The First and Second Continental Congress

ASK 3 QUESTIONS ON THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION AND ANSWER TO THE QUESTIONS YOUVE ASKED. Independence. In the First and Second Continental Congress, the colonists passed a series of measures, culminating in their declaration of independence from Great Britain.

The First Continental Congress

On September 5, 1774, delegates from every colony except Georgia met in Philadelphia for the First Continental Congress. Their purpose was to decide what to do about the relationship with Great Britain. Colonial leaders like Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams, Richard Henry Lee, and George Washington debated the merits of different proposals. They finally imposed an embargo, an agreement prohibiting trade, on Britain. They also agreed to boycott British goods. They proposed a second meeting the following year if Britain did not change its policies.

Soon after, King George and the British Parliament took stronger action. Events then moved quickly. The king declared that the colonial governments were in a state of rebellion, and the only way to decide if they would become independent or remain subject to British rule was by fighting.

The first blow came early on the morning of April 19, 1775. British soldiers called Redcoats (named for the colors of their uniforms) clashed with colonial minutemen at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. This was the first battle of the Revolutionary War.

The Second Continental Congress

Within three weeks, delegates from all thirteen colonies gathered in Philadelphia for the Second Continental Congress. The Continental Congress immediately acted with the powers of a central government and chose John Hancock of Massachusetts as president. Hancock was a well-known colonial leader, but he was also a wealthy merchant and thus was a good choice for helping to raise funds for an army. The Congress also organized an army and navy, made plans to issue money, and chose George Washington to be commander of the Continental Army.

The Second Continental Congress served as the acting government of the colonies throughout the war. It bought supplies, made treaties with other countries, and gathered support for the colonists’ causes.

Declaring Independence

At this point, the colonies had not yet declared their independence from Great Britain. However, a movement for independence was growing quickly. Thomas Paine, who had been a British corset maker, argued for independence and influenced many colonists. In his booklet Common Sense, Paine said that monarchy was a corrupt form of government and that George Ill was an enemy to liberty. He accused the king of being power hungry and only allowing laws to pass that pleased him.

Samuel Adams of Boston also influenced many colonists with the essays, letters, and articles he wrote about the struggle with the British. Adams was a natural-born politician with an independent mind. In April 1776, the war was almost a year old and the colonies had not yet declared independence. Adams could not understand why. In a letter to a friend, Adams wrote that America was already independent so why not

declare it.

In June 1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia introduced a resolution in the Continental Congress. It said that the United Colonies are and by right should be free and independent states. The Congress approved Lee’s resolution on July 2, 1776. The colonies officially broke free of British rule.

After Lee’s resolution, the Congress named a committee of delegates to prepare a written declaration of independence. The members of the committee were John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman. They asked Thomas Jefferson, a Virginia planter known for his writing skills, to write the first draft of the declaration. When the committee reviewed Jefferson’s draft, there was a long debate. A few parts were removed and some important changes were made. On July 4, the Congress approved the final draft of the Declaration of Independence. John Hancock, the president of the Congress, was the first to sign the document. Eventually it was signed by all 56 delegates.

Key Parts of the Declaration

The American Declaration of Independence is one of the most famous documents in history. At the time, it inspired the hearts of the American colonists. Until then, no government had been based on the principles of human liberty and consent of the governed.

In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson drew on the ideas of John Locke and other philosophers to explain the colonists’ need for freedom. The Declaration explained the reasons the American colonies were angry with the British government. The Declaration clearly explained why the colonies had the right to revolt and claim the freedom to govern themselves.

The Declaration has four parts. The first paragraph, called the Preamble, describes the source of the basic rights Americans enjoy as “the Laws of Nature” and “Nature’s God.” In philosophy, the law of nature is also called natural law. It is a system of values and beliefs thought to be the basis for all human conduct. For many, Jefferson’s statement means that the rights set forth in the Declaration are not created by people but are granted by higher powers and should never be violated.

The Preamble is followed by a statement of purpose and basic human rights stated in the laws of nature. It includes the famous line “all men are created equal.” This means that all people have certain rights that cannot be violated, including the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The Preamble also says that governments must get their power from the consent of the people being governed. It says that if the people’s rights are harmed or taken away, the people can stand up against the government and change or stop its actions.

The third section of the Declaration lists complaints against King George Ill. Each item describes a violation of the colonists’ political, civil, and economic liberties. This section was written to justify the break with Great Britain.

The conclusion states the colonists’ resolve to break from Great Britain. Their efforts to reach a peaceful solution had failed. This left them with no choice but to declare their independence. The Declaration of Independence was rarely mentioned in the debates during the creation of the Constitution. As time passed, the Declaration has come to be seen by many as the key to understanding the Constitution and the values contained in it. Abraham Lincoln shared this view and said that the Declaration was the basis of his own political philosophy. In later years, Jefferson himself wrote that he was not trying to invent new ideas in the Declaration. He said he was just trying to express in plain terms the American mind.

The First States and the First State Constitutions

The Declaration of Independence recognized the changes taking place in the colonies. One of the most important changes was the colonies’ transformation into states subject to no higher authority. Thus, the states saw themselves as independent and self-governing.

About two months before the Declaration of Independence, the Second Continental Congress told the colonies to form governments that could keep their citizens safe and content. By the end of 1776, ten states had written their own constitutions. Within a few years, each state had a new constitution or had changed an old colonial charter into a constitution.

Most of the new state constitutions contained a bill of rights that defined citizens’ personal liberties. All of them recognized the people as the only source of authority in a limited government. There was not yet a formal government uniting all the states. There was not yet a United States of America.