List of delegates to the Continental Congress

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The Continental Congress was initially a convention of delegates from several British American colonies at the height of the American Revolution era, who spoke and acted collectively for the people of the Thirteen Colonies that ultimately became the United States. The term mostly refers to the First Continental Congress of 1774 and the Second Continental Congress of 1775–1781. It also refers to the Congress of the Confederation of 1781–1789, which covers the period following the establishment of American independence with the end of the Revolutionary War. During this period, the Continental Congress served as the chief legislative and executive body of the U.S. government.

Contents

The unicameral Congress of the Confederation, officially styled "The United States in Congress Assembled," was composed of delegates elected by the legislature of the various states. The Confederation Congress was the immediate successor to the Second Continental Congress; and delegates to it were similarly chosen. Many of the delegates to the initial 1775 session of the Second Continental Congress had also attended the previous First Continental Congress. Altogether, The Biographical Directory of the United States Congress lists 343 men who served as delegates to the Continental Congress in three incarnations from 1774 to 1789; also listed are another 90 persons who were elected as delegates but never served.

Background

Convened in response to the Intolerable Acts passed by the British Parliament earlier that year, the 56 delegates to the First Continental Congress sought to help repair the frayed relationship between the British government and its American colonies. They passed the Continental Association, an economic boycott of Great Britain, and petitioned the king for a redress of grievances. They also resolved to reconvene in May 1775 if necessary.

Delegates from the various colonies did indeed reconvene for a Second Continental Congress as scheduled, but by the time they gathered, the Revolutionary War had begun. Moderates in the Congress still hoped that the colonies could be reconciled with Great Britain, but a movement towards independence steadily gained ground. At this juncture Congress simultaneously sent an Olive Branch Petition to King George III, hoping for a rapprochement, and issued a Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms, which contained the words "Our cause is just. Our union is perfect... being with one mind resolved to die freemen rather than to live slaves...".

Signing of Declaration of Independence by Charles Edouard Armand-Dumaresq, c.1873 Signing of Declaration of Independence by Armand-Dumaresq, c1873.png
Signing of Declaration of Independence by Charles Édouard Armand-Dumaresq, c.1873

Congress functioned as a de facto national government from the outset by establishing the Continental Army, directing strategy, and appointing diplomats. It eventually adopted the Lee Resolution which established the new country on July 2, 1776, and it agreed to the Declaration of Independence two days later.

Afterward, the Congress functioned as the provisional government of the United States through March 1, 1781. During this period, in addition to successfully managing the war effort, its primary achievements included: drafting the Articles of Confederation, the first U.S. Constitution; securing diplomatic recognition and support from foreign nations; and resolving state land claims west of the Appalachian Mountains. When the Articles of Confederation came into force on March 1, 1781, after being ratified by all 13 states, the Continental Congress became the Congress of the Confederation, which helped guide the new nation through the final stages of the Revolutionary War. Under the Articles, the Confederation Congress had limited power. It could declare war, sign treaties, and settle disputes between the states. It could also borrow or print money, but did not have the power to tax; nor could it compel the individual states to comply with its decisions. It convened in eight sessions (a ninth failed to achieve a quorum) prior to being supplanted in 1789, when the United States Congress became the nation's legislative branch of government under a new Constitution.

Article V of the Articles of Confederation

Article V of the Articles of Confederation for the annual election of delegates to Congress by legislatures of the various states to terms that commenced on the first Monday in November, in every year. Each state could send 2–7 delegates, and no person was permitted to serve as a delegate for more than three years within a span of six years. State legislatures also had the authority to recall or to replace its delegates at any time. Prior to 1781, delegates to the Continental Congress served at the pleasure of the state legislature that commissioned them; neither term limits nor specific start– /end–date of service existed.

