Washington’s support of using non-importation as leverage against the British can be traced back as far as 1769 in letters between him and George Mason. The Virginia Association had passed at the Virginia Convention with George Washington in attendance. Some colonies had already created their own associations to ban importation and, in some cases, exportation. Prior to the Continental Congress, eight colonies had already endorsed the measure and merchants had been warned against placing any orders with Britain, as a ban on importation was likely to pass. The idea of using non-importation as leverage was neither new nor unexpected. The delegates from Virginia showed up to the Continental Congress united, and refused to waiver on the issue of delaying the ban on exports to Britain. Before the Continental Congress, Virginia had passed its own association that delayed ending exports to avoid hurting farmers with a sudden change in policy. Virginia secured the Continental Association’s delay in ending exports to Britain. Many colonial leaders hoped these efforts would bond the colonies together economically. The committees of inspection even enforced frugality, going so far as to end lavish funeral services and parties. These committees would check ships that arrived in ports, force colonists to sign documents pledging loyalty to the Continental Association, and suppress mob violence. This policy would be enforced by local and colony-wide committees of inspection. The Association called for an end to British imports starting in December 1774 and an end to exporting goods to Britain in September 1775. This would become their most important policy outcome. Congress’s early endorsement of the Suffolk Resolves was a clear indication of the mood and spirit in Carpenters’ Hall.įurthermore, the delegates promptly began drafting and discussing the Continental Association. The Suffolk Resolves ordered citizens to not obey the Intolerable Acts, to refuse imported British goods, and to raise a militia. One of the Congress’s first decisions was to endorse the Suffolk Resolves passed in Suffolk County, Massachusetts. When Congress convened on September 5, 1774, Peyton Randolph of Virginia was named President of the First Continental Congress. Facing a war with neighboring Native American tribes, the colony did not want to jeopardize British assistance. Georgia was the only colony that did not send any delegates to the First Continental Congress. As for Washington, he was elected with the other Virginia delegates at the First Virginia Convention, which was called in support of Massachusetts following the passage of the Intolerable Acts. Some delegates were elected through their respective colonial legislatures or committees of correspondence. The colonies elected delegates to the First Continental Congress in various ways. Virginia’s Committee of Correspondence is largely credited with originating the invitation. ![]() Goods arrived in Massachusetts from as far south as Georgia, and by late spring 1774, nine of the colonies called for a continental congress. ![]() ![]() The Intolerable Acts, among other changes, closed off the Boston Port and rescinded the Massachusetts Charter, bringing the colony under more direct British control.Īcross North America, colonists rose in solidarity with the people of Massachusetts. ![]() The First Continental Congress was prompted by the Coercive Acts, known in America as the Intolerable Acts, which Parliament passed in early 1774 to reassert its dominance over the American colonies following the Boston Tea Party. Delegates discussed boycotting British goods to establish the rights of Americans and planned for a Second Continental Congress. The list of delegates included many prominent colonial leaders, such as Samuel Adams of Massachusetts, and two future presidents of the United States, George Washington and John Adams. Delegates from twelve of Britain’s thirteen American colonies met to discuss America’s future under growing British aggression. The First Continental Congress convened in Carpenters’ Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, between September 5 and October 26, 1774.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |