What was decided at the first continental congress

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John and Abigail Adams | Article

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The First Continental Congress formed in response to the British Parliament's passage of the Intolerable Acts (called the Coercive Acts in England), which aimed to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. In 1773 rebels unconvincingly disguised as Mohawk Indians boarded three docked ships in Boston Harbor and dumped 90,000 pounds of tea overboard. England moved swiftly to punish this act of blatant disrespect. The Intolerable Acts closed the busy port until the colonists repaid the damage caused by the Tea Party, installed a British general as governor of the colony, unilaterally changed the colony's charter, and even revoked certain liberties, including the right to hold meetings.

The First Meeting Towards Independence
On September 5, 1774, delegates from 12 of the 13 colonies met for the first time at Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia. Only Georgia didn't send a representative. John Adams served as one of four Massachusetts delegates and quickly established himself as a strong proponent for independence. He said independence, not reconciliation, could be the colonies' only course. It was a radical idea. Many of the delegates feared more trade boycotts and brutalization in a war that could not be won, but Adams knew that war was unavoidable if freedom was to be secured. During these congressional sessions, he earned the nickname the "Atlas of Independence."

Demands in Place
By the time the First Continental Congress adjourned in October 1774, significant steps had been taken toward Adams' goal. The colonies had formed a united front: If one colony was attacked, the other colonies would defend it. Under The Declaration and Resolves, the Congress condemned British Parliament and King George III for interfering in colonial matters and granted each colony the right to a colonial treasury and legislature. The Congress also passed the Suffolk Resolves in defiance of the Intolerable Acts (which would be repealed in 1778); set up the Continental Association to enforce a national embargo of trade with Great Britain; and called for the training of a colonial militia. Lastly the Continental Congress issued a petition, the Declaration of Rights and Grievances, to King George, a portion of which was written by John Adams. Something of a precursor to the Declaration of Independence, it called for greater American autonomy and limits on Parliament's power over the colonies.

A Change of Tone
By the time the Second Continental Congress convened on May 10, 1775, with delegates from all 13 colonies in attendance, war had begun, and the tone of the Congress had changed. In a letter to Abigail, Adams described the delegates as falling into three camps: the loyalists who hadn't yet forsworn allegiance to the king; the middle third, who were too cautious to take a stand on either side of the issue; and those who believed independence must be the goal of the war. Adams, of course, was the truest of the true blue.

Taking Action, Undecided Folly
The first session of the Second Continental Congress lasted from May to July, the second from September to December 1775. The Congress acted as a makeshift central government, creating the Continental Army, electing George Washington as its commander and issuing paper currency. It asked each colony to provide soldiers and money for the new army, issued a declaration allowing colonists to use their weapons, and reopened American ports in defiance of the Navigation Act. Yet the Congress still could not reach a consensus on independence. Although all the delegates recognized that America was at war, not all were prepared to relinquish ties to the British crown. Pennsylvania's John Dickinson called the goal of independence "suicidal folly." In July 1775 he drew up the Olive Branch Petition, which asked King George III for changes in governance, but did not threaten to end American allegiance. Over Adams' protest, Dickinson's petition was sent. The king refused to look at it.

Congress Uses Common Sense
By the summer of 1776, with many revolutionary battles already fought and lost, Congressional sentiment had swung almost unanimously toward independence, with a big boost from Thomas Paine's rousing pamphlet Common Sense. On June 7, 1776, Virginia's Richard Henry Lee put forth a resolution that proclaimed the colonies "free and independent states ... absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown. ..." In less than a month, the Second Continental Congress completed its most definitive task: the adoption of Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.

A Legacy
The Continental Congress continued to function until 1781 when it was supplemented by another, nearly similar body, under the Articles of Confederation. During all these war years, the Continental Congress managed America's political, military, and diplomatic needs.

September to October 1774
As the name suggests, the Intolerable Acts were not received well amongst the colonies. Before the shots were fired at Lexington and Concord, the colonies made an attempt to settle the concerns and frustrations raised with the Intolerable Acts through debate and discussion. Thus, the First Continental Congress was called to order on September 5th, 1774. 55 colonial representatives, including famous Patriots like John Adams, Samuel Adams, George Washington, and Patrick Henry, from twelve colonies met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to formulate a plan of action. Georgia was the only colony that did not send representatives. Virginia’s representative, Peyton Randolph, was elected president of the First Continental Congress. It was decided that each colony would be allotted one secret ballot.