For the most convenient management of the general interests of the United States, delegates shall be annually appointed in such manner as the legislatures of each State shall direct, to meet in Congress on the first Monday in November, in every year, with a power reserved to each State to recall its delegates, or any of them, at any time within the year, and to send others in their stead for the remainder of the year.

No State shall be represented in Congress by less than two, nor more than seven members; and no person shall be capable of being a delegate for more than three years in any term of six years; nor shall any person, being a delegate, be capable of holding any office under the United States, for which he, or another for his benefit, receives any salary, fees or emolument of any kind.

Each State shall maintain its own delegates in a meeting of the States, and while they act as members of the committee of the States.

In determining questions in the United States in Congress assembled, each State shall have one vote.

Freedom of speech and debate in Congress shall not be impeached or questioned in any court or place out of Congress, and the members of Congress shall be protected in their persons from arrests or imprisonments, during the time of their going to and from, and attendance on Congress, except for treason, felony, or breach of the peace. [1]

Elected delegates who participated

The following tables list the 343 people who served in Congress: 1st Continental, 2nd Continental, or Confederation, between 1774 and 1789, as well as the year(s) of their active participation.

Connecticut

Delegates from Connecticut
Name1st Continental
Congress
2nd Continental
Congress
Confederation
Congress
Andrew Adams 1778
Joseph Platt Cooke 1784–1785; 1787–1788
Silas Deane 17741775–1776
Eliphalet Dyer 17741775–17791782–1783
Pierpont Edwards 1788
Oliver Ellsworth [2] 1778–17811781–1783
Titus Hosmer 1778
Benjamin Huntington 17801782–1783; 1788
Samuel Huntington 1776; 1778–17811781; 1783
William Samuel Johnson 1785–1787
Richard Law 17771781–1782
Stephen Mix Mitchell 1785–1788
Jesse Root 1778–17811781–1782
Roger Sherman [3] 17741775–17811781; 1783–1784
Joseph Spencer 1779
Jonathan Sturges 1786
James Wadsworth 1784
Jeremiah Wadsworth 1788
William Williams 1776–1777
Oliver Wolcott 1776–1778; 17811781–1783
 Source (unless otherwise noted): [4]

Delaware

Delegates from Delaware
Name1st Continental
Congress
2nd Continental
Congress
Confederation
Congress
Gunning Bedford Jr. 1783–1785
John Dickinson [lower-alpha 1] 1779
Philemon Dickinson 1782–1783
Dyre Kearney 1787–1788
Eleazer McComb 1783–1784
Thomas McKean 17741775–1776; 1778–17811781–1782
Nathaniel Mitchell 1787–1788
John Patten 1786
William Peery 1786
George Read 17741775–1777
Caesar Rodney 17741775–1776
Thomas Rodney 1781–1782; 1786
James Sykes 1777
James Tilton 1783–1784
Nicholas Van Dyke 1777–17811781
John Vining 1784–1785
Samuel Wharton 1782–1783
 Source (unless otherwise noted): [4]

Georgia

Delegates from Georgia
Name1st Continental
Congress
2nd Continental
Congress
Confederation
Congress
Abraham Baldwin 1785; 1787–1788
Nathan Brownson 1777
Archibald Bulloch 1775
William Few 1780–17811781–1782; 1786–1788
William Gibbons 1784
Button Gwinnett 1776
John Habersham 1785
Lyman Hall 1775–1777
John Houstoun 1775
William Houstoun 1784–1786
Richard Howly 1780–17811781
Noble Wimberly Jones 1781–1782
Edward Langworthy 1777–1779
William Pierce 1778; 1780–17811781–1782
Edward Telfair 1778; 1780–17811781–1782
George Walton 1776–1777; 1780–17811781
John Walton 1778
Joseph Wood 1777–1778
John Joachim Zubly 1775
 Source (unless otherwise noted): [4]

