First Continental Congress - wikipedia First Continental Congress For the first seating of the United States Congress, see 1st United States Congress. The First Continental Congress Thirteen Colonies First Continental Congress 1774 Type Type Unicameral History Established September 5, 1774 Disbanded October 26, 1774 Preceded by Stamp Act Congress Succeeded by Second Continental Congress Leadership President of Congress Peyton Randolph Henry Middleton Secretary Charles Thomson Seats 56 from 12 colonies ( excluding Georgia ) Meeting place Carpenters ' Hall, Philadelphia This article is part of a series on the United States Continental Congress Predecessors Albany Congress 1754 Stamp Act Congress 1765 1st Continental Congress Declaration and Resolves Continental Association Petition to the King 2nd Continental Congress Olive Branch Petition Committee of Secret Correspondence Necessity of Taking Up Arms Lee Resolution Declaration of Independence Model Treaty Articles of Confederation Court of Appeals in Cases of Capture Congress of the Confederation Bank of North America Land Ordinance of 1784 / of 1785 Northwest Ordinance of 1787 Members List of delegates Presidents of the Continental Congress Secretary of the Continental Congress United States portal The First Continental Congress was a meeting of delegates from twelve of the Thirteen Colonies who met from September 5 to October 26, 1774, at Carpenters ' Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, early in the American Revolution. It was called in response to the Intolerable Acts passed by the British Parliament, which the British referred to as the Coercive Acts, with which the British intended to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party. The Congress met briefly to consider options, including an economic boycott of British trade and drawing up a list of rights and grievances ; in the end, they petitioned King George III for redress of those grievances. The Congress also called for another Continental Congress in the event that their petition was unsuccessful in halting enforcement of the Intolerable Acts. Their appeal to the Crown had no effect, and so the Second Continental Congress was convened the following year to organize the defense of the colonies at the onset of the American Revolutionary War. The delegates also urged each colony to set up and train its own militia. Contents 1 Convention 2 Declaration and Resolves 3 Accomplishments 4 List of delegates 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 8 External links Convention Carpenters ' Hall The Congress met from September 5 to October 26, 1774. Peyton Randolph presided over the proceedings ; Henry Middleton took over as President of the Congress from October 22 to 26. Charles Thomson, leader of Philadelphia Committee of Correspondence, was selected to be Secretary of the Continental Congress. The delegates who attended were not of one mind concerning why they were there. Conservatives such as Joseph Galloway, John Dickinson, John Jay, and Edward Rutledge believed their task to be forging policies to pressure Parliament to rescind its unreasonable acts. Their ultimate goal was to develop a reasonable solution to the difficulties and bring about reconciliation between the Colonies and Great Britain. Others such as Patrick Henry, Roger Sherman, Samuel Adams, and John Adams believed their task to be developing a decisive statement of the rights and liberties of the Colonies. Their ultimate goal was to end what they felt to be the abuses of parliamentary authority, and to retain their rights which had been guaranteed under both Colonial charters and the English constitution. Roger Sherman denied the legislative authority of Parliament, and Patrick Henry believed that the Congress needed to develop a completely new system of government, independent from Great Britain, for the existing Colonial governments were already dissolved. In contrast to these ideas, Joseph Galloway put forward a `` Plan of Union '' which suggested that an American legislative body be formed with some authority, whose consent would be required for imperial measures. Declaration and Resolves In the end, the voices of compromise carried the day. Rather than calling for independence, the First Continental Congress passed and signed the Continental Association in its Declaration and Resolves, which called for a boycott of British goods to take effect in December 1774. It requested that local Committees of Safety enforce the boycott and regulate local prices for goods. These resolutions adopted by