Continental Congress

The Continental Congress was the first de facto national government of the United States. It had no legal basis and was completely dependent on the colonies for political direction, funding and other resources. It comprised two successive bodies of representatives of provinces of the Thirteen Colonies in 18th century British North America. The colonies all became states in 1776 when they rejected colonial status:

• The First Continental Congress met from September 5, 1774, to October 26, 1774.
• The Second Continental Congress met from May 10, 1775, to the ratification of the Articles of Confederation on March 1, 1781.

Upon the ratification of the Articles, the Continental Congress was succeeded by the first legislative or de jure federal government of the United States:

• The Congress of the Confederation or the United States in Congress Assembled ran from March 1, 1781, until a more effective federal government under the Constitution became operative on March 4, 1789. The membership of the Second Continental Congress automatically carried over to the Congress of the Confederation. The Presidents of the United States in Congress Assembled were:

1. Samuel Huntington 1st President of the United States in Congress Assembled March 1, 1781 to July 6, 1781

2. Thomas McKean 2nd President of the United States in Congress Assembled July 10, 1781 to November 5, 1781

3. John Hanson 3rd President of the United States in Congress Assembled November 5, 1781 to November 4, 1782

4. Elias Boudinot 4th President of the United States in Congress Assembled November 4, 1782 to November 3, 1783

5. Thomas Mifflin 5th President of the United States in Congress Assembled November 3, 1783 to June 3, 1784

6. Richard Henry Lee 6th President of the United States in Congress Assembled November 30, 1784 to November 23, 1785

7. John Hancock 7th President of the United States in Congress Assembled November 23, 1785 to June 6, 1786

8. Nathaniel Gorham 8th President of the United States in Congress Assembled June 1786 - November 13, 1786

9. Arthur St. Clair 9th President of the United States in Congress Assembled February 2, 1787 to October 29, 1787

10. Cyrus Griffin 10th President of the United States in Congress Assembled January 22, 1788 to March 4, 1789

11. George Washington 11th President of the United States but 1st under 2nd U.S. Constitution 1789 to 1797

Initially formed to coordinate a common American response to the Intolerable Acts, the Continental Congress rapidly evolved from a de facto to a de jure governing body of a new nation as the dispute with the British government escalated into the American Revolutionary War. Once the war ended, the members of the Congress served as the governing body of the United States of America, reorganized as a new national legislature, which made war and peace.

Notable dates

• July 2, 1776 Initial Declaration of Independence passed by Congress
• July 4, 1776 Revised Declaration of Independence adopted by Congress ( Independence Day)
• August 2, 1776 Declaration of Independence signed by Congress
• November 15, 1777 Articles of Confederation
• March 1, 1781 Ratification of the Articles of Confederation.
• September 17, 1787 adoption of Constitution

Bibliography

• Bancroft, George. History of the United States of America, from the discovery of the American continent. (1854–78), vol. 4–10 online edition
• Miller, John C. Triumph of Freedom, 1775–1783 (1948) online edition
• Miller, John C. Origins of the American Revolution (1943) online edition
• Journals of the Continental Congress September 5, 1774 to March 2, 1789 online

Continental Congress