the Congress. The group adopted rules to ensure fair discussion among all participants. During their meetings, the delegates had different ideas about how to respond to the British government. Some wanted to find ways to reach an agreement with Britain, while others felt it was time to stand up for their rights and possibly form a new government separate from Britain.

Declaration and Resolves

The First Continental Congress chose a path of peace instead of asking for independence. They created and signed the Continental Association as part of their Declaration and Resolves. This document asked the colonies to stop buying goods from Britain, starting in December 1774. After signing on October 20, 1774, they also decided to stop bringing in slaves from other countries beginning in December of that year. This would have ended the slave trade in the United States of America 33 years earlier than it actually did.

Accomplishments

The First Continental Congress created a promise among the colonies to stop buying goods from Britain starting December 1, 1774, unless Britain changed the unfair laws called the Intolerable Acts.

The colonies also said that if Britain did not change these laws, they would stop selling things to Britain after September 10, 1775. Almost all the colonies agreed to this plan, and trade with Britain dropped a lot in 1775. The colonies planned to meet again the next year if their problems were not fixed. They also asked some other places to join them next time.

List of delegates