Chapter 4, Lesson 4

Chapter 4, Lesson 4

First Continental Congress: 1774

Multiple Choice

What was the name of the famous protest that we talked about yesterday?

• The Boston Tax Party

• The Boston Tea Party

• The Boston Celtics

The First Continental Congress: 1774

• The British actions against Boston increased the colonists' need to be more unified against the king

• Samuel Adams wanted to find ways to bring about more changes

• Earlier protests had been successful

• He decided that a meeting, or congress, of representatives from all colonies should be held

Why did the First Continental Congress Meet?

• Adams invited all the colonies to a convention in Philadelphia

• A convention is a meeting called for a special purpose

• This Continental Congress would help bring about a better understanding of possible actions against the king

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First Continental Congress

• The meeting was called a Continental Congress because the British referred to Americans as Continentals

• All of the colonies except Georgia elected delegates to the Congress

• 56 important men attended, including George Washington, Patrick Henry, Samuel Adams, John Adams, and John Jay

First Continental Congress

• These patriots were well educated and were leaders in their colonies

• A patriot is someone who loves his or her own country

• The Continental Congress was held in Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia in September 1774

First Continental Congress

• The delegates debated important issues for seven weeks

• They agreed that a Declaration of Rights should be adopted and sent to the king

• The Declaration made it clear that taxation by the British would be unacceptable to the colonies

First Continental Congress

• The Congress also agreed to boycott British goods

• The Boycott was to be strictly enforced by committees

• Another Continental Congress would be held in May of 1775 if the king rejected the Declaration of Rights

• The king and Parliament became furious when they received this declaration

Britain's reaction

• They replied that the colonists would be crushed into submission

• A few British leaders warned Parliament that changes needed to be made

• The king and Parliament refused to listen to these men

Lexington and Concord

• American leaders were sure that the colonists would have to fight for their freedom

• A group of men had to be trained to be soldiers since the colonists had no organized army

• They were called minutemen because they agreed to gather at a minute's notice and become soldiers

Lexington and Concord

• General Gage, the military governor of Massachusetts, became aware of the military supplies stored at Concord

• He had ordered a regiment under Major Pitcairn to seize all the supplies, including a gunpowder supply, stored at Concord

• They had also been instructed to travel to Lexington and capture the rebel leaders

Lexington and Concord

• Revere was captured by the British, and Dawes was forced to flee toward Lexington

• However, Samuel Prescott, a third rider, continued the journey to Concord

• He warned colonists that the British were approaching

• The colonists rushed to meet the British at Lexington

Lexington and Concord

• Major Pitcairn reached Lexington in April of 1775

• He was surprised to find about 70 minutemen waiting for him

• Both sides fired shots and a number of people were injured or killed

• These shots were later called the "shots heard round the world"

• The war with Great Britain was about to begin

Multiple Choice

What was the purpose of the First Continental Congress?

• Figure out what to do about the British

• Provide more funding for the schools

• To remove the King from power

Multiple Choice

Who were the delegates at the First Continental Congress?

• People from all of the colonies except for Georgia

• People from all of the colonies except for California

• British officials

Multiple Choice

What action did the Continental Congress take?

• They sent a Declaration of Rights to the king

• They agreed to push American Indians further to the west

• They didn't do anything

Multiple Choice

Who were the minutemen?

• A group of men trained to be electricians

• A group of men trained to be lawyers

• A group of men trained to be soldiers

Multiple Choice

A patriot is...

• Someone who hates his or her own country

• Someone who loves his or her own country

• Someone who fights for no reason at all