the Congress did not endorse any legal power of Parliament to regulate trade, but consented, nonetheless, to the operation of acts for that purpose. Furthermore, they did not repudiate control by the royal prerogative, which was explicitly acknowledged in the Petition to the King a few days later. Accomplishments The Congress had two primary accomplishments. The first was a compact among the Colonies to boycott British goods beginning on December 1, 1774. The West Indies were threatened with a boycott unless the islands agreed to non-importation of British goods. Imports from Britain dropped by 97 percent in 1775, compared with the previous year. Committees of observation and inspection were to be formed in each Colony to ensure compliance with the boycott. All of the Colonial Houses of Assembly approved the proceedings of the Congress, with the exception of New York. If the Intolerable Acts were not repealed, the Colonies would also cease exports to Britain after September 10, 1775. The boycott was successfully implemented, but its potential for altering British colonial policy was cut off by the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War. The second accomplishment of the Congress was to provide for a Second Continental Congress to meet on May 10, 1775. In addition to the Colonies which had sent delegates to the First Continental Congress, the Congress resolved on October 21, 1774, to send letters of invitation to Quebec, Saint John 's Island ( now Prince Edward Island ), Nova Scotia, Georgia, East Florida, and West Florida. However, letters appear to have been sent only to Quebec ( three letters in all ). None of these other colonies sent delegates to the opening of the Second Congress, though a delegation from Georgia arrived the following July. List of delegates This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( September 2017 ) # Name Colony Notes Nathaniel Folsom New Hampshire John Sullivan New Hampshire 3rd and 5th Governor of New Hampshire ; general in the Continental Army John Adams Massachusetts Lawyer, first Vice-President of the United States and second President Samuel Adams Massachusetts cousin of John Adams ; sometimes called `` Father of the American Revolution '' 5 Thomas Cushing Massachusetts 6 Robert Treat Paine Massachusetts 7 Stephen Hopkins Rhode Island Authored pamphlet The Rights of the Colonies 8 Samuel Ward Rhode Island 9 Silas Deane Connecticut 10 Eliphalet Dyer Connecticut 11 Roger Sherman Connecticut Created the Great Compromise and Three - Fifths Compromise at the Constitutional Convention ; Congressman ; a member of the Committee of Five who presented the Declaration of Independence 12 James Duane New York Appointed by the Committee of Fifty - one of the City and County of New York and authorized by the counties of Albany, Duchess, and Westchester 13 John Jay New York Lawyer ; First Chief Justice of the United States ; co-author of The Federalist Papers ; appointed by the Committee of Fifty - one of the City and County of New York and authorized by the counties of Albany, Duchess, and Westchester 14 Philip Livingston New York Appointed by the Committee of Fifty - one of the City and County of New York and authorized by the counties of Albany, Duchess, and Westchester 15 Isaac Low New York Appointed by the Committee of Fifty - one of the City and County of New York and authorized by the counties of Albany, Duchess, and Westchester 16 Simon Boerum New York 17 John Haring New York Appointed by the General Meeting of all the Committees of the County of Orange 18 Henry Wisner New York Appointed by the General Meeting of all the Committees of the County of Orange 19 William Floyd New York For Suffolk County 20 John Alsop New York Appointed by the Committee of Fifty - one of the City and County of New York and authorized by the counties of Albany, Duchess, and Westchester 21 Stephen Crane New Jersey 22 John De Hart New Jersey 23 James Kinsey New Jersey 24 William Livingston New Jersey 25 Richard Smith New Jersey 26 Edward Biddle Pennsylvania 27 John Dickinson Pennsylvania author of Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania 28 Joseph Galloway Pennsylvania Originator of the Galloway Plan of Union 29 Charles Humphreys Pennsylvania 30 Thomas Mifflin Pennsylvania Later served as the first governor of Pennsylvania ; Quartermaster general of the U.S. Army 31 John Morton Pennsylvania 32 Samuel Rhoads Pennsylvania 33 George Ross Pennsylvania 34 Thomas McKean Delaware 35 George Read Delaware 36 Caesar Rodney Delaware 37 Samuel Chase Maryland Later served