Events
1772Samuel Adams creates first Committee of Correspondence
1774First Continental Congress convenes in PhiladelphiaBoycott of British goods begins
1775American forces win Battle of Lexington and ConcordSecond Continental Congress convenes in PhiladelphiaSecond Continental Congress extends Olive Branch
PetitionKing George III declares colonies in state of
rebellion
Key People
John Adams - Prominent
Bostonian lawyer who opposed reconciliation with Britain during
the Continental Congresses
Samuel Adams - Second
cousin to John Adams and ardent political activist
George III - King
of Great Britain; declared colonies in state of rebellion in
1775
Patrick Henry - Fiery
radical famous for his “Give me liberty or give me death” speech
George Washington - Virginia planter and militia officer; took command
of the Continental Army in
1775
Committees of Correspondence
In 1772, Samuel
Adams of Boston created the first Committee of Correspondence,
which was primarily an exchange of ideas in letters and pamphlets
among members. Within a few years, this one committee led to dozens
of similar discussion groups in towns throughout the colonies. Eventually,
these isolated groups came together to facilitate the exchange of
ideas and solidify opposition to the Crown. The Committees of Correspondence
proved invaluable in uniting colonists, distributing information,
and organizing colonial voices of opposition.
The First Continental Congress
In response to the Intolerable Acts, delegates
from twelve of the thirteen colonies (Georgia chose not to attend)
met at the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia
in the autumn of 1774 to
discuss a course of action. The delegates were all fairly prominent
men in colonial political life but held different philosophical
beliefs. Samuel Adams, John Adams, Patrick
Henry, and George Washington were among the
more famous men who attended.
Although rebellion against the Crown was at this point
still far from certain, leaders believed grievances had to be redressed
to Parliament and King George III. The delegates met
for nearly two months and concluded with a written Declaration of
Rights and requests to Parliament, George III, and the British people
to repeal the Coercive Acts so that harmony could be
restored.
Natural Rights
The First Continental Congress marked an important turning
point in colonial relations with Britain. Although some delegates
still hoped for reconciliation, the decisions they made laid the
foundations for revolt. Even though American colonial leaders had
petitioned Parliament and King George III to repeal taxes in the
past, never had they boldly denounced them until this point, when
they claimed that Britain’s actions had violated their natural
rights and the principles of the English constitution.
This appeal to natural rights above the king or God was
groundbreaking because it justified and even legalized colonial
opposition to the Crown. It converted the riotous street mobs into
people justly defending their freedoms. In other words, the Americans
were not in the wrong for resisting British policy. Rather, Britain
was to blame because it had attempted to strip Americans of their
natural rights as human beings. Thomas Jefferson later extrapolated
these legal appeals in the Declaration of Independence.
The Boycott
The Continental Congress delegates decided that
until the Coercive Acts were repealed, a stronger system of nonimportation
agreements, including a new boycott of all Britigh
goods, should be organized and administered throughout the colonies.
Patriotic colonists argued that the purchase of any British-produced
goods—especially those goods made from American raw materials—only
perpetuated the servile relationship the colonies had to London
under the system of mercantilism.
