Congress assembled Monday, September 5, 1774, at Carpenter's Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Organized with Peyton Randolph as President, and Charles Thomson as Secretary. Twelve colonies represented by 54 delegates.

New Hampshire. - John Sullivan, Nathaniel Folsom.

Thos. Cushing, Sam'l Adams, Jno. Adams, Robt.

Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. - Steph. Hopkins, Sam'l Ward.

Connecticut.-Eliphalet Dyer, Roger Sherman, Silas Deane.

New York.-Jas. Duane, Jno. Jay, Isaac Low, Jno. Alsop, Wm. Floyd, Philip Livingston, Henry Wisner.

New Jersey. - Jas. Kinsey, Stephen Crane, Wm. Livingston, Richard Smith, Jno. de Hart.

Pennsylvania. -Jos. Galloway, Jno. Morton, Chas. Humphreys, Thos. Mifflin, Sam'l Rhodes, Edward Biddle, Geo. Ross, Jno. Dickenson. Delaware. - Cæsar Rodney, Thos. McKean, Geo. Read. Maryland. Robt. Goldsborough, Sam'l Chase, Thos. Johnson, Matthew Tilghman, Wm. Paca.

Virginia. - Peyton Randolph, Richard Henry Lee, Geo. Washington, Patrick Henry, Richard Bland, Benj. Harrison, Edmund Pendleton.

North Carolina.

- Wm. Hooper, Jos. Hewes, Richard Caswell. South Carolina. - Henry Middleton, Jno. Rutledge, Thos. Lynch, Christopher Gadsden, Edward Rutledge.

October 14, 1774. Adoption of a "Declaration of Rights." (See Index.)

October 20, 1774. Articles of Association adopted, pledging in due time the country to non-importation, non-exportation, and nonconsumption, so as to sever completely relations with England — “a determination to suppress luxury, encourage frugality, and promote domestic manufactures."

The commencement of the American Union inaugurated, October 20, 1774.

October 21, 1774. An address "To the People of Great Britain " adopted. [Written by John Jay.] Journals of Congress, Vol. I. p. 36.

October 21, 1774. An address "To the Inhabitants of the Several Anglo-American Colonies" adopted. [Written by William Livingston.] Journals of Congress, Vol. I. p. 43.

October 26, 1774. An "Address to the Inhabitants of the Prov[Written by Jno. Dickenson.] Journals of

ince of Quebec" adopted.

Congress, Vol. I. p. 55.

October 26, 1774.

A "Petition of Congress to the King" adopted. [Drawn up by Jno. Adams, corrected by Jno. Dickenson.] Journals of Congress, Vol. I. p. 63.

Congress adjourned, October 26, 1774, to meet, May 10, 1775. Length of session 52 days, actual session 31 days.

THE DECLARATION OF COLONIAL RIGHTS. ADOPTED BY THE FIRST CONTINENTAL CONGRESS, OCTOBER 14, 1774. The demands of England resisted on three grounds:

I. The laws of nature according to which all men have equal rights. II. The principles of the English constitution, which were the most just and free then known.

III. The charters which had been granted the colonies, and which recognized them as possessing all the rights of Englishmen, whether resident in any colony or in the realm itself.

WHEREAS, since the close of the last war, the British parliament claiming a power of right, to bind the people of America by statutes in all cases whatsoever, hath, in some acts, expressly imposed taxes on them, and in others, under various pretences, but in fact for the purpose of raising a revenue, hath imposed rates and duties payable in the colonies, established a board of commissioners, with unconstitutional powers, and extended the jurisdiction of courts of admiralty, not only for collecting the said duties, but for the trial of causes merely arising within the body of a country.

And whereas, in consequence of other statutes, judges, who before held only estates at will in their offices, have been made dependent on the crown alone for their salaries, and standing armies kept in times of peace: And whereas it has lately been resolved in parliament, that by force of a statute, made in the thirty-fifth year of the reign of king Henry the eighth, colonists may be transported to England, and tried there upon accusations for treasons and misprision, or concealinents of treasons committed in the colonies, and by a late statute, such trials have been directed in cases therein mentioned.

And whereas, in the last session of parliament, three statutes were made; one entitled an "Act to discontinue in such manner and for such time as are therein mentioned, the land"ing and discharging, lading, or shipping of goods, wares and merchandise, at the town, "and within the harbour of Boston, in the province of Massachusetts-Bay, in North"America; another, entitled "An act for the impartial administration of justice, in the "cases of persons questioned for any act done by them in the execution of the law, or for "the suppression of riots and tumults, in the province of the Massachusetts-Bay, in New "England;" and another statute was then made "for making more effectual provision for "the government of the province of Quebec, etc." All which statutes are impolitic, unjust and cruel, as well as unconstitutional, and most dangerous and destructive of American rights.

