Second Continental Congress - wikipedia Second Continental Congress Second Continental Congress Thirteen Colonies United States Type Type Unicameral History Established May 10, 1775 Disbanded March 1, 1781 Preceded by First Continental Congress Succeeded by 1st Confederation Congress Leadership President of Congress Peyton Randolph ( first ) Samuel Huntington ( last ) Secretary Charles Thomson Structure Seats Variable ; ~ 60 Authority President of the Continental Congress Meeting place mainly at Pennsylvania State House, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from December 1776 to July 1778 various locations, see below Footnotes There were about 50 members of the Congress at any given time, but it was the colonies themselves that had voting privileges so there were effectively only 13 seats. The Second Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that started meeting in the spring of 1775 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It succeeded the First Continental Congress, which met in Philadelphia between September 5, 1774 and October 26, 1774. The Second Congress managed the Colonial war effort and moved incrementally towards independence, adopting the United States Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The Congress acted as the de facto national government of what became the United States by raising armies, directing strategy, appointing diplomats, and making formal treaties such as the Olive Branch Petition. The Second Continental Congress came together on May 10, 1775, effectively reconvening the First Continental Congress. Many of the 56 delegates who attended the first meeting were in attendance at the second, and the delegates appointed the same president ( Peyton Randolph ) and secretary ( Charles Thomson ). Notable new arrivals included Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania and John Hancock of Massachusetts. Within two weeks, Randolph was summoned back to Virginia to preside over the House of Burgesses ; he was replaced in the Virginia delegation by Thomas Jefferson, who arrived several weeks later. Henry Middleton was elected as president to replace Randolph, but he declined. Hancock was elected president on May 24. Delegates from twelve of the Thirteen Colonies were present when the Second Continental Congress convened. Georgia had not participated in the First Continental Congress and did not initially send delegates to the Second. On May 13, 1775, Lyman Hall was admitted as a delegate from the Parish of St. John 's in the Colony of Georgia, not as a delegate from the colony itself. On July 4, 1775, revolutionary Georgians held a Provincial Congress to decide how to respond to the American Revolution, and that congress decided on July 8 to send delegates to the Continental Congress. They arrived on July 20. Contents 1 History 2 Dates and places of sessions 3 See also 4 References 4.1 Bibliography 5 Further reading 6 External links History This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( May 2013 ) 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 had sent entreaties to King George III to stop the Coercive Acts ; they had also created the Continental Association to establish a coordinated protest of those acts, putting a boycott on British goods. The Second Continental Congress met on May 10, 1775 to plan further responses if the British government had not repealed or modified the acts ; however, the American Revolutionary War had already started by that time with the Battles of Lexington and Concord, and the Congress was called upon to take charge of the war effort. For the first few months of the war, the Patriots carried on their struggle in an ad - hoc and uncoordinated manner. They had seized arsenals, driven out royal officials, and besieged the British army in the city of Boston. On June 14, 1775, the Congress voted to create the Continental Army out of the militia units around Boston and appointed George Washington of Virginia as commanding general. On July 6, 1775 Congress approved a Declaration of Causes outlining the rationale and necessity for taking up arms in the Thirteen Colonies. '' On July 8, they extended the Olive Branch Petition to the British Crown as a final attempt at reconciliation ; however, it was received too late to do any good. Silas Deane was sent to France as a minister ( ambassador ) of the Congress, and American ports were reopened in defiance of the British Navigation Acts. The Continental Congress had no explicit legal authority to govern, but it assumed all the functions of a national government, such as appointing ambassadors, signing treaties, raising armies, appointing generals, obtaining loans from Europe, issuing paper money ( called `` Continentals '' ), and disbursing funds. The Congress had no authority to levy taxes and was required to request money, supplies, and