Maryland

Delegates from Maryland
Name1st Continental
Congress
2nd Continental
Congress
Confederation
Congress
Robert Alexander 1776
William Carmichael 1778–1779
Charles Carroll ("Barrister") [5] 1776–1777
Charles Carroll ("of Carrollton") [6] 1776; 1777–1778; 1780
Daniel Carroll [7] 1781–1783
Jeremiah Chase 1783–1784
Samuel Chase [8] 17741775–17781784; 1785
Benjamin Contee 1788
James Forbes 1778–1780
Uriah Forrest 1787
Robert Goldsborough 17741775–1776
John Hall 1775
John Hanson [9] 1780–17811781–1782
William Harrison Jr. 1786
William Hemsley 1782–1783
John Henry 1778–17801785–1786
William Hindman 1785–1786
John Eager Howard 1788
Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer [10] 1779; 1780–17811781
Thomas Johnson [11] 17741775–1777
Thomas Sim Lee 1783
Edward Lloyd 1783–1784
James McHenry 1783–1785
William Paca 17741775–1779
George Plater 1778–1780
Richard Potts 1781
Nathaniel Ramsey 1786–1787
John Rogers 1775–1776
David Ross 1787–1789
Benjamin Rumsey 1776–1777
Joshua Seney 1788
William Smith 1777
Thomas Stone 1775–1776; 17781784
Matthew Tilghman [12] 17741775–1776
Turbutt Wright 1782
 Source (unless otherwise noted): [4]

Massachusetts Bay

Delegates from Massachusetts
Name1st Continental
Congress
2nd Continental
Congress
Confederation
Congress
John Adams 17741775–1777
Samuel Adams 17741775–17811781
Thomas Cushing 17741775–1776
Francis Dana 1777–17781784
Nathan Dane 1785–1788
Elbridge Gerry 1776–17801783–1785
Nathaniel Gorham [13] 1782–1783; 1785–1787
John Hancock 1775–1778
Stephen Higginson 1783
Samuel Holten 1778–17801783–1785; 1787
Jonathan Jackson 1782
Rufus King 1784–1787
James Lovell 1777–17811781–1782
John Lowell 1782
Samuel Osgood 1781–1784
Samuel Allyne Otis 1787–1788
Robert Treat Paine 17741775–1776
George Partridge 1779–17811781–1785
Theodore Sedgwick 1785–1786; 1788
George Thatcher 1787–1789
Artemas Ward 1780–17811781
 Source (unless otherwise noted): [4]

New Hampshire

Delegates from New Hampshire
Name1st Continental
Congress
2nd Continental
Congress
Confederation
Congress
Josiah Bartlett 1775–1776; 1778
Jonathan Blanchard 1784
Nathaniel Folsom 17741777–1780
Abiel Foster 1783–1785
George Frost 1777–1779
John Taylor Gilman 1782–1783
Nicholas Gilman 1787–1789
John Langdon 1775–17761787
Woodbury Langdon 1779
Samuel Livermore 1780–17811781–1782; 1785–1786
Pierse Long 1785–1786
Nathaniel Peabody 1779–1780
John Sullivan 17741775–1775; 1780–17811781
Matthew Thornton 1776–1777
John Wentworth Jr. 1778
William Whipple 1776–1779
Phillips White 1782–1783
Paine Wingate 1788
 Source (unless otherwise noted): [4]

New Jersey

Delegates from New Jersey
Name1st Continental
Congress
2nd Continental
Congress
Confederation
Congress
John Beatty 1784–1785
Elias Boudinot 17781781–1783
William Burnet 1780–17811781
Lambert Cadwalader 1785–1787
Abraham Clark 1776–1778; 1780–17811781–1783; 1786–1788
Silas Condict 1781–1783
Stephen Crane 17741775–1776
Jonathan Dayton 1787–1788
John De Hart 17741775–1776
Samuel Dick 1784–1785
Jonathan Elmer 1777–17781781–1783; 1787–1788
John Fell 1778–1780
Frederick Frelinghuysen [14] 1778–17791782–1783
John Hart 1776
Francis Hopkinson 1776
Josiah Hornblower 1785–1786
William Houston 1779–17811784–1785
James Kinsey 17741775
William Livingston 17741775–1776
James Schureman 1786–1787
Nathaniel Scudder 1778–1779
Jonathan Sergeant 1776–1777
Richard Smith 17741775–1776
John Stevens 1784
Charles Stewart 1784–1785
Richard Stockton 1776
John Cleves Symmes 1785–1786
John Witherspoon 1776–17811781–1782
 Source (unless otherwise noted): [4]

