There were 44 delegates who met in Carpenters Hall in Philadelphia. Those who came were George Washington, Patrick Henry, John Jay, John Adams and Samuel Adams. Peyton Randolph was chosen president of the Continental Congress. Peyton Randolph suggested working out of the way of British rule. Leaders of the various colonies all agreed that such a meeting was welcome and necessary to coordinate their response to the British rule. On May 25 1774 the Massachusetts General courts elected to the governor's council. Governor Hutchinson vetoed twelve of its members, including John Adams. The council appointed a delegation to the Continental Congress. The delegation consisted of Thomas Cushing, James Bowdoin, Robert Treat Paine. John and Samuel Adams.
In 1774, the British Parliament passed a series of laws collectively known as the Intolerable Acts, with the intent to suppress unrest in colonial Boston by closing the port and placing it under martial law. In response, colonial protestors led by a group called the Sons of Liberty issued a call for a boycott. Merchant communities were unwilling to participate in such a boycott unless there were mutually agreed upon terms and a means to enforce the boycott’s provisions. Spurred by local pressure groups, colonial legislatures empowered delegates to attend a Continental Congress which would set terms for a boycott. The colony of Connecticut was …show more content…
Many delegates were skeptical about changing the king’s attitude towards the colonies, but believed that every opportunity should be exhausted to de-escalate the conflict before taking more radical action. They did not draft such a letter to the British Parliament as the colonists viewed the Parliament as the aggressor behind the recent Intolerable Acts. Lastly, not fully expecting the standoff in Massachusetts to explode into full-scale war, the Congress agreed to reconvene in Philadelphia on May 10,