Jonah Patel
The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies that acted as the provisional government of the United States during the American Revolutionary War. The Second Continental Congress served as the de facto national government, taking over from the First Continental Congress, which met from September 5 to October 26, 1774. The Second Continental Congress met on May 10, 1775, and continued to function until 1781, when the Articles of Confederation that established a new national government for the United States took effect. The Articles of Confederation, drafted by the Second Continental Congress, were adopted on November 15, 1777, and came into force on March 1, 1781, after being ratified by all Thirteen Colonies. This document served as the United States' first constitution and was in force until 1789 when the present-day US Constitution went into effect.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of vote on the constitution | 15 November 1777 |
| Date the constitution came into force | 1 March 1781 |
| Date the Continental Congress ended | 1789 |
| Date the First Continental Congress met | 5 September 1774 |
| Date the Second Continental Congress met | May 1775 |
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What You'll Learn
- The Continental Congress served as the government of the 13 colonies from 1774 to 1789
- The First Continental Congress met in 1774 in response to the Intolerable Acts
- The Second Continental Congress formed the Continental Army and dispatched George Washington as commander
- The Continental Congress declared independence from Britain in 1776
- The Articles of Confederation were adopted in 1777 and ratified in 1781
The Continental Congress served as the government of the 13 colonies from 1774 to 1789
The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies that acted as the provisional government of the Thirteen Colonies of Great Britain in North America, and later the United States, from 1774 to 1789. It was made up of delegates from the colonies and convened in Philadelphia in 1774 in response to escalating tensions between the colonies and the British, which culminated in the passage of the Intolerable Acts by the British. The Continental Congress was the governing body through which the American colonial governments coordinated their resistance to British rule during the first two years of the American Revolution.
The Continental Congress balanced the interests of the different colonies and also established itself as the official colonial liaison to Great Britain. As the war progressed, the Congress became the effective national government of the country, and, as such, conducted diplomacy on behalf of the new United States. It also raised armies, directed strategy, appointed diplomats, and made formal treaties.
In 1775, the Second Continental Congress convened after the Revolutionary War had already begun. In 1776, it took the momentous step of declaring America’s independence from Britain. In 1781, the Articles of Confederation, which had been drafted and approved by Congress in 1777, came into force, establishing a new national government for the United States. The Continental Congress operated as the first federal government until 1789 when it was replaced following the ratification of the U.S. Constitution.
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The First Continental Congress met in 1774 in response to the Intolerable Acts
The Continental Congress was the governing body that coordinated the resistance of the American colonial governments to British rule during the first two years of the American Revolution. The First Continental Congress, comprising delegates from the colonies, met in 1774 in response to the Intolerable Acts. The Intolerable Acts were a series of measures imposed by the British government to suppress unrest in colonial Boston by closing the port and placing it under martial law. The Acts were passed in response to the colonies' resistance to new taxes, such as the Boston Tea Party.
The First Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, between September 5 and October 26, 1774. Delegates from twelve of Britain's thirteen American colonies met to discuss America's future under growing British aggression. The list of delegates included prominent colonial leaders and two future US presidents, George Washington and John Adams. The Congress first met in Carpenters' Hall, with Peyton Randolph of Virginia as its President.
One of the Congress's first decisions was to endorse the Suffolk Resolves, which ordered citizens to refuse to obey the Intolerable Acts, refuse imported British goods, and raise a militia. The delegates also promptly began drafting and discussing the Continental Association, which would become their most important policy outcome. The Association called for an end to British imports and exports to Britain if the Intolerable Acts were not repealed by certain dates in 1774 and 1775.
The Continental Congress served as the government of the 13 American colonies and later the United States, from 1774 to 1789. The Second Continental Congress, which met in 1775, took the momentous step of declaring America's independence from Britain. In 1781, the Articles of Confederation, which established a new national government for the United States, came into force. The Articles of Confederation would prove incapable of governing the new nation in a time of peace, and in 1787, a movement developed for constitutional reform. In 1789, the new US Constitution went into effect, and the Continental Congress adjourned forever.
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The Second Continental Congress formed the Continental Army and dispatched George Washington as commander
The Continental Congress served as the government of the 13 American colonies and later the United States, from 1774 to 1789. The First Continental Congress, comprising delegates from the colonies, met in 1774 in response to the Intolerable Acts—a series of measures imposed by the British government after the colonies resisted new taxes.