troops from the states to support the war effort. Individual states frequently ignored these requests. Congress was moving towards declaring independence from the British Empire in 1776, but many delegates lacked the authority from their home governments to take such a drastic action. Advocates of independence moved to have reluctant colonial governments revise instructions to their delegations, or even replace those governments which would not authorize independence. On May 10, 1776, Congress passed a resolution recommending that any colony with a government that was not inclined toward independence should form one that was. On May 15, they adopted a more radical preamble to this resolution, drafted by John Adams, which advised throwing off oaths of allegiance and suppressing the authority of the Crown in any colonial government that still derived its authority from the Crown. That same day, the Virginia Convention instructed its delegation in Philadelphia to propose a resolution that called for a declaration of independence, the formation of foreign alliances, and a confederation of the states. The resolution of independence was delayed for several weeks, as advocates of independence consolidated support in their home governments. The Assembly Room in Philadelphia 's Independence Hall where the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee offered a resolution before the Congress declaring the colonies independent. He also urged Congress to resolve `` to take the most effectual measures for forming foreign Alliances '' and to prepare a plan of confederation for the newly independent states. Lee argued that independence was the only way to ensure a foreign alliance, since no European monarchs would deal with America if they remained Britain 's colonies. American leaders had rejected the divine right of kings in the New World, but recognized the necessity of proving their credibility in the Old World. Congress formally adopted the resolution of independence, but only after creating three overlapping committees to draft the Declaration, a Model Treaty, and the Articles of Confederation. The Declaration announced the states ' entry into the international system ; the model treaty was designed to establish amity and commerce with other states ; and the Articles of Confederation established `` a firm league '' among the thirteen free and independent states. These three things together constituted an international agreement to set up central institutions for conducting vital domestic and foreign affairs. City Tavern in Philadelphia, the delegates ' favorite place to eat and meet informally Congress finally approved the resolution of independence on July 2, 1776. They next turned their attention to a formal explanation of this decision, the United States Declaration of Independence which was approved on July 4 and published soon thereafter. The Congress moved from Philadelphia to Baltimore in the winter of 1776 to avoid capture by British forces who were advancing on Philadelphia. Henry Fite 's tavern was the largest building in Baltimore Town at the time and provided a comfortable location of sufficient size for Congress to meet. Its site at the western edge of town was beyond easy reach of the British Royal Navy 's ships should they try to sail up the harbor and the Patapsco River to shell the town. Congress was again forced to flee Philadelphia at the end of September 1777, as British troops occupied the city ; they moved to York, Pennsylvania and continued their work. Congress passed the Articles of Confederation on November 15, 1777, after more than a year of debate, and sent them to the states for ratification. Jefferson 's proposal for a Senate to represent the states and a House to represent the people was rejected, but a similar proposal was adopted later in the United States Constitution. One issue of debate was large states wanting a larger say, nullified by small states who feared tyranny. The small states won and each state had one vote. Congress urged the individual states to pass the Articles as quickly as possible, but it took three and a half years for all the states to ratify them. The State Legislature of Virginia was the first of the Thirteen States to ratify the Articles on December 16, 1777, and the State Legislature of Maryland was the last on February 2, 1781. Dates and places of sessions May 10, 1775 -- December 12, 1776, Pennsylvania State House, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania December 20, 1776 -- February 27, 1777, Henry Fite House, Baltimore, Maryland March 5, 1777 -- September 18, 1777, Pennsylvania State House, Philadelphia September 27, 1777 ( one day only ), Court House, Lancaster, Pennsylvania September 30, 1777 -- June 27, 1778, Court House, York, Pennsylvania July 2, 1778 -- July 20, 1778, College Hall, Philadelphia July 23, 1778 -- March 1, 1781, Pennsylvania State House, Philadelphia See also History of the United States ( 1776 -- 89 ) Timeline of United States revolutionary history ( 1760 -- 1789 ) List of delegates to the Continental Congress Presidents of the Continental Congress References Footnotes Jump up ^ Cogliano, Revolutionary America, 1763 -- 1815, p. 113 Jump up ^ Burnett, Continental Congress, pp. 64 -- 67 Jump up ^ Fowler, Baron of Beacon Hill, p. 189 Jump up ^ Worthington C. Ford ; et al., eds. ( 1904 -- 1939 ). Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774 -- 1789. Washington, DC. pp. 2 : 44 -- 48. CS1 maint : Explicit use of et al. ( link ) Jump up ^ ibid. pp. 2 : 192 -- 93. Jump up ^ Cogliano, Revolutionary America, 1763 -- 1815, p. 59 Jump up ^ Find Documents : Results Jump up ^ Bancroft, Ch. 34, p. 353 ( online ) ^ Jump up to : The Declaration of Independence in World Context, Organization of American Historians, Magazine of History, Volume18, Issue 3, pp. 61 -- 66 ( 2004 ) Jump up ^ Howard Jones, Crucible of power : a history of American foreign relations to 1913 Jump up ^ Staib, Walter. City Tavern Cookbook : 200 Years of Classic Recipes from America 's First Gourmet Restaurant, pp. 5, 11 -- 15, Running Press, Philadelphia, London, 1999. ISBN 0 - 7624 - 0529 - 5. Jump up ^ Staib, Walter. City Tavern Baking & Dessert Cookbook : 200 Years of Authentic American Recipes from Martha Washington 's Chocolate Mousse Cake to Thomas Jefferson 's Sweet Potato Biscuits, pp. 8 -- 10, 14 -- 15, Running Press, Philadelphia, London, 2003. ISBN 0 - 7624 - 1554 - 1. Jump up ^ Miller ( 1948 ) ch. 22 Bibliography Burnett, Edward Cody ( 1941 ). The Continental Congress. New York : Norton. Fowler, William M., Jr. ( 1980 ). The Baron of Beacon Hill : A Biography of John Hancock. Boston : Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0 - 395 - 27619 - 5. Further reading Adams, Willi Paul. The First American Constitutions : Republican Ideology and the Making of the State Constitutions in the Revolutionary Era. U. of North Carolina Press, 1980. ISBN 0 - 7425 - 2069 - 2 Francis D. Cogliano, Revolutionary America, 1763 - 1815 : A Political History. London : 2000. ISBN 0 - 415 - 18057 - 0 Worthington C. Ford, et al. ed. Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774 -- 1789. ( 34 vol., 1904 -- 1937 ) online edition Henderson, H. James ( 2002 ) ( 1974 ). Party Politics in the Continental Congress. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 0 - 8191 - 6525 - 5. Peter Force, ed. American Archives 9 vol 1837 - 1853, major compilation of documents 1774 - 1776. online edition Kruman, Marc W. Between Authority and Liberty : State Constitution Making in Revolutionary America. U. of North Carolina Pr., 1997. ISBN 0 - 8078 - 4797 - 6 Maier, Pauline. American Scripture : Making the Declaration of Independence ( 1998 ) Miller, John C. Triumph of Freedom, 1775 - 1783 ( 1948 ) ISBN 0 - 313 - 20779 - 8 Montross, Lynn ( 1970 ) ( 1950 ). The Reluctant Rebels ; the Story of the Continental Congress, 1774 -- 1789. Barnes & Noble. ISBN 0 - 389 - 03973 - X. Rakove, Jack N. The Beginnings of National Politics : An Interpretive History of the Continental Congress. Knopf, 1979. ISBN 0 - 8018 - 2864 - 3 External links Full text of Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774 -- 1789 Letters of Delegates to Congress, 1774 - 1789 Interactive Flash Version of John Trumbull 's `` Declaration of Independence '' Preceded by First Continental Congress Legislature of the United States May 10, 1775 -- March 1, 1781 Succeeded by Congress of the Confederation 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 & 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 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Second_Continental_Congress&oldid=815883127 '' Categories : 1775 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies 1781 disestablishments in the United States Continental Congress History of Philadelphia History of Lancaster, Pennsylvania Provisional governments United States Declaration of Independence Hidden categories : CS1 maint : Explicit use of et al. All articles with dead external links Articles with dead external links from December 2017 Articles with permanently dead external links Use mdy dates from April 2011 Articles needing additional references from May 2013 All articles needing additional references Talk Contents About Wikipedia Башҡортса Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Català Deutsch Español فارسی Français Hrvatski Íslenska Italiano עברית Português Română Русский Simple English Српски / srpski Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt Edit links This page was last edited on 17 December 2017, at 20 : 40. About Wikipedia

Question: what was the main goal of the second continental congress
Answer: acted as the de facto national government