New York

Delegates from New York
Name1st Continental
Congress
2nd Continental
Congress
Confederation
Congress
John Alsop 17741775–1776
Egbert Benson 1784; 1787–1788
Simon Boerum 17741775
George Clinton 1775–1776
Charles DeWitt 1784
James Duane 17741775–17811781–1783
William Duer 1777–1778
William Floyd 17741775–1776; 1779–17811781–1783
Leonard Gansevoort 1788
David Gelston 1789
Alexander Hamilton 1782–1783; 1788
John Haring 17741785–1787
John Jay [15] 17741775–1778
John Lansing Jr. 1785
John Laurance 1785–1787
Francis Lewis 1775–1779
Ezra L'Hommedieu 1779–17811781–1783; 1788
Philip Livingston 1774 [16] 1775–1778
Robert R. Livingston 1775–1776; 1779–17801784
Walter Livingston 1784–1785
Isaac Low 1774
Alexander McDougall 1781
Gouverneur Morris 1778–1779
Lewis Morris 1775–1777
Ephraim Paine 1784
Philip Pell 1789
Zephaniah Platt 1785–1786
Philip Schuyler 1775; 1777; 1779–1780
John Morin Scott 1780; 17821781–1783
Melancton Smith 1785–1787
Henry Wisner 1774 [16] 1775–1776
Abraham Yates 1787–1788
Peter W. Yates 1786
 Source (unless otherwise noted): [4]

North Carolina

Delegates from North Carolina
Name1st Continental
Congress
2nd Continental
Congress
Confederation
Congress
John B. Ashe 1787
Timothy Bloodworth 1786
William Blount 1782–1783; 1786–1787
Thomas Burke 1777–17811781
Robert Burton 1787
Richard Caswell 17741775
William Cumming 1785
Cornelius Harnett 1777–1779
Benjamin Hawkins 1781–1783; 1787
Joseph Hewes 17741775–1776; 1779
Whitmell Hill 1778–1780
William Hooper 17741775–1777
Samuel Johnston 1780–17811781
Allen Jones 1779–1780
Willie Jones 1780
Abner Nash 1782–1783
John Penn 1775–1780
William Sharpe 1779–17811781
John Sitgreaves 1785
Richard Dobbs Spaight 1783–1785
John Swann 1788
James White 1786–1788
John Williams 1778–1779
Hugh Williamson [17] 1782–1785; 1787–1788
 Source (unless otherwise noted): [4]