The Second Continental Congress convened in 1775, after the Revolutionary War had already begun. It took the significant step of declaring America's independence from Britain in 1776. As the war progressed, the Second Continental Congress formed the Continental Army and dispatched George Washington as its commander to Massachusetts. This was a pivotal move in the war effort, as it provided a unified military force for the colonies.
The Second Continental Congress also played a crucial role in establishing a national government for the newly independent nation. They drafted the Articles of Confederation, which served as the first constitution for the United States. This document was approved by the Congress on November 15, 1777, and ratified by all 13 colonies, coming into force on March 1, 1781. The Articles of Confederation established a "league of friendship" among the 13 independent states, with each state retaining its sovereignty and having an equal voice in Congress.
However, the Articles of Confederation proved inadequate in governing the nation during peacetime. Financial difficulties, interstate rivalries, and domestic insurrection plagued the young nation in the years following the Revolutionary War. This led to a movement for constitutional reform, culminating in the Philadelphia Convention of 1787. The delegates at this convention decided to replace the Articles of Confederation with a new system of government, resulting in the creation of the U.S. Constitution, which took effect in 1789.
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The Continental Congress declared independence from Britain in 1776
The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies that acted as the provisional government of the Thirteen Colonies of Great Britain in North America and the newly declared United States. The First Continental Congress, made up of delegates from the colonies, met in 1774 in response to the Intolerable Acts, a series of measures imposed by the British government after the colonies resisted new taxes. The First Continental Congress passed and signed the Continental Association, which included a proposal for an embargo on British trade and a boycott of British goods.
The Second Continental Congress convened in 1775, after the Revolutionary War had already begun. In 1776, it took the momentous step of declaring America's independence from Britain. On July 2, 1776, the Congress "unanimously" resolved that "these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states." Two days later, it solemnly approved this Declaration of Independence.
The Continental Congress also prepared the Articles of Confederation, which became the first U.S. constitution in March 1781. The Articles of Confederation were adopted by the Continental Congress on November 15, 1777, and sent to the states for ratification. The Articles established a "league of friendship" for the 13 sovereign and independent states, with each state retaining "every Power...which is not by this confederation expressly delegated to the United States."
The Articles of Confederation proved to be an imperfect instrument for governing a nation at peace, and a movement for constitutional reform developed. In 1787, the delegates at the Philadelphia Convention decided to scrap the Articles of Confederation and create a new system of government. The new U.S. Constitution went into effect in 1789, and the Continental Congress adjourned forever.
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The Articles of Confederation were adopted in 1777 and ratified in 1781
The Continental Congress was the governing body that coordinated the resistance of the American colonial governments against British rule during the first two years of the American Revolution. It was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, that acted as the provisional government of the Thirteen Colonies of Great Britain in North America and the newly declared United States before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War.
The Continental Congress served as the government of the 13 American colonies and later the United States, from 1774 to 1789. The First Continental Congress, composed of delegates from the colonies, met in 1774 in reaction to the Intolerable Acts, a series of measures imposed by the British government after the colonies resisted new taxes.
In 1775, the Second Continental Congress convened after the Revolutionary War had already begun. In 1776, it took the momentous step of declaring America's independence from Britain. In 1781, the Congress ratified the first national constitution, the Articles of Confederation, under which the country would be governed until 1789, when it was replaced by the U.S. Constitution.
The Articles of Confederation were approved by the Second Continental Congress on November 15, 1777, and sent to the states for ratification. The Articles of Confederation came into force on March 1, 1781, after being ratified by all Thirteen Colonies, and the Second Continental Congress became the Congress of the Confederation, officially styled as the "United States in Congress Assembled".
The Articles of Confederation established the United States as a collection of 13 sovereign states, each of which had an equal voice in Congress, regardless of population. Under the Articles, congressional decisions were made based on a state-by-state vote, and Congress had little ability to enforce its decisions.
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Frequently asked questions
The Continental Congress voted on the first constitution, the Articles of Confederation, on November 15, 1777.
The Articles of Confederation came into force on March 1, 1781, after being ratified by all 13 colonies.
The present-day US Constitution was ratified in 1789, replacing the Articles of Confederation.
