The
Continental Congress was a
convention of delegates from the
Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the
United States during the
American Revolution. The Congress met from 1774 to 1789 in three incarnations.
First Continental Congress
The
First Continental Congress, which met briefly in
Philadelphia in 1774, consisted of fifty-six delegates from twelve of the
Thirteen Colonies that would become the United States. Convened in response to the
Coercive Acts passed by the
British Parliament in 1774, the delegates organized an
economic boycott of
Great Britain in protest and
petitioned the king for a
redress of grievances.
Second Continental Congress
By the time the
Second Continental Congress met on May 10, 1775 in
Philadelphia, shooting in the
American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) had begun. Moderates in the Congress still hoped that the colonies could be reconciled with Great Britain, but a movement towards independence steadily gained ground. Congress established the
Continental Army (June 1775), coordinated the
war effort, issued a
Declaration of Independence in July 1776, and designed a new government in the
Articles of Confederation, which were ratified in 1781.
Confederation Congress
The ratification of the Articles of Confederation gave the Congress a new name: the
Congress of the Confederation, which met from 1781 to 1789. The Confederation Congress helped guide the United States through the final stages of the war, but in peacetime the Congress declined in importance. Under the Articles, the Confederation Congress had little power to compel the individual states to comply with its decisions. Increasingly, delegates elected to the Congress declined to serve, the leading men in each state preferred to serve in state government, and the Congress had difficulty establishing a
quorum. When the Articles were replaced by the
United States Constitution, the Confederation Congress was superseded by the
United States Congress.
Timeline
1774
- October 26: Congress adjourned, resolving to reconvene the following May if grievances are not redressed
1775
- June 15: Congress appointed one of its members, George Washington, as commander of the Continental Army
- July 1: King George III Addresses Parliament stating they will "put a speedy end" to the rebellion
1776
- August 2: Declaration of Independence signed in Congress
1777
- February 27: Congress adjourns to return to Philadelphia.
- March 4: Congress reconvenes at Philadelphia’s State House.
- September 27: Congress convenes for one day in Lancaster, at the Court House.
1778
- June 27: Congress adjourns to return to Philadelphia.
- July 2: Congress reconvenes in Philadelphia, first at College Hall, then at the State House.
1781
- March 1: Articles of Confederation go into effect, Congress becomes the Congress of the Confederation.
1783
- June 21: Congress adjourns to move to Princeton, New Jersey.
- November 26: Congress reconvenes at Annapolis, in the State House.
1784
1785
January 11: Congress reconvenes in New York City, first at City Hall, then at
Fraunces Tavern.1787
1788
- July 2: New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the US Constitution, thereby allowing for the creation of the new government.
- July 8: Continental Congress puts the new Constitution into effect by announcing the dates for the elections and the assembly of the new Congress.
- October 10: The last session during which the Continental Congress succeeded in achieving a quorum.
1789
- July 23: Charles Thomson transmitted 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" were delivered over to Roger Alden, deputy secretary of the new Congress, who had been designated by President Washington as custodian for the time being. This marked the last act of the Continental Congress.
See also
