The First Continental Congress Convenes – Pieces of History

In celebration of the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States, we’re focusing on key events in the history of independence. Today’s post looks at the First Continental Congress, which met from September 5 to October 26, 1774, in Carpenters’ Hall, Philadelphia.

Following the Seven Years’ War (1756–63), a cash-strapped Britain wanted to raise funds through taxes on its colonies in North America. This action, combined with a series of oppressive laws, like the Currency Act (1764) and the Quartering Act (1765), strained the colonists’ relationship with England.

In 1774, after the famous Boston Tea Party where colonists—led by a group called the Sons of Liberty—protested taxation without representation by destroying a large shipment of tea, the British Parliament passed a series of laws collectively known as the Intolerable Acts. Among other things, these acts closed the port of Boston and placed it under martial law in an attempt to quell the rising unrest and recoup money from the destroyed tea.

In response, colonial protesters called for a boycott of British goods. When merchants were reluctant to participate, colonial legislatures sent delegates to attend a Continental Congress, tasking it to set up terms and a means to enforce the boycott.

Delegates from 12 colonies (Georgia was absent) to the First Continental Congress met in Carpenter’s Hall in Philadelphia on September 5, 1774. Philadelphia was the largest city in British North America at that time. 

A total of 56 delegates to the First Continental Congress met for nearly two months. One of the first orders of business was to elect Peyton Randolph as President and Charles Thomson as Secretary of Congress. Thomson went on to serve as Secretary of the Continental Congress for the entirety of the war and government under the Articles of the Confederation, and was in charge of recordkeeping for the Congress.

A couple of major things came out of this Congress. On October 14, 1774, it passed a Declaration of Rights against Great Britain. This document outlined colonial objections to the Intolerable Acts, listed a colonial bill of rights, and provided a detailed list of grievances against the British government.

The other big accomplishment of the Congress was the Articles of Association, which urged all colonists to boycott British goods beginning on December 1, 1774, unless the British government rescinded the Intolerable Acts. The Congress also came up with a mechanism for compliance through local enforcement committees that were to be set up in each colony.

Before adjourning on October 26, 1774, the First Continental Congress made plans to reconvene the following year if Britain did not address their grievances satisfactorily (spoiler alert, Britain did not). By the time the Second Continental Congress met in May 1775, the Battles of Lexington and Concord had already occurred, and the colonies were at war.

Want to know more? Come visit the Road to Revolution exhibit in the National Archives Building. The series features National Archives records that tell the story from colonial resistance to American independence and the diverse experiences of the nation’s founding generation.