Pennsylvania

Delegates from Pennsylvania
Name1st Continental
Congress
2nd Continental
Congress
Confederation
Congress
Andrew Allen [18] 1775–1776
John Armstrong Sr. 1779–1780
John Armstrong Jr. 1787–1788
Samuel John Atlee 1778–17811781–1782
John Bubenheim Bayard 1785–1786
Edward Biddle [19] 17741775
William Bingham 1786–1788
William Clingan 1777–1779
George Clymer 1776–1777; 1780–17811781–1782
Tench Coxe 1788–1789
John Dickinson [lower-alpha 1] 17741775–1776
Thomas Fitzsimons 1782–1783
Benjamin Franklin 1775–1776
Joseph Galloway 1774
Joseph Gardner 1784–1785
Edward Hand 1783–1784
William Henry 1784–1785
Charles Humphreys 17741775–1776
Jared Ingersoll 1780
William Irvine 1787–1788
David Jackson [20] 1785–1786
Timothy Matlack 1780
James McLene 1779–1780
Samuel Meredith 1786–1788
Thomas Mifflin 177417751782–1784
John Montgomery 1782–1784
Joseph Montgomery 1780–17811781–1782
Cadwalader Morris 1783–1784
Robert Morris 1775–1778
John Morton 17741775–1776
Frederick Muhlenberg [21] 1779–1780
Richard Peters Jr. 1782–1783
Charles Pettit [22] 1785–1787
Joseph Reed 1778
James Randolph Reid 1787–1789
Samuel Rhoads 1774
Daniel Roberdeau 1777–1779
George Ross 17741775–1777
Benjamin Rush [23] 1776–1777
James Searle [24] 1778–1780
William Shippen [25] 1778–1780
James Smith 1776–1778
Jonathan Bayard Smith [26] 1778
Thomas Smith 1781–1782
Arthur St. Clair 1786–1787
George Taylor 1776
Thomas Willing 1775–1776
James Wilson [27] 1775–17771782–1783; 1785–1787
Henry Wynkoop 1779–17811781–1782
 Source (unless otherwise noted): [4]

Rhode Island and Providence Plantations

Delegates from Rhode Island
Name1st Continental
Congress
2nd Continental
Congress
Confederation
Congress
Jonathan Arnold 1782–1783
Peleg Arnold 1787–1788
John Collins 1778–17801782–1783
Ezekiel Cornell 1780–17811781–1782
William Ellery 1776–17811781–1785
John Gardner 1789
Jonathan Hazard 1788
Stephen Hopkins 17741775–1776
David Howell 1782–1785
James Manning 1786
Henry Marchant 1777–1779
Nathan Miller 1786
Daniel Mowry Jr. 1780–17811781–1782
James Mitchell Varnum 1780–17811781; 1787
Samuel Ward 17741775–1776
 Source (unless otherwise noted): [4]

South Carolina

Delegates from South Carolina
Name1st Continental
Congress
2nd Continental
Congress
Confederation
Congress
Robert Barnwell 1789
Thomas Bee 1780–17811781–1782
Richard Beresford 1783–1784
John Bull 1784–1787
Pierce Butler 1787
William Henry Drayton 1778–1779
Nicholas Eveleigh 1781–1782
Christopher Gadsden 17741775–1776
John Lewis Gervais 1782–1783
Thomas Heyward Jr. 1776–1778
Daniel Huger 1786–1788
Richard Hutson 1778–1779
Ralph Izard 1782–1783
John Kean 1785–1787
Francis Kinloch 1780
Henry Laurens 1777–1780
Thomas Lynch 17741775–1776
Thomas Lynch Jr. 1775–1776
John Mathews 1778–17811781
Arthur Middleton 1776–17771781–1782
Henry Middleton 17741775
Isaac Motte 1780–17811781–1782
John Parker 1786–1788
Charles Pinckney 1785–1787
David Ramsay 1782–1783, 1785–1786
Jacob Read 1783–1785
Edward Rutledge 17741775–1776
John Rutledge [28] 17741775–17761782–1783
Thomas Tudor Tucker 1787–1788
 Source (unless otherwise noted): [4]