as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court 38 Robert Goldsborough Maryland 39 Thomas Johnson Maryland 40 William Paca Maryland 41 Matthew Tilghman Maryland 42 Richard Bland Virginia 43 Benjamin Harrison Virginia Later served as the fifth governor of Virginia ; father of President William Henry Harrison and great - grandfather of President Benjamin Harrison 44 Patrick Henry Virginia Creator of the Virginia Stamp Act Resolutions 45 Richard Henry Lee Virginia 46 Edmund Pendleton Virginia 47 Peyton Randolph Virginia Served as President of this First Continental Congress 48 George Washington Virginia Future commander of the Continental Army ; first President of the United States 49 Richard Caswell North Carolina 50 Joseph Hewes North Carolina Secretary of Naval Affairs Committee in 1776 51 William Hooper North Carolina 52 Christopher Gadsden South Carolina 53 Thomas Lynch Jr. South Carolina 54 Henry Middleton South Carolina 55 Edward Rutledge South Carolina 56 John Rutledge South Carolina Second Chief Justice ; Associate Justice ; first Governor of South Carolina See also List of delegates to the Continental and Confederation congresses Papers of the Continental Congress Timeline of United States revolutionary history ( 1760 -- 1789 ) Notes Jump up ^ Risjord, Norman K. ( 2002 ). Jefferson 's America, 1760 - 1815. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 114. Jump up ^ McLaughlin, Andrew C. ( 1936 ). `` A constitutional History of the United States ''. New York, London : D. Appleton - Century Company. pp. 83 -- 90. Retrieved August 27, 2014. ^ Jump up to : Greene, Evarts Boutell ( 1922 ). The Foundations of American Nationality. American Book Company. p. 434. Jump up ^ Miller, Marion Mills ( 1913 ). Great Debates in American Hist : From the Debates in the British Parliament on the Colonial Stamp. Current Literature Pub. Co. p. 91. ^ Jump up to : Kramnick, Isaac ( ed ) ; Thomas Paine ( 1982 ). Common Sense. Penguin Classics. p. 21. CS1 maint : Multiple names : authors list ( link ) Jump up ^ Ketchum, p. 262. Jump up ^ Launitz - Schurer p. 144. Jump up ^ Worthington C. Ford, Library of Congress ( United States ) ; et al., eds. ( 1774 ( printed 1901 ) ). Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774 - 1789. p. 101. Retrieved February 7, 2010. Check date values in : date = ( help ) Jump up ^ Worthington C. Ford ; et al. ( eds. ). Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774 -- 1789. pp. 2 : 192 -- 193. References Bancroft, George. History of the United States of America, from the discovery of the American continent. ( 1854 -- 78 ), vol 4 - 10 online edition Burnett, Edmund C. ( 1975 ) ( 1941 ). The Continental Congress. Greenwood Publishing. ISBN 0 - 8371 - 8386 - 3. Henderson, H. James ( 2002 ) ( 1974 ). Party Politics in the Continental Congress. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 0 - 8191 - 6525 - 5. Launitz - Schurer, Loyal Whigs and Revolutionaries, The making of the revolution in New York, 1765 - 1776, 1980, ISBN 0 - 8147 - 4994 - 1 Ketchum, Richard, Divided Loyalties, How the American Revolution came to New York, 2002, ISBN 0 - 8050 - 6120 - 7 Miller, John C. Origins of the American Revolution ( 1943 ) online edition Puls, Mark, Samuel Adams, father of the American Revolution, 2006, ISBN 1 - 4039 - 7582 - 5 Montross, Lynn ( 1970 ) ( 1950 ). The Reluctant Rebels ; the Story of the Continental Congress, 1774 -- 1789. Barnes & Noble. ISBN 0 - 389 - 03973 - X. Primary sources Peter Force, ed. American Archives, 9 vol 1837 - 1853, major compilation of documents 1774 - 1776. online edition External links Full text of Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774 - 1789 Papers of the Continental Congress ( Digitized Original Documents ) Pennsylvania during the American Revolutionary War 1774 First Continental Congress Articles of Association 1775 Independence Hall Second Continental Congress 1776 United States Declaration of Independence Pennsylvania Constitution Washington Crosses the Delaware 1777 Articles of Confederation Philadelphia campaign Battle of Brandywine Battle of the Clouds Liberty Bell moved to Allentown Battle of Paoli Battle of Germantown Siege of Fort Mifflin Battle of White Marsh Battle of Matson 's Ford Valley Forge 1778 Battle of Crooked Billet Battle of Barren Hill British occupation of Philadelphia ends Wyoming Valley battle and massacre 1781 Congress of the Confederation Mutiny of the Pennsylvania Line 1783 1783 Mutiny Historical documents of the United States Constitution Preamble and Articles Preamble II III