The First Continental Congress: A Short History

By Doug West

If you want to learn about the First Continental Congress held in 1774 but don’t have the time or patience to read a thick book, then the short and concise book “The First Continental Congress: A Short History” is the book for you. In this book you will read about:
•The British imposed the harsh Coercive Acts on the citizens of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in response to the Boston Tea Party.
•Men like Samuel Adams and John Adams in Boston; Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington in Virginia; openly opposed the British aggression.
•In September 1774, 56 delegates from 12 of the British colonies in North America came together in the First Continental Congress to seek redress for their grievances against King George III and the British Parliament.
•The delegates endorsed the radical Suffolk Resolves and voted down Joseph Galloway’s Plan for Union.
•A petition was drafted and sent to King George III listing the colonies grievances with the British Parliament.
•The Congress formed a Continental Association which established a network to enforce the boycott on British goods.
•The delegates agreed to meet the following spring if the British did not address their grievances.
•The First Continental Congress of 1774 formed the basis of the modern legislative branch of the United States government.
•And more...

The book “The First Continental Congress: A Short History” gives a crisp look at this meeting of the first Congress of what would become the United States. To help explain the meeting of the First Continental Congress the book contains: several illustrations, a timeline to link together the events of the congress, a section that contains short biographical sketches of the key individuals in the book, and a list of reference books for further reading.

30-Minute Book Series
This is the 55th book in the 30-Minute Book Series. Books in this series are fast-paced, accurate, and cover the story in as much detail as a short book possibly can. Most people complete each book in less than an hour, which makes the books in the series a perfect companion for your lunch hour, a school project, or a little down time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Doug West
• Release date: Jun 14, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005286286

Doug West

Doug West is a retired engineer, small business owner, and an experienced non-fiction writer with several books to his credit. His writing interests are general, with expertise in science, history, biographies, numismatics, and “How to” topics. Doug has a B.S. in Physics from the Missouri School of Science and Technology and a Ph.D. in General Engineering from Oklahoma State University. He lives with his wife and little dog “Millie” near Kansas City, Missouri.

Book preview

The First Continental Congress

A Short History

Doug West, Ph.D

C&D Publications

The First Continental Congress

A Short History

By Doug West, Ph.D.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Copyright © 2021 Doug West

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. Reviewers may quote brief passages in reviews.

Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1 – Growing Unrest in the American Colonies Over the Tea Act

Chapter 2 – Setting the Stage for the First Continental Congress

Chapter 3 – The First Continental Congress Begins

Chapter 4 – Formation of the Continental Association

Chapter 5 – Aftermath of the Congress

Timeline of the First Continental Congress

Biographical Sketches

References and Further Readings

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Additional Books in the 30 Minute Book Series

Preface

Welcome to the book, The First Continental Congress, A Short History. This book is volume 55 of the 30 Minute Book Series, and as the name of the series implies, if you are an average reader this book should take less than an hour to read. Since this short book is not meant to be an all-encompassing history of the First Continental Congress, you may want to know more about this pivotal moment in American history. To help you with this, there are several good references at the end of this book. I have also provided a Timeline, in order to link together the important events of the Congress, and a section of the book titled Biographical Sketches, which includes brief biographies of some of the key individuals in the book. In the text, those individuals who are in one of the biographical sketches will have their name in bold print the first time they appear in the book.

Thank you for purchasing this book. I hope you enjoy your time reading about the First Continental Congress of the United States.

Doug West

June 2021

Introduction

Following the lead of the Spaniards, in 1607 the British established a foothold in North America with a fledgling colony in Jamestown in Virginia. For the next 150 years, English men and women immigrated to America, the new land of opportunity, seeking to build a better life. Along with the English came French, more Spanish, and Dutch colonists hoping to expand their domains into this new frontier. Friction arose between the two arch-rivals, Great Britain and France, over trade and land rights in America, culminating in 1754 with the start of the French and Indian War. Though the English ultimately defeated the French, nearly driving them out of North America, the near