Virginia

Delegates from Virginia
Name1st Continental
Congress
2nd Continental
Congress
Confederation
Congress
Thomas Adams 1778–1779
John Banister 1778
Richard Bland 17741775
Theodorick Bland 1780–17811781–1783
Carter Braxton 1776
John Brown 1787–1788
Edward Carrington 1786–1788
John Dawson [29] 1788–1789
William Fitzhugh 1779
William Fleming 1779
William Grayson [29] 1784–1787
Cyrus Griffin 1778–17801787–1788
Samuel Hardy 1783–1785
Benjamin Harrison [29] 17741775–1778
John Harvie 1777–1778
James Henry 1780
Patrick Henry 17741775
Thomas Jefferson 1775–17761783–1784
Joseph Jones 1777; 1780–17811781–1783
Arthur Lee 1782–1784
Francis Lightfoot Lee 1775–1779
Henry Lee 1786–1788
Richard Henry Lee 17741775–17791784–1785; 1787
James Madison 1780–17811781–1783; 1787–1788
James Mercer 1779
John Francis Mercer 1783–1784
James Monroe 1783–1786
Thomas Nelson Jr. 1775–1777; 1779
Mann Page 1777
Edmund Pendleton 17741775
Edmund Randolph 17791781–1782
Peyton Randolph 17741775
Meriwether Smith 1778; 1780–17811781
John Walker 1780
George Washington 17741775
George Wythe 1775–1776
 Source (unless otherwise noted): [4]

Elected delegates who did not participate

The following table lists the 90 people who were elected to Congress: 1st Continental, 2nd Continental, or Confederation, between 1774 and 1789, but who did not participate, as well as the year(s) of their election.

NameStateYear(s) elected
Benjamin Andrew Georgia1780
Samuel Ashley New Hampshire1779
George Atkinson New Hampshire1780, 1785
John Barnwell South Carolina1784
Gunning Bedford Sr. Delaware1786
Benjamin Bellows New Hampshire1781
John Blair, Jr. Virginia1781
James Bowdoin Massachusetts1774
William Bradford Rhode Island1776
Ephraim Brevard North Carolina1781
John Brown Rhode Island1784, 1785
John Canfield Connecticut1786
George Champlin Rhode Island1785, 1786
Charles C. Chandler Connecticut1784
John Chester Connecticut1787, 1788
Matthew Clarkson Pennsylvania1785
Joseph Clay Georgia1778
John Cooper New Jersey1776
Tristram Dalton Massachusetts1783, 1784
Timothy Danielson Massachusetts1780, 1782, 1783
Elias Dayton New Jersey1778
Moses Dow New Hampshire1784
Samuel Duffield Pennsylvania1777
Timothy Edwards Massachusetts1778
Samuel Elbert Georgia1784
John Evans Delaware1776
Sylvester Gardner Rhode Island1787
Edward Giles Maryland1782
Alexander Gillon South Carolina1784
Isaac Grantham Delaware1787
James Gunn Georgia1787
Joseph Habersham Georgia1784
John Hathorn New York1788
Thomas Henderson New Jersey1779
James Hillhouse Connecticut1786, 1788
William Hillhouse Connecticut1783, 1785
Thomas Holden Rhode Island1788, 1789
Charles Johnson North Carolina1781, 1784, 1785
Gabriel Jones Virginia1779
Samuel Jones New York1788
Henry Latimer Delaware1784
Levi Lincoln Massachusetts1781
Rawlins Lowndes South Carolina1779
Nathaniel Macon North Carolina1785
Daniel Manton Rhode Island1787
Alexander Martin North Carolina1786
Luther Martin Virginia1784
George Mason Virginia1777
Joseph McDowell North Carolina1787
Lachlan McIntosh Georgia1784
John McKinly Delaware1784
William Montgomery Pennsylvania1784
William Moore Pennsylvania1777
William Moultrie South Carolina1784
Paul Mumford Rhode Island1785
John Neilson New Jersey1778
Joseph Nicholson Maryland1777
William O'Bryen Georgia1789
Adlai Osborne North Carolina1784
Henry Osborne Georgia1786
William Paterson New Jersey1780, 1787
Samuel Patterson Delaware1784
Elisha Payne New Hampshire1784
Nathaniel Pendleton Georgia1789
Thomas Person North Carolina1784
Peter Phillips Rhode Island1785
John Pickering New Hampshire1787
William Pitkin Connecticut1784
Thomas Polk North Carolina1786
Richard Ridgely Maryland1784, 1785
Gustavus Scott Maryland1784
William Smallwood Maryland1784
Benjamin Smith North Carolina1784
John Sparhawk New Hampshire1786
Samuel Stirk Georgia1781
John Stokes North Carolina1787
Caleb Strong Massachusetts1780
Jedediah Strong Connecticut1782, 1784, 1784
James Sullivan Massachusetts1782, 1783
Thomas Sumter South Carolina1783
Ebenezer Thompson New Hampshire1778, 1783
John Treadwell Connecticut1784, 1785, 1787
Paul Trapier South Carolina1777
Joseph Trumbull Connecticut1774
Timothy Walker Jr. New Hampshire1777, 1778, 1782, 1785
James Warren Massachusetts1782
Joshua Wentworth New York1779
Benjamin West New Hampshire1787
Stephen West Virginia1780
Erastus Wolcott North Carolina1774, 1787, 1788
 Source (unless otherwise noted): [4]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 John Dickinson served as a delegate from Pennsylvania to the 1st Continental Congress (1774). He also served twice in the 2nd Continental Congress, first as a delegate from Pennsylvania (1775–76), and then as a delegate from Delaware (1779).

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Continental Congress</span> 1775–1781 convention of the Thirteen Colonies

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The Annapolis Convention, formally titled as a Meeting of Commissioners to Remedy Defects of the Federal Government, was a national political convention held September 11–14, 1786 at Mann's Tavern in Annapolis, Maryland, in which twelve delegates from five U.S. states gathered to discuss and develop a consensus on reversing the protectionist trade barriers that each state had erected. At the time, under the Articles of Confederation, each state was largely independent from the others, and the national government had no authority to regulate trade between and among the states. New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and North Carolina had appointed commissioners, who failed to arrive in Annapolis in time to attend the meeting, and Connecticut, Maryland, South Carolina, and Georgia had taken no action at all. The convention also related to George Washington's plans concerning the waterways connecting the Potomac and the Ohio River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Tilghman</span> American politician (1718–1790)

Matthew Tilghman was an American planter, and Revolutionary leader from Maryland. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress from 1774 to 1776, where he signed the 1774 Continental Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Dickinson</span> Founding Father of the United States (1732-1808)

John Dickinson, a Founding Father of the United States, was an attorney and politician from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Wilmington, Delaware. Dickinson was known as the "Penman of the Revolution" for his twelve Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania, published individually in 1767 and 1768, and he also wrote "The Liberty Song" in 1768.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Founding Fathers of the United States</span> Leaders in the formation of the United States

The Founding Fathers of the United States, commonly referred to as the Founding Fathers, were a group of late-18th-century American revolutionary leaders who united the Thirteen Colonies, oversaw the War of Independence from Great Britain, established the United States of America, and crafted a framework of government for the new nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gunning Bedford Jr.</span> American Founding Father and judge

Gunning Bedford Jr. was an American Founding Father, delegate to the Congress of the Confederation, Attorney General of Delaware, a delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1787 which drafted the United States Constitution, a signer of the United States Constitution, and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Delaware.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Carroll</span> American politician, signed US Constitution (1730–1796)

Daniel Carroll was an American politician and plantation owner from Maryland and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He supported the American Revolution, served in the Confederation Congress, was a delegate to the Philadelphia Convention of 1787 which penned the Constitution of the United States, and was a U.S. Representative in the First Congress. Carroll was one of five men to sign both the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. He was one of the few Roman Catholics among the Founders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Duane</span> American Founding Father and judge

James Duane was an American Founding Father, attorney, jurist, and American Revolutionary leader from New York. He served as a delegate to the First Continental Congress, the Second Continental Congress and the Congress of the Confederation, a New York state senator, the 44th Mayor of New York City, the 1st post-colonial Mayor of New York City and a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of New York. Duane was a signatory of the Continental Association and the Articles of Confederation.

