Editing Continental Congress (section)

==History==
===Background===
{{Further|American Revolution|Boston Tea Party|Committees of Correspondence}}
The initial idea for the development of the Continental Congress, including the [[Thirteen Colonies]] in [[British America]], first arose in 1754 at the start of the [[French and Indian War]], which started as the [[North America]]n front of the [[Seven Years' War]] between [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Britain]] and [[Kingdom of France|France]]. Initially known as the [[Albany Congress]], the Congress met in [[Albany, New York]] from June 18 to July 11, 1754, and representatives from seven of the thirteen colonies attended. Among the delegates was [[Benjamin Franklin]] of [[Philadelphia]], who proposed that the colonies join in a [[Albany Plan|confederation]]. Though the idea of a confederation was rejected, Franklin and others continued to argue that the colonies should act more cohesively. At the beginning of the [[American Revolution]], [[committees of correspondence]] began building the foundation for interaction between the thirteen colonial states.

In 1765, the [[British Parliament]] passed the [[Stamp Act 1765|Stamp Act]] requiring that many printed materials in the colonies be produced on stamped paper produced in London, carrying an embossed revenue stamp. The act provoked the ire of merchants in [[New York City]], [[Boston]], and [[Philadelphia]], who responded by placing an embargo on British imports until the Stamp Act was repealed. To present a united front in their opposition, delegates from several provinces met in the [[Stamp Act Congress]], which convened in New York City from October 7 through 25, 1765. It issued a [[Declaration of Rights and Grievances]], which it sent to [[Parliament of Great Britain|Parliament]]. Under pressure from British companies hurt by the embargo, the government of [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] [[Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham|Lord Rockingham]] and King [[George III]] relented, and the Stamp Act was repealed in March 1766.

The colonists' resistance to the Stamp Act served as a catalyst for subsequent acts of resistance. The [[Townshend Acts]], which imposed indirect taxes on various items not produced within the colonies, and created a more effective means of enforcing compliance with trade regulations, passed by Parliament in 1767 and 1768, sparked renewed animosity in the colonies, which eventually resulted in the [[Boston Massacre]] of 1770. Three years later, the [[Tea Act]], which granted the [[East India Company|British East India Company]] the right to directly ship its tea to North America and the right to the duty-free export of tea from Great Britain, became law, exacerbating the colonists' resentment toward the British government, inciting the December 1773 [[Boston Tea Party]],<ref>{{cite web| last=Smith| first=George H. | date=January 17, 2012| title=The Boston Tea Party| url=https://www.libertarianism.org/publications/essays/excursions/boston-tea-party| website=libertarianism.org| publisher=[[Cato Institute]]| location=Washington, D.C.| access-date=April 27, 2019}}</ref> and inspiring the September 1774 [[Suffolk Resolves]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Suffolk Resolves, 1774| url=https://www.americanhistorycentral.com/entries/suffolk-resolves/| website=americanhistorycentral.com| access-date=April 27, 2019| publisher=R.Squared Communications| date=October 2, 2015}}</ref>

===First Continental Congress===
{{Main|First Continental Congress}}
The [[First Continental Congress]] met briefly in [[Carpenter's Hall]] in [[Philadelphia|Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]], from September 5 to October 26, 1774. Delegates from twelve of the [[Thirteen Colonies]] that would ultimately join in the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]] participated. Only [[Province of Georgia|Georgia]], where [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|Loyalist]] feelings still outweighed [[Patriot (American Revolution)|Patriot]]ic emotion, and which relied upon Great Britain for military supplies to defend settlers against possible [[Native Americans in the United States|Indian]] attacks, did not, nor did East and West Florida, which at the time were [[British Florida|also British colonies]]. Altogether, 56 delegates attended, including [[George Washington]], [[Patrick Henry]], and [[John Adams]]. Other notable delegates included [[Samuel Adams]] from [[Province of Massachusetts Bay|Massachusetts Bay]] and [[Joseph Galloway]] and [[John Dickinson (Pennsylvania and Delaware)|John Dickinson]] from the [[Province of Pennsylvania|Pennsylvania]].<ref>{{harvnb|Rakove|1979}}, pp. 42–62</ref> [[Peyton Randolph]] of Virginia was its president.

[[Benjamin Franklin]] put forward the idea of such a meeting the year before, but he was unable to convince the colonies of its necessity until the [[Royal Navy]] instituted a [[blockade]] of [[Boston Harbor]] and Parliament passed the punitive [[Intolerable Acts]] in 1774, in response to the [[Boston Tea Party]]. During the congress, delegates organized an [[Continental Association|economic boycott]] of Great Britain in protest and [[Petition to the King|petitioned the King]] for a [[Right to petition|redress of grievances]]. The colonies were united in their effort to demonstrate to the [[Motherland|mother country]] their authority by virtue of their common causes and their unity, but their ultimate objectives were inconsistent. Most delegates were not yet ready to break away from Great Britain, but they most definitely wanted the king and parliament to act in what they considered a fairer manner. Delegates from the provinces of Pennsylvania and [[Province of New York|New York]] were given firm instructions to pursue a resolution with Great Britain. While the other colonies all held the idea of colonial rights as paramount, they were split between those who sought legislative equality with Britain and those who instead favored independence and a break from [[British monarchy|the Crown]] and its excesses.

===Second Continental Congress===
{{Main|Second Continental Congress}}
{{Further|American Revolutionary War|United States Declaration of Independence}}
[[File:Map of territorial growth 1775.svg|thumb|A map of [[East Coast of the United States|eastern North America]] in 1775 and present-day U.S. state boundaries
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{{legend|#f56858|[[Thirteen Colonies]]}}
{{legend|#f5a691|Other British colonies}}
{{legend|#e7a030|Spanish [[Captaincy General of Cuba]] and [[New Philippines]]}}
]]

In London, Parliament debated the merits of meeting the demands made by the colonies; however, it took no official notice of Congress's petitions and addresses. On November 30, 1774, [[George III|King George III]] opened [[Parliament of Great Britain|Parliament]] with a speech condemning Massachusetts and the Suffolk Resolves, prompting the Continental Congress to convene again.<ref>{{harvnb|Rakove|1979}}, pp. 45–49</ref>

The [[Second Continental Congress]] convened on May 10, 1775, at Pennsylvania's [[Independence Hall|State House]] in [[Philadelphia]] shortly after the start of the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]]. Initially, it functioned as a ''de facto'' common government by raising armies, directing strategy, appointing diplomats, and making formal treaties. The Thirteen Colonies were represented when in the following year it adopted a [[Lee Resolution|resolution for independence]] on July 2, 1776, and two days later approved the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]]. [[Thomas Jefferson]] drafted the declaration, and [[John Adams]] was a leader in the debates in favor of its adoption. Afterward, the Congress functioned as the [[provisional government]] of the United States of America through March 1, 1781.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Milestones: 1776–1783 – Office of the Historian|url=https://history.state.gov/milestones/1776-1783/continental-congress|access-date=2021-10-13|website=history.state.gov}}</ref>

To govern the war effort and to foster unity among the [[U.S. state|states]], Congress created various [[standing committees]] to handle war-related activities, such as the committee of secret correspondence, the treasury board, the board of war and ordnance, and the navy board. Much work was also done in small ''[[ad hoc]]'' committees.<ref>{{Harvnb|Olsen|2013}}, p. 57</ref> One such small group was tasked with developing a [[constitution]] to [[Perpetual Union|perpetuate the new Union]]. Such an agreement, the [[Articles of Confederation]] was approved by Congress on November 15, 1777, and sent to the states for [[ratification]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Jensen|1959}}, pp. ix, 184</ref>