Summary Of The First Continental Congress

On July 3rd, 1776, the Second Continental Congress unanimously declared the independence of the thirteen United States of America from Great Britain. Determined to unify the thirteen colonies, the Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, the first constitution of the United States, on November 15, 1777. However, ratification of the Articles of Confederation by all thirteen states did not occur until March 1, 1781. Although the articles did not prevent the United States from winning independence, the innate flaws of the articles became apparent in the years following the revolution. The problems of the weak, purely legislative national government became too prevalent for agents of the revolution, such as James Madison and George Washington. Madison and Washington were strong supporters of a federal, or national, constitution, and on June 21, 1788, congress ratified the Constitution of the United States. And in doing so, violated the “Revolutionary Ideology” and the will of the American people.

Members of the First Continental Congress did not suffer from lack of communication, as “The first few weeks were consumed in discussion and debate. The colonies had always, up to this time, acted as independent entities.” With that many delegates had to overcome distrust and learn to work as a whole body rather than individuals with different agendas.

Though the American colonists had not achieved a true, uniform sense of identity or unity by 1776, on the eve of Revolution, the progress towards unity and the inchoate idea of an “American” between 1750 and 1776 is inevitable in both existence and significance. Previous to the French and Indian War, America as a whole had been, more or less, loyal mercantile-based, and subservient to the British crown as British colonists in the New World; however, the Americans' sense of unity kindled and proliferated with the increased tax burdens and coercive Parliamentary decisions, while even until 1776,

The United States would lose its name and stand divided if the Constitution did not bring the thirteen colonies into one body. Within this governing body, fears arise from the difficulty of controlling power in a central government, while still trying to keep unity between the states. Understanding that the United States was formed based on the people’s irritation with the corruption of the control of power in England, the Constitution reassured the people that their freedoms were going to be kept, but it required their trust. The founders of the United States Constitution established a just government through encompassing equal representation, with the people as the foundation, and protecting the injustices that could arise with the misuse of power.

The Quartet by Joseph Ellis was a novel to provide detail of the years following the American Revolution, and how the Quartet of George Washington, James Madison, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton each provided a quality in guiding America toward the right direction. Ellis creates a theme almost as if the reader is on a tour guide, because he explains the perspective on how America was being created between the “Second Revolution” of the years 1783-1789. But, the main goal Ellis wanted to make clear was this time period was the process of how America became a Nation. After finishing the book, Ellis was effective in making the case that the Quartet of Washington, Jay, Hamilton, Madison, as well as other major influences, greatly affected the “transition from confederation to nation.” Each Quartet presented a value in help transitioning America into a Nation, and Ellis provides excellent examples to solidify that claim.

After the colonies gained independence, the founding fathers soon found that becoming a new independent nation was going to be a difficult task. The biggest task was deciding on the division of power in the government. This issue divided the people into two groups, the federalists and the Jeffersonian republicans. Alexander Hamilton led the federalists and Thomas Jefferson led the republicans. These two important men in history would later show how the challenges of becoming a new nation. In this essay I will be analyzing the ideas of Linda K. Kerber’s “The Fears of the Federalists,” to Drew R. McCoy’s “The Fears of the Jeffersonian Republicans.” Furthermore, comparisons will be made about both essays to gain a better understanding of the struggles of government in early America.

When the Coercive Acts were passed in Massachusetts, Parliament did not think that the other states would care. Nonetheless, when they heard about what had happened in Boston, delegates from all of the states but Georgia met for the first Continental Congress in Philadelphia in September 1774. At the meeting, the delegates discussed alternative forms of government. Joseph Galloway produced a plan for an American government with a president appointed by England and a council elected by the states. Most of the colonists, however, were in favor of the American states governing themselves, with no English intervention. The delegates also founded the Continental Association to prevent anything from being imported from or exported to England. The

Everyone says the laws are terrible we as people should have more right, but what they don’t understand is that we have more right then any other state. With the Second Continental Congress it had made it possible for the Declaration of Independence to happen. With the Second Continental Congress being in play on May 10 ,1775, when they were formed in Philadelphia. It had brought up political and military, the case of independence, and Declaration of Independence.

