Continental Congress

The Continental Congress was the first basic government of the United States and was first formed in response to escalating tensions resulting from Great Britain's institution of the Coercive or "Intolerable" Acts.

Fast Facts:

1. First Continental Congress convened on September 5, 1774 in response to Intolerable Acts
2. Second Continental Congress convened on May 10, 1775, just after the beginning of warfare in Massachusetts
3. Composed of representatives from the 13 colonies

First Continental Congress

After the Boston Tea Party in December of 1773, the British government sought to punish its increasingly rebellious colonies and in 1774, the British Parliament passed the Coercive Acts, a series of measures designed to enact such harsh measures against the colonies that they would fall in line with British tax and legal policies. The Acts, derided as the "Intolerable Acts" in America, had the opposite effect, galvanizing popular support against the British crown. In September of 1774, representatives from each of the thirteen colonies met at the First Continental Congress to discuss what collective measures, if any, should be taken to respond to the Acts, which included a blockade of Boston Harbor, the banning of civic meetings in Massachusetts, and the quartering of British soldiers in private dwellings. The First Continental Congress responded by instituting a boycott of all British goods in December, 1774.

Second Continental Congress

After fighting began in Massachusetts in May, 1775, the Second Continental Congress convened and prepared for collective war against the British. The Congress created the Continental Army, headed by George Washington, and in 1776 declared independence from Britain. The Congress also issued paper money, and was the government of the colonies until 1781.

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