Second Continental Congress (1775)
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| Second Continental Congress (1775) | |
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| Name | Second Continental Congress |
| Caption | Delegates signing documents, 1776 |
| Date | May 10, 1775 – March 1, 1781 |
| Location | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania State House |
| Participants | Delegates from the Thirteen Colonies |
| Outcome | Formation of the Continental Army, Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation |
Second Continental Congress (1775) The Second Continental Congress convened in May 1775 in Philadelphia as delegates from the Thirteen Colonies, including leaders such as John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock, and Samuel Adams, gathered after the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the Siege of Boston, and rising tensions following the Intolerable Acts and the First Continental Congress. It managed wartime policy, established the Continental Army under George Washington, commissioned diplomatic missions to France, Spain, and the Dutch Republic, and produced foundational documents culminating in the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation.
Background and Causes
Rising conflict after the Boston Massacre, enforcement of the Stamp Act and the Townshend Acts, and colonial reactions to the Coercive Acts propelled delegates from Massachusetts Bay Colony, Virginia Colony, New York (province), Pennsylvania, Maryland, Rhode Island, Connecticut Colony, New Hampshire, Delaware Colony, North Carolina Colony, South Carolina, and Georgia (U.S. state) to reconvene following the First Continental Congress at Carpenter's Hall. Incidents such as the clashes at Lexington and Concord and the Battle of Bunker Hill amplified calls for coordinated resistance among proponents like Patrick Henry, John Dickinson, Elbridge Gerry, Roger Sherman, and Richard Henry Lee while loyalist leaders including Thomas Hutchinson and William Howe represented imperial opposition espoused by King George III, Lord North, and the British Parliament.
Convening and Composition
The Congress assembled on May 10, 1775, with a roster including prominent delegates Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Samuel Adams, Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock, Robert Morris, James Wilson, George Wythe, Francis Hopkinson, James Otis Jr., Carter Braxton, John Rutledge, Arthur Lee, John Dickinson, Joseph Galloway, John Witherspoon, Stephen Hopkins, and Thomas Mifflin. Delegates represented diverse colonial interests from Boston, Newport, Charleston, South Carolina, Williamsburg, Virginia, and Philadelphia, balancing radical advocates of independence with moderates seeking reconciliation with King George III and ministers like Lord Dartmouth. Committees composed of delegates, such as the Committee of Secret Correspondence and the Board of War, coordinated with provincial assemblies, local militias, and continental bodies like the Continental Congress predecessors.
Major Actions and Legislation
The Congress approved the formation of the Continental Army and appointed George Washington as commander-in-chief, issued the Olive Branch Petition and later moved toward independence via the Lee Resolution and the drafting of the Declaration of Independence by a committee including Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston. It created fiscal measures including the Continental currency, issued Continental dollars, established the Board of War, authorized the Navy Board and privateering commissions, managed supplies through agents like Robert Morris and George Clymer, and adopted the Articles of Confederation draft for intercolonial governance with input from delegates such as John Dickinson and Thomas McKean.
Military Management and the Continental Army
Responding to the Siege of Boston, the Congress organized the Continental Army, raised forces from militias in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the southern provinces, and coordinated operations during campaigns including the Invasion of Canada (1775–1776), the New York and New Jersey campaign, and engagements around Boston and Bunker Hill. The Congress directed logistics, supply, officer commissions, and rank disputes involving figures like Horatio Gates, Nathanael Greene, Benedict Arnold, Israel Putnam, William Howe (British), and Henry Knox, while grappling with recruitment, enlistment terms, and pay administered by the Board of War and financiers such as Haym Salomon and Robert Morris.
Diplomacy and Foreign Relations
The Congress pursued foreign assistance by establishing the Committee of Secret Correspondence under Benjamin Franklin and Silas Deane to secure aid from France, Spain, and the Dutch Republic, culminating in informal support from French agents and later formal alliances after the Declaration of Independence. Delegates dispatched envoys including Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Franklin's son William Franklin's opponents, negotiated with figures like Comte de Vergennes, and sought recognition and loans from bankers in Amsterdam and merchants in Lisbon; these efforts laid groundwork for the Treaty of Alliance (1778) and Treaty of Paris (1783).
Political Debates and Internal Divisions
The Congress contained factions: radicals led by John Adams, Samuel Adams, and Richard Henry Lee advocating independence; moderates like John Dickinson and Joseph Galloway favoring reconciliation; and pragmatic delegates concerned with finance and civil order such as Robert Morris and John Rutledge. Debates over sovereignty, state constitutions, the authority to levy taxes, treatment of Loyalists including Benedict Arnold before his defection, and slavery—illustrated by delegates from Virginia and South Carolina—exposed regional tensions between New England, the Middle Colonies, and the Southern Colonies, complicating unity during wartime.
Legacy and Impact
The Congress transitioned the colonies from provincial resistance to a unified revolutionary entity, creating institutions that enabled the Declaration of Independence, the formation of the Continental Army, early diplomatic successes that led to the Franco-American alliance, and the Articles of Confederation which preceded the United States Constitution. Its actions influenced later constitutional debates involving figures like James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and shaped international perceptions among European powers including France and Spain, leaving a legacy evident in state constitutions, republican experiments, and the eventual establishment of the United States of America.
Category:Continental Congresses