In the discussion of which Continental Congress was more significant in the years leading up to the Revolutionary War, it is apparent that the Second Continental Congress made a more significant impact rather than the First Continental congress. The three major contributions that made the largest impact out of both Continental Congresses, not only in the years leading to the Revolutionary War, but the years to follow are the gathering of the Continental Army, the drafting of the Olive Branch Petition, and most importantly, the issuance of the Declaration Of Independence, all of these which were accomplished during the Second Continental Congress. These achievements played a major significant role in the 13 colonies and the Revolutionary War.

“Give me liberty or give me death” were the famous words spoken by Patrick Henry in the struggle for independence (Burnett 62). He addressed the first continental congress in 1774 and started the process of American political revolt. This revolt eventually climaxed in the rebelling of Britain's American colonies and the establishment of what would become the United States of America. The Second Continental Congress accomplished independence through organization, rebellion, and finally declaring independence. This was the beginning of the American Revolution.

“Give me liberty, or give me death!” is a quotation attributed to Patrick Henry, which he used to close his speech to Virginia Convention. During this time period, the 1770s, Patrick Henry, Thomas Paine, and Thomas Jefferson all made arguments in favor of separation of the American colonies from Great Britain; many of these appeals were persuasive for different reasons, whether that be logical, emotional, or pertaining to credibility and trust, which is to say logos, pathos, and ethos. First of all, we will examine Henry’s arguments during his speech at the Virginia Convention. Then, we will identify Paine’s appeals in a part of his essay, The Crisis n1. Lastly, we will evaluate Jefferson’s myriad of arguments in a part of his Autobiography.

Samuel Seabury, when writing the Letters of A Westchester Farmer, is debating in the press the legitimacy of the Continental Congress that meet in Philadelphia a few months before, condemning this gathering as subversive to the British Empire and Seabury equates the colonial demand for legislative rights as arrogant and “whiggish nonsense”. Alexander Hamilton challenges these

Jefferson began the document by explaining that the rights of the Americans had been brutally molested by the unjust King of Britain. Following this accusation, he provided evidence of this abuse by listing not just a mere handful, but 27 grievances that the King had inflicted against the colonies. Lastly, the conclusion of this article publishes and declares that the United Colonies have the right to be freed from the British and that they have the right to govern themselves as any free country does. The strategic organization of the Declaration of Independence allowed the colonies to be powerfully represented by such a clear and prudently worded

2 "in 1774, Congress recommended certain measures in their congress members. The event proved their wisdom; yet it is also still fresh in our memories of how soon the press began to teem with pamphlets and the weekly papers against those measures that were just made. Not only did many of the officers of government who had accepted the dictates of interest, but also many others, from the undue influence of former attachments, were persistent in their efforts to persuade many of the people to reject the advice that patriotic Congress gave. Many were indeed deceived and deluded, however the greater majority of the people reasoned and decided judiciously; and were happy that they are reflecting that they did so." (Citation for Federalist

After the Revolutionary War the big question of the age was how to form a government that would endure to protect the liberty and rights of the people. There was no president, no national court system and the fate of the Americans was yet to be decided. After the war, Washington retired to his beloved Mt. Vernon giving a whole new definition of what greatness was; he resigned to power and to a crown just to become a common man. His resignation left 13 little republics that were held together by what was called a loose alliance, and everything pointing to the inevitable, they would remain as states but not united. At the time, Massachusetts and Virginia were examples of separate states considered to be their own countries. There were those who talked about 2 or 3 confederations, or even no confederations, but the 1 separate government. The country celebrated after the war because they had received everything they asked for from the British, but to those who decided to remain loyal to the crown, the American victory was considered a disaster. ”When monarchy is ended, the sense of being a subject ends as well”. Alexander Hamilton said: “Peace! And a new scene opens. The object now is to make our independence work. To do this, we must secure our Union on solid foundations”. Alexander Hamilton was a delegate in the continental congress; he is truly convinced that he knows where the country should be heading to because he knew that the United States had