William Churchill Houston, a Founding Father of the United States, was a teacher, lawyer and statesman. Houston served as a delegate representing New Jersey in both the Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention. He was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1780.

Thomas Sim Lee was an American planter, patriot and politician who served as Maryland Governor for five one-year terms, as well as in the Congress of the Confederation (1783-84), Maryland Ratification Convention of 1788 and House of Delegates in 1787. He also held local offices and owned many town lots in Georgetown (which became part of the new federal city, Washington, District of Columbia,and spent his final decades operating "Needwood" plantation in Frederick County, Maryland. In addition to working closely with many of the Founding fathers, he played an important part in the birth of his state and the nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Congress of the Confederation</span> Governing body of the United States from 1781 to 1789

The Congress of the Confederation, or the Confederation Congress, formally referred to as the United States in Congress Assembled, was the governing body of the United States from March 1, 1781, until March 3, 1789, during the Confederation period. A unicameral body with legislative and executive function, it was composed of delegates appointed by the legislatures of the several states. Each state delegation had one vote. The Congress was created by the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union upon its ratification in 1781, formally replacing the Second Continental Congress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of drafting and ratification of the United States Constitution</span>

The drafting of the Constitution of the United States began on May 25, 1787, when the Constitutional Convention met for the first time with a quorum at the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to revise the Articles of Confederation. It ended on September 17, 1787, the day the Frame of Government drafted by the convention's delegates to replace the Articles was adopted and signed. The ratification process for the Constitution began that day, and ended when the final state, Rhode Island, ratified it on May 29, 1790.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Confederation period</span> Era of United States history in the 1780s

The Confederation period was the era of United States history in the 1780s after the American Revolution and prior to the ratification of the United States Constitution. In 1781, the United States ratified the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union and prevailed in the Battle of Yorktown, the last major land battle between British and American Continental forces in the American Revolutionary War. American independence was confirmed with the 1783 signing of the Treaty of Paris. The fledgling United States faced several challenges, many of which stemmed from the lack of a strong national government and unified political culture. The period ended in 1789 following the ratification of the United States Constitution, which established a new, more powerful, national government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Paca</span> American Founding Father and judge (1740–1799)

William Paca was a Founding Father of the United States who was a signatory to the Continental Association and the United States Declaration of Independence. He was a Maryland delegate to the First Continental Congress and the Second Continental Congress, governor of Maryland, and a district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maryland.

References

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  6. "Charles Carroll of Carrollton (1737-1832)". MSA Biographical Series. Annapolis, Maryland: Maryland State Archives. December 28, 2000. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  7. "Daniel Carroll (1730-1796)". MSA Biographical Series. Annapolis, Maryland: Maryland State Archives. November 25, 2012. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
  8. "Chase, Samuel". Biographical Directory of Federal Judges. Washington, D.C.: Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
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  15. "Jay, John". Biographical Directory of Federal Judges. Washington, D.C.: Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  16. 1 2 "First Continental Congress: Proceedings of the First Continental Congress". ushistory.org. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Independence Hall Association. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
  17. "Hugh Williamson 1735–1819". Penn People. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  18. "Andrew Allen 1740–1825". Penn People. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  19. "Edward Biddle 1738–1779". Penn People. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  20. "David Jackson 1747–1801". Penn People. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  21. "Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg 1750–1801". Penn People. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  22. "Charles Pettit 1736–1806". Penn People. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  23. "Rush, Benjamin, (1746–1813)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Washington, D.C.: House Office of History and Preservation, Senate Office of the Historian. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
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  25. "William Shippen 1712–1801". Penn People. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  26. "Jonathan B. Smith 1742–1812". Penn People. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  27. "James Wilson 1742–1798". Penn People. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
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  29. 1 2 3 "Members of the Continental Congress from Virginia". The Hornbook of Virginia History. April 16, 2012. Retrieved May 9, 2019 via Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, December 3, 2018.

Further reading