The First Continental Congress met mainly to organize a united colonial response to British policies and to seek a peaceful resolution to growing tensions, not yet to declare full independence. Its leaders wanted to defend what they saw as the traditional rights of the colonies while pressuring Britain to repeal harsh new laws.

Core purpose

  • To protest the Intolerable (Coercive) Acts passed after the Boston Tea Party and demand their repeal.
  • To assert the colonies’ claimed rights—like representation in taxation, trial by jury, and self-government under their charters and the English constitution.
  • To coordinate a common strategy so the colonies did not respond to Britain in a scattered or conflicting way.

What they actually did

  • Formed the Continental Association, a collective boycott of most British imports and, later, exports, to put economic pressure on Britain.
  • Adopted a Declaration and Resolves (also called a Declaration of American Rights), laying out their political principles and specific grievances.
  • Sent petitions and addresses to King George III and the British people, asking for reconciliation and a return to earlier, less oppressive conditions.

Not yet independence

  • Many delegates still hoped to repair the relationship with Britain and aimed for reconciliation, not immediate separation.
  • At the same time, others used the meeting to push a stronger stance, helping lay groundwork for the Second Continental Congress and, eventually, independence.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.