America’s Revolution: First Continental Congress II

Lead: When, in September 1774, the First Continental Congress met in Carpenters’ Hall in Philadelphia, tensions between Great Britain and her rebellious colonies had reached fever pitch.

Intro.: A Moment in Time with Dan Roberts.

Content: After the Boston Tea Party the previous year, the English Parliament passed what the colonists called the Intolerable Acts. In protest, a convention of delegates from the colonies gathered in Philadelphia to organize resistance to the Acts and to facilitate colonial unity. This convention came to be known as the First Continental Congress. It was made up of fifty-six delegates from twelve of the thirteen colonies (since Georgia’s royal governor had been able to block his delegates from attending). The convention met in September and October. Leaders of the Congress included Samuel Adams, John Jay, George Washington, Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee, John Adams, and Peyton Randolph of Virginia, who was elected President. With a few exceptions, those gathering in Philadelphia at this time did not want independence, but rather used the meeting to express grievances against royal policy and to persuade the London government to recognize the colonials’ basic rights.