the continental congress

Quebec Act and Colonial Perceptions

• Quebec Act of $1774$ expanded Quebec's boundaries and governance; colonists feared 'priestly tyranny' and Popery; Young Alexander Hamilton warned Parliament would establish arbitrary power and Popery in such a country.

• The act intensified fears of Catholic influence and the loss of colonial liberties; used as a symbol of aristocratic overreach, fueling anti-British sentiment even before calls for independence.

The Continental Congress (1774) and The Association

• After the Boston Port Act, colonies rallied; a Continental Congress met in Philadelphia to address grievances.

• 12 of 13 colonies participated (Georgia absent); notable delegates included $Samuel Adams$, $John Adams$, $George Washington$, $Patrick Henry$.

• The Congress was consultative, not legislative; John Adams played a pivotal role in steering toward a revolutionary course; moderates' proposal for home rule under British direction was defeated.

• The Congress produced several papers, including a Declaration of Rights, and established The Association: a complete boycott of British goods (nonimportation, nonexportation, and nonconsumption).

• The delegates were not yet calling for independence; they aimed to repeal offensive legislation and restore pre-taxation conditions; if grievances were not addressed, the Congress would reconvene in $May 1775$.

• Intercolonial frictions were eased somewhat by social activity after work, and though the Congress sought unity, open rebellion had not yet begun; The Association's enforcement included tar-and-feathering of violators and rising militia sentiment.

The Road to War and Public Sentiment

• Violators of The Association faced punishment (tar and feathering); colonial unity strengthened around resistance to parliamentary taxation without representation.

• Muskets were gathered and men began to drill openly; the political momentum drifted toward confrontation with Britain.

The Revolutionary War Begins

• In the early $April 1775$, the British commander in Boston sent a detachment of troops to nearby Lexington; this escalation marked the transition from colonial grievances to armed conflict.

Key Figures

• $John Adams$: pivotal in steering Congress toward a revolutionary stance and in shaping key documents.

• $Samuel Adams$: influential leadership and advocacy.

• $George Washington$: rising leadership and proximity to military mobilization.

• $Patrick Henry$: prominent advocate for resistance.