5 September to 26 October 1774
The First Continental Congress
Fifty-six delegates from twelve colonies meet at Carpenters’ Hall in Philadelphia from 5 September 1774. Georgia, which depends on British troops on its frontier, stays away. The Congress endorses the Suffolk Resolves from Massachusetts, which declare the Coercive Acts void and call on the towns to arm.
Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia, where the First Continental Congress met in 1774Wikimedia Commons, Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain (Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where the First Continental Congress met in 1774 LCCN2011633597.tiff)
It adopts a Declaration of Rights, petitions the king and creates the Continental Association. British goods are not to be imported from 1 December 1774, and exports to Britain are to stop on 10 September 1775 if the Coercive Acts have not been repealed by then. Local committees enforce the boycott in every county and town.
The Continental Association, adopted by the Congress on 20 October 1774Wikimedia Commons, First Continental Congress, Public domain (Articles of Association.jpg)
The delegates agree to meet again in May 1775 if their grievances are not answered. Through the winter Massachusetts towns drill their militia and store powder and shot at Concord. Gage, whose authority no longer reaches beyond Boston, reports that he will need twenty thousand men.
Sources
- Robert Middlekauff, The Glorious Cause (2005).
- Gordon S. Wood, The American Revolution: A History (2002).
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