And whereas, assemblies have been frequently dissolved, contrary to the rights of the people, when they attempted to deliberate on grievances; and their dutiful, humble, loyal, and reasonable petitions to the crown for redress, have been repeatedly treated with contempt by his majesty's ministers of state:

The good people of the several colonies of New-Hampshire, Massachusetts-Bay, RhodeIsland and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New-York, New-Jersey, Pennsylvania,

New-Castle, Kent, and Sussex, on Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North-Carolina and South-Carolina, justly alarmed at these arbitrary proceedings of parliament and administration, have severally elected, constituted, and appointed deputies to meet, and sit in General Congress, in the city of Philadelphia in order to obtain such establishment as that their religion, laws, and liberties, may not be subverted. Whereupon the deputies so appointed being now assembled, in a full and free representation of these colonies, taking into their most serious consideration, the best means of attaining the ends aforesaid, do, in the first place, as Englishmen, their ancestors, in like cases have usually done for effecting and vindicating their rights and liberties DECLARE,

That the inhabitants of the English colonies in North-America, by the immutable laws of nature, the principals of the English constitution, and the several charters or compacts, have the following RIGHTS:

Resolved, N. C. D. 1. That they are entitled to life, liberty, and property, and they have never ceded to any sovereign power whatever, a right to dispose of either without their consent.

Resolved, N. C. D. 2. That our ancestors, who first settled these colonies, were at the time of their emigration from the mother country, entitled to all the rights, liberties, and immunities of free and natural-born subjects, within the realm of England.

Resolved, N. C. D. 3. That by such emigration they by no means forfeited, surrendered, or lost any of these rights, but that they were, and their descendants now are, entitled to the exercise and enjoyment of all such of them, as their local and other circumstances enable them to exercise and enjoy.

Resolved, 4. That the foundation of English liberty, and of all free government, is a right in the people to participate in their legislative council: and as the English colonists are not represented, and from their local and other circumstances, cannot properly be represented in the British parliament, they are entitled to a free and exclusive power of legislation in their several provincial legislatures, where their right of representation can alone be preserved, in all cases of taxation and internal polity, subject only to the negative of their sovereign, in such manner as has been heretofore used and accustomed. But, from the necessity of the case, and a regard to the mutual interest of both countries, we cheerfully consent to the operation of such acts of the British parliament, as are bona fide, restrained to the regulation of our external commerce, for the purpose of securing the commercial advantages of the whole empire to the mother country, and the commercial benefits of its respective members; excluding every idea of taxation internal or external, for raising a revenue on the subjects in America, without their consent.

Resolved, N. C. D. 5. That the respective colonies are entitled to the common law of England, and more especially to the great and inestimable privilege of being tried by their peers of the vicinage, according to the course of that law.

Resolved, 6. That they are entitled to the benefit of such of the English statutes, as existed at the time of their colonization; and which they have, by experience, respectively found to be applicable to their several local and other circumstances.

Resolved, N. C. D. 7. That these, his majesty's colonies, are likewise entitled to all the immunities and privileges granted and confirmed to them by royal charters, or secured by their several codes of provincial laws.

Resolved, N. C. D. 8. That they have a right peaceably to assemble, consider of their grievances, and petition the King; and that all prosecutions, prohibitory proclamations and commitments for the same, are illegal.

Resolved, N. C. D. 9. That the keeping a standing army in these colonies, in times of peace, without the consent of the legislature of that colony, in which such army is kept, is against law.

Resolved, N. C. D. 10. It is indispensably necessary to good government, and rendered essential by the English constitution, that the constituent branches of the legislature be independent of each other; that, therefore, the exercise of legislative power in several colonies, by a council appointed, during pleasure, by the crown, is unconstitutional, dangerous and destructive to the freedom of American legislation.

All and each of which the aforesaid deputies, in behalf of themselves, and their constituents, do claim, demand, and insist on, as their indubitable rights and liberties; which cannot be legally taken from them, altered or abridged by any power whatever, without their own consent, by their representatives in their several provincial legislatures.

In the course of our inquiry, we find many infringements and violations of the foregoing rights, which from an ardent desire, that harmony and mutual intercourse of affection and interest may be restored, we pass over for the present, and proceed to state such acts and measures as have been adopted since the last war, which demonstrate a system formed to enslave America.