“That they are entitled to life, liberty and property: And they have never ceded to any foreign power whatever, a right to dispose of either without their consent”

~ Excerpt from the Declaration of Rights

Negotiations did not necessarily come easily. While many of the delegates were known for their debate and leadership skills, each colony was accustomed to debating in independent environments at home in their individual colonies. Therefore, some degree of distrust and discomfort was present. Furthermore, while each representative believed in the heinous and unjust nature of the Intolerable Acts, they differed with respect to proper solutions. Some preferred more defensive and potentially violent courses of action, such as the Suffolk Resolves, while others believed in peaceful protest like the Declaration of Rights. Despite these difficulties, the delegates overcame such obstacles and produced several highly significant results of the First Continental Congress.

Initially, Joseph Galloway proposed a plan of union with Britain that offered a form of peaceful reconciliation. Galloway proposed that the colonies create a form of government to act in conjunction with that of the British, with a colonial parliament and leaders elected by Britain. This would offer the colonists their own representation while remaining loyal to England. This plan was ultimately rejected when the Suffolk Resolves were presented, a much more drastic proposal.

Proposed on September 9th, 1774, by Dr. Joseph Warren and accepted by Continental Congress on September 17th, this plan encouraged Massachusetts to protest the Intolerable Acts by stockpiling military supplies, operating an independent government, boycotting British goods, and announcing no allegiance to Britain and a king who failed to consider the wishes of the colonists.

Reaction to these Resolves was mixed. While some supported such a bold proposal and felt it was an appropriate reaction to the British, others feared it would cause war. In truth, war was already imminent because of the differing definitions of liberty offered by the Patriots and the British. These tensions would be brought to the forefront later in the Battles of Lexington and Concord.

For those members of the Congress who were in favor of a more peaceful protest, the Declaration of Rights was developed. These rights included life, liberty, property, and the right to establish their own taxes within the colonies. It also outlined reasons for a rebellion, including the Boston Port Act, Quebec Act, an oppressive presence of royal governors in the colonies, and unjust taxation without representation in government.

The final draft was accepted on October 14th, 1774, and constituted a formal declaration to King George III and the Parliament that the actions of the British must cease or else a revolution would result.

On December 1, 1774, the Continental Association was created to boycott all contact with British goods. By reversing the economic sanctions placed on the colonists, the delegates hoped Britain would repeal its Intolerable Acts. While this was quite a sacrifice to make, the Patriots were willing to do so in the name of liberty and justice for the colonies.

Following these proposals, the First Continental Congress adjourned on October 22nd, 1774, after fifty-one days of deliberation and tactical planning. In the event that the Intolerable Acts were not lifted, the Congress decided to meet again. While Parliament debated its next course of action in response to the persistent acts of the colonists, tensions continued to rise between the Loyalists, Patriots, royal governors, British soldiers, and various other factions of people present in the colonies. These intense emotions were preparing to surface and culminate in “the shot heard round the world,” a direct act of war between the colonies and the British. Following debate in the Parliament, the British passed the Restraining Act on March 30th, 1775, which only succeeded in further frustrating and infuriating the colonists. The New England colonies were prevented from trading with anyone except the British and fishing was forbidden in New England waters, cutting off a critical fishing ground and food source for the Patriots.

Following the aftermath of the Intolerable Acts and the First Continental Congress, rumors began to circulate that war was imminent. The Second Continental Congress was preparing to meet in May since the Intolerable Acts had not been remedied or retracted. While most colonies felt a great deal of distrust towards Britain, Boston had perhaps the strongest anti-British feelings. These sentiments concerned General Thomas Gage as he pondered ways to remedy the situation and reassure those in Britain that the colonies were secure. One such way was to conduct routine raids on colonial military supplies.

While most colonies felt a great deal of distrust towards Britain, Boston had perhaps the strongest anti-British feelings.

Now alerted of a fairly organized colonial militia’s presence, the British forces continued on to Concord with caution. When they reached Concord, grenadiers began searching for supplies while the light infantry acted as guards in the event of open fire. Open fire was soon to come. After the Patriots had time to rouse more minutemen, a surprisingly large number gathered to fight the British. At the North Bridge, an unexpected shot was fired from a British soldier. Colonial commander Major Buttrick yelled, “fire!” in response and a fight began. Approximately 400 minutemen fought 700 British soldiers. Although the numbers were still in favor of the British forces, the minutemen successfully forced a British retreat back to Boston. During this retreat, minutemen (many of whom were snipers and could pick off British soldiers from hidden locations) repeatedly besieged the British troops until the Earl of Percy arrived with his British reinforcements and offered shelter to Smith and Pitcairn’s battered forces.