IV V VI VII Amendments Ratified 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 Pending Congressional Apportionment Titles of Nobility Corwin ( State Domestic Institutions ) Child Labor Unsuccessful Equal Rights District of Columbia Voting Rights See also List of Constitutional Amendments Bill of Rights ( Amendments 1 -- 10 ) Reconstruction Amendments ( Amendments 13 -- 15 ) Amendment proposals in Congress Conventions to propose amendments State ratifying conventions Formation History Articles of Confederation Mount Vernon Conference Annapolis Convention Philadelphia Convention Virginia Plan New Jersey Plan Connecticut Compromise Three - Fifths Compromise Committee of Detail Signing Independence Hall Syng inkstand The Federalist Papers Anti-Federalist Papers Massachusetts Compromise Virginia Ratifying Convention Hillsborough Convention Drafting and ratification timeline Clauses Appointments Appropriations Assistance of Counsel Bill of credit Case or Controversy Citizenship Commerce Compact Compulsory Process Confrontation Contract Copyright and Patent Double Jeopardy Due Process Equal Protection Establishment Exceptions Excessive Bail Ex post facto Extradition Free Exercise Free Speech Fugitive Slave Full Faith and Credit General Welfare Guarantee Impeachment Import - Export Ineligibility ( Emolument ) Militia Natural - born citizen Necessary and Proper New States No Religious Test Oath or Affirmation Origination Petition Postal Presentment Privileges and Immunities Privileges or Immunities Recommendation Self - Incrimination Speech or Debate Speedy Trial State of the Union Supremacy Suspension Take Care Takings Taxing and Spending Territorial Title of Nobility Treaty Trial by Jury Vesting Vicinage War Powers List of clauses Interpretation Concurrent powers Congressional enforcement Constitutional law Criminal procedure Criminal sentencing Dormant Commerce Clause Enumerated powers Equal footing Executive privilege Incorporation of the Bill of Rights Judicial review Nondelegation doctrine Preemption Saxbe fix Separation of church and state Separation of powers Taxation power Unitary executive theory Signatories Convention President George Washington New Hampshire John Langdon Nicholas Gilman Massachusetts Nathaniel Gorham Rufus King Connecticut William Samuel Johnson Roger Sherman New York Alexander Hamilton New Jersey William Livingston David Brearley William Paterson Jonathan Dayton Pennsylvania Benjamin Franklin Thomas Mifflin Robert Morris George Clymer Thomas Fitzsimons Jared Ingersoll James Wilson Gouverneur Morris Delaware George Read Gunning Bedford Jr. John Dickinson Richard Bassett Jacob Broom Maryland James McHenry Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer Daniel Carroll Virginia John Blair James Madison North Carolina William Blount Richard Dobbs Spaight Hugh Williamson South Carolina John Rutledge Charles Cotesworth Pinckney Charles Pinckney Pierce Butler Georgia William Few Abraham Baldwin Convention Secretary William Jackson Display and legacy National Archives Charters of Freedom Rotunda Independence Mall Constitution Day Constitution Gardens National Constitution Center Scene at the Signing of the Constitution ( painting ) A More Perfect Union ( film ) Worldwide influence Declaration of Independence Primary author Thomas Jefferson Signatories President of Congress John Hancock ( Massachusetts ) New Hampshire Josiah Bartlett William Whipple Matthew Thornton Massachusetts Samuel Adams John Adams Robert Treat Paine Elbridge Gerry Rhode Island Stephen Hopkins William Ellery Connecticut Roger Sherman Samuel Huntington William Williams Oliver Wolcott New York William Floyd Philip Livingston Francis Lewis Lewis Morris New Jersey Richard Stockton John Witherspoon Francis Hopkinson John Hart Abraham Clark Pennsylvania Robert Morris Benjamin Rush Benjamin Franklin John Morton George Clymer James Smith George Taylor James Wilson George Ross Delaware George Read Caesar Rodney Thomas McKean Maryland Samuel Chase William Paca Thomas Stone Charles Carroll of Carrollton Virginia George Wythe Richard Henry Lee Thomas Jefferson Benjamin Harrison Thomas Nelson Jr. Francis Lightfoot Lee Carter Braxton North Carolina William Hooper Joseph Hewes John Penn South Carolina Edward Rutledge Thomas Heyward Jr. Thomas Lynch Jr. Arthur Middleton Georgia Button Gwinett Lyman Hall George Walton See also Virginia Declaration of Rights Lee Resolution Committee of Five Document 's history signing portrait Second Continental Congress `` All men are created equal '' `` Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness '' `` Consent of the governed '' Independence Hall Syng inkstand American Revolution Articles of Confederation Signatories Primary drafter John Dickinson New Hampshire Josiah Bartlett John Wentworth Jr. Massachusetts John Hancock Samuel Adams Elbridge Gerry Francis Dana James Lovell Samuel Holten Rhode Island William Ellery Henry Marchant John Collins Connecticut Roger Sherman Samuel Huntington Oliver Wolcott Titus Hosmer Andrew Adams New York James Duane Francis Lewis William Duer Gouverneur Morris New Jersey John Witherspoon Nathaniel Scudder Pennsylvania Robert Morris Daniel Roberdeau Jonathan Bayard Smith William Clingan Joseph Reed Delaware Thomas McKean John Dickinson Nicholas Van Dyke Maryland John Hanson Daniel Carroll Virginia Richard Henry Lee John Banister Thomas Adams John Harvie Francis Lightfoot Lee North Carolina John Penn Cornelius Harnett John Williams South Carolina Henry Laurens William Henry Drayton John Mathews Richard Hutson Thomas Heyward Jr. Georgia John Walton Edward Telfair Edward Langworthy See also Continental Congress Congress of the Confederation American Revolution Perpetual Union Continental Association Signatories President of Congress Peyton Randolph New Hampshire John Sullivan Nathaniel Folsom Massachusetts Bay Thomas Cushing Samuel Adams John Adams Robert Treat Paine Rhode Island Stephen Hopkins Samuel Ward Connecticut Eliphalet Dyer Roger Sherman Silas Deane New York Isaac Low John Alsop John Jay James Duane Philip Livingston William Floyd Henry Wisner Simon Boerum New Jersey James Kinsey William Livingston Stephen Crane Richard Smith John De Hart Pennsylvania Joseph Galloway John Dickinson Charles Humphreys Thomas Mifflin Edward Biddle John Morton George Ross The Lower Counties Caesar Rodney Thomas McKean George Read Maryland Matthew Tilghman Thomas Johnson, Junr William Paca Samuel Chase Virginia Richard Henry Lee George Washington Patrick Henry, Junr Richard Bland Benjamin Harrison Edmund Pendleton North Carolina William Hooper Joseph Hewes Richard Caswell South Carolina Henry Middleton Thomas Lynch Christopher Gadsden John Rutledge Edward Rutledge See also Virginia Association First Continental Congress Carpenters ' Hall Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress Location of the capital of the United States and predecessors 1774 First Continental Congress Philadelphia 1775 -- 81 Second Continental Congress Philadelphia → Baltimore → Lancaster → York → Philadelphia 1781 -- 89 Congress of the Confederation Philadelphia → Princeton → Annapolis → Trenton → New York City 1789 -- present Federal government of the United States New York City → Philadelphia → Washington, D.C. Government of the United States under the Articles of Confederation Congresses 1st Continental Congress 2nd Continental Congress The US in Congress Assembled Delegates Committee of the States Congressional Officers President Secretary Civil Offices / Officers Postmaster General Superintendent of Finance / Agent of the Marine Secretary at War Secretary of Foreign Affairs Court of Appeals Military Board of War Continental Army Commander in Chief Continental Navy Continental Marines Preceded by Stamp Act Congress Legislature of the United States September 5, 1774, to October 26, 1774 Succeeded by the Second Continental Congress Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=First_Continental_Congress&oldid=846764336 '' Categories : 1774 in the Thirteen Colonies Continental Congress History of Philadelphia Pennsylvania in the American Revolution 1774 in Pennsylvania Hidden categories : CS1 maint : Multiple names : authors list CS1 errors : dates Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages Use mdy dates from April 2012 Articles needing additional references from September 2017 All articles needing additional references Articles with hCards Talk View source Contents About Wikipedia Башҡортса Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Deutsch Español فارسی Français 한국어 Hrvatski Íslenska Italiano Bahasa Melayu Nederlands Português Română Русский Simple English Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Українська 13 more Edit links This page was last edited on 20 June 2018, at 19 : 10 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: what was the main reason the colonist assembled for the first continental congress
Answer: in response to the Intolerable Acts passed by the British Parliament, which the British referred to as the Coercive Acts, with which the British intended to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party