Photograph of Allyn Cox Mural 1973-1974 Great Experiment Hall - Photo Credit – Architect of the Capitol
September 5, 2024 marks the 250th anniversary of the First Continental Congress. After the French and Indian War (1763), Britain not only forbade the American colonists from expanding westward, but also started imposing taxes to recoup the vast amount spent on their war with France. Although angered, the colonists retained their strong bonds of affection for England. The Stamp Act of 1765, taxing printed materials such as legal documents and newspapers, didn’t break those bonds. The Townsend Revenue Act of 1767, taxing glass, lead, paint, paper and tea, didn’t break those bonds. Even the Boston Massacre of 1770, resulting in five colonists’ deaths, didn’t do it. Finally, in 1774, the Intolerable Acts began the process of tearing those bonds apart.
Hoping to get the colonists to accept the taxes, Britain, in 1773, shipped huge amounts of tea to the American colonial ports, setting the price low, but including the hated tax. Never unloaded in any of the ports, most of the tea was returned to England. However, when Massachusetts Governor Hutchinson refused to let the tea ships depart for England, the Sons of Liberty took other measures. On December 16, 1773, disguised as Native Americans, they boarded the tea ships and dumped the hundreds of tea chests overboard, into Boston Harbor. Britain responded in 1774 with the Intolerable Acts, which ended local self-government in Massachusetts and closed the port of Boston to commerce. That did it. The process of breaking those bonds had begun. Boston was treated like a captured enemy city, with General Thomas Gage and his troops the army of occupation.
Communicating across the colonies was difficult. By ordinary post, a Bostonian would receive a local letter in a week. To receive a letter from Georgia, a Bostonian would have to wait a month. Despite these difficulties, an assembly of all the colonies, suggested by Virginia, was called, to be held in Philadelphia. The colonists were anxious, and this common bond was strong. Massachusetts residents, in the vanguard of a rebellion, feared the other colonies might not rally to their support. Residents of the other colonies feared their own legislatures could be summarily overturned.
Still, almost no one wanted a break with England. Even later, after the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, only about one-third of the colonists wanted to separate from England while two-thirds did not. Initially, it was made clear that “The conservatives of the middle and southern colonies had no intention of burning their fingers to pull Boston’s chestnuts out of the fire.”[1] By the end of the congressional session, however, this attitude had changed radically. On October 8th, Congress issued a Resolve providing full throated support for Boston’s opposition to the Intolerable Acts.
John Adams and the three other Massachusetts delegates took 19 days to arrive in Philadelphia, welcomed by town after town along their route. In Princeton, he was pleased to meet Dr. John Witherspoon, President of the College of New Jersey (became Princeton University in 1896). Moving to Princeton from Scotland in 1768, Witherspoon remained as president of the college for more than 20 years and was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Adams described him as: “as high a son of liberty as any in America”.[2] Adams also saw Witherspoon’s great sense of the value of publicity: “He says it is necessary that the Congress should raise money and employ a number of writers in the newspapers in England, to explain to the public the American plea, and remove the prejudices of the Britons”.[3]
In Philadelphia, Adams visited Thomas Mifflin’s house and chatted extensively with Charles Thomson. Later, Adams said: “This Charles Thomson is the Sam Adams of Philadelphia, the life of the cause of liberty, they say.”[4]
Congress held its opening session on September 5, 1774. In attendance were 19 future signers of the Declaration of Independence and two future Presidents of the United States. Charles Thomson of Philadelphia was unanimously chosen as the Secretary, a post he would hold until the adoption of the U.S. Constitution in 1789. His minutes would be the glue that bound the colonies together for the next fourteen years. Although Congress would have seventeen presidents in that time, Thomson would be the only Secretary.
On the opening day, the delegates set two precedents for the future nation. First, they decided to name the body of delegates “the Congress”, and to call its leader, “the President”. Secondly, they referred to the future nation itself, as “the United Colonies”, and later “the United States”. On the second day, Congress set up a committee to state the rights of the colonies in general, the cases in which these rights had been violated, and the best ways to get back those rights. Setting up this kind of framework was important. It would allow the colonists to react more quickly to future abuses.
Then, the members had to decide how to apportion the voting power of each colony. The larger colonies wanted to vote proportionately by population size; the smaller ones wanted equal votes for each colony. The arguments for each were heated and intense. The solutions would be complex. Patrick Henry opened the path to compromise when during the arguments, he rose to state: “We are in a state of nature, sir…The distinctions of Virginians, Pennsylvanians, New Yorkers and New Englanders, are no more. I am not a Virginian, but an American.”[5] In the end there was a compromise, although the smaller, less populous colonies won the day, with the decision to allow one vote per colony.
Approved on October 14th, the Declaration of Rights included 10 resolutions setting forth those American rights, including the statement: “Resolved, That they are entitled to life, liberty and property, and they have never ceded to any foreign power whatever, a right to dispose of either without their consent.”[6] These words, of course, later found their way into the Declaration of Independence. The rights themselves included that of petition and assembly, of trial by one’s peers, and of freedom from a standing army in time of peace, except by the consent of the colony’s legislature.
In a clear indication of the Americans’ continuing affection for England, a petition to the king was prepared, holding him blameless and instead blaming the king’s ministers for these abuses.
On October 26th the congressional session ended. There were several important results. First, the adoption of the Articles of Association which would govern the relationship between the colonies going forward. Its main purpose was to gain redress of the recent grievances. To gain this redress, the colonies agreed to not import from Britain, not export to Britain, and not consume British goods. A second important result was the formal framework and statement of the rights of Americans. Finally, they set the date for the next meeting, May 10th, 1775, to be held in the event their grievances were not addressed. In that session, taking place after the Battles of Lexington and Concord, with war already at hand, Congress turned to directing the defense of the colonies.
After the session ended, it was only left for Charles Thomson to send the accumulated documents to Benjamin Franklin, who was in London. In his communique, Thomson added: “I hope administration (of Britain) will see and be convinced that it is not a little faction but the whole body of American freeholders from Nova Scotia to Georgia that now complain & apply for redress; and who, I am sure, will resist rather than submit…”.[7]
Barry Singer, West Windsor, New Jersey
Barry Singer is a volunteer with the Historical Society of Princeton, NJ, speaking about the American Revolution and leading walking tours in historic Princeton
[1] The Reluctant Rebels: The Story of the Continental Congress 1774 – 1789, Lynn Montross, Harper Brothers, 1950, p. 27
[2] Ibid., p. 32
[3] Ibid., p. 32
[4] Ibid., p. 34
[5] Ibid., pg. 41
[6] Ibid., pg. 52
[7] Ibid., p.57