Resolved, N. C. D. That the following acts of parliament are infringements and violations of the rights of the colonists; and that the repeal of them is essentially necessary, in order to restore harmony between Great Britain and the American colonies, viz.:

The several acts of 4 Geo. III. ch. 15, and ch. 34.5 Geo. III. ch. 25.6 Geo. III. ch. 52.7 Geo. III. ch. 41 and ch. 46.8 Geo. III. ch. 22, which impose duties for the purpose of raising a revenue in America, extend the power of the admiralty courts beyond their

1 N. C. D. Nemine contradicente (Lat.), no one speaking in opposition; that is, unanimously, often abbreviated nem, con.

ancient limits, deprive the American subject of trial by jury, authorize the judges' certificate to indemnify the prosecutor from damages, that he might otherwise be liable to, requiring oppressive security from a claimant of ships and goods seized, before he shall be allowed to defend his property, and are subversive of American rights.

Also 12 Geo. III. ch. 24, entitled "An act for the better securing his majesty's dockyards, magazines, ships, ammunition and stores," which declares a new offence in America, and deprives the American subject of a constitutional trial by jury of the vicinage, by authorizing the trial of any person, charged with the committing any offence described in the said act, out of the realm, to be indicted and tried for the same in any shire or county

within the realm.

Also the three acts passed in the last session of parliament, for stopping the port and blocking up the harbor of Boston, for altering the charter and government of Massachusetts-Bay, and that which is entitled "An act for the better administration of justice,"

etc.

Also the act passed in the same session for establishing the Roman Catholic religion, in the province of Quebec, abolishing the equitable system of English laws, and erecting a tyranny there, to the great danger (from so total a dissimilarity of religion, law and government) of the neighboring British colonies, by the assistance of whose blood and treasure the said country was conquered from France.

Also, the act passed in the same session, for the better providing suitable quarters for officers and soldiers in his majesty's service, in North America.

Also, that the keeping a standing army in several of these colonies, in time of peace, without the consent of the legislature of that colony, in which such army is kept, is against law.

To these grievous acts and measures, Americans cannot submit, but in hopes their fellow-subjects in Great Britain will, on a revision of them, restore us to that state, in which both countries found happiness and prosperity, we have for the present, only resolved to pursue the following peaceable measures:

1. To enter into a non-importation, non-consumption, and non-exportation agreement

or association.

2. To prepare an address to the people of Great Britain, and a memorial to the inhabitants of British America: and

3. To prepare a loyal address to his majesty, agreeable to resolutions already entered into.

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.

North Carolina took the first progressive step for independence, April 22, 1776, "to concur with those in the other colonies in declaring independence."

Virginia, May 17, 1776, prepared the title of the document, by directing her representatives to propose a "Declaration of Independence."

Rhode Island in May, 1776, ordered that the name of the "Colony of Rhode Island" be the oath of allegiance, instead of to the " King of Great Britain."

Delegates to Congress of the various colonies, instructed as follows:-
North Carolina, concur in declaring independence.

Massachusetts, voice the sentiment of Congress.
Virginia, propose a declaration of independence.
Rhode Island, a declaration of independence.
New York, without instructions.

Connecticut, assent to a declaration of independence.

New Hampshire, favor a declaration of independence.

New Jersey, act as judgments dictated.

Pennsylvania, not instructed.

Maryland, forbidden to vote for independence.

Georgia, vote as they pleased.

South Carolina, free to their opinions.

Delaware, no restrictions.

June 7, 1776. The feeling for independence culminated in Congress, when Richard Henry Lee, of the Virginia delegation, moved "that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown; and that all political connexion between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved; that measures should be immediately taken for procuring the assistance of foreign powers, and a confederation be formed to bind the colonies more closely together."

June 8, 1776. The resolution of June 7 taken into consideration and referred to a Committee of the Whole.

June 10, 1776. Resolution agreed to by Committee of the Whole read: Resolved, That the consideration of the first resolution be postponed to Monday, the first day of July next; and in the meanwhile, that no time be lost, in case the Congress agree thereto, that a committee be appointed to prepare a declaration to the effect of the said first resolution, which is in these words: "That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown: and that all political connexion between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved."

June 11, 1776. Resolved, That the committee for preparing the Declaration consist of five:

Committee: Th: Jefferson, Chairman; John Adams, Benj. Franklin, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston.

Richard Henry Lee, having made the motion for a declaration of independence (seconded by Adams), by legislative courtesy should have been named chairman of the committee to prepare the draft. Owing to receiving news of the serious illness of his wife (evening June tenth), he was compelled to ask for a leave of absence to visit his home.

June 28, 1776. The Committee reported to the House the Declaration of Independence; it was read and ordered to lie on the table.