What is Continental Congress?
[[File:Congress voting independence.jpg|right|thumb|The Continental Congress]] The '''Continental Congress''' was a [[convention]] of [[delegate]]s from the [[Thirteen Colonies]]. It governed the colonies before and during the [[American Revolution]] and met three times from [[1774]] to [[1789]]. ==First congress== In the First Continental Congress, [[Delegate|delegates]] from twelve colonies (all but [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]) met in September 1774 because of the Coercive Acts imposed by the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|British Parliament]] on [[Massachusetts]] to answer the [[Boston Tea Party]] and other resistance to new [[tax]]es. The following men served as the president of the First Continental Congress: * Peyton Randolph (September 5, 1774 – October 21, 1774) * Henry Middleton (October 22, 1774 – October 26, 1774) ==Second congress== The '''Second Continental Congress''' met in [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]] starting in May of [[1775]]. It was made up of representatives from all 13 colonies. On July 4, 1776 the Congress approved the [[United States Declaration of Independence]], which was mostly written by [[Thomas Jefferson]]. The Second Continental Congress was formed partly to manage the colonial troops fighting the [[Revolutionary War]]. Troops fighting for the colonies were known as the militia army led by [[George Washington]]. The following men served as president of the [[Second Continental Congress]]: * Peyton Randolph (May 10, 1775 – May 23, 1775) * [[John Hancock]] (May 24, 1775 – October 31, 1777) * Henry Laurens (November 1, 1777 – December 9, 1778) * [[John Jay]] (December 10, 1778 – September 27, 1779) * [[Samuel Huntington (statesman)|Samuel Huntington]] (September 28, 1779 – March 1, 1781) {{Annapolis}} {{history-stub}} {{authority control}} [[Category:18th century in Philadelphia]] [[Category:Unicameral legislatures]] [[Category:1770s in Pennsylvania]] [[Category:Legislative branch of the United States government]]