Why is the First Continental Congress famous?

The Boston Tea Party was a power statement that shook the British government. The British knew that Boston would be a source for more trouble and resistance. There was only one solution to avoid this- adopt a divide-and-conquer strategy and isolate Boston from the rest of the colonies. But, the results of the Intolerable Acts were quite the opposite.

The First Continental Congress was organised at the Carpenters’ Hall, Philadelphia in the autumn of 1774. Delegates from all colonies except Georgia gathered to show support for Boston and to work out a unified approach against the British. The Congress conducted spirited discussions about how the colonies could collectively respond to the British government’s coercive actions and agreed to boycott British goods.

On 14 October, 1774, the Congress issued the Declaration of Colonial Rights. Though the Declaration had a harsh undertone, it did not challenge colonial loyalty to King George III, the British monarch. The Declaration also affirmed the British Parliament’s right to regulate trade.

Despite some radical colonists who believed that open revolt was inevitable, the Congress did neither seek nor declare independence from Britain at this time.

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