In September 1774, twelve men met in Philadelphia for the first meeting of the Continental Congress. The meeting was set up to discuss issues of parliament control over the colonies. Mainly, the Congress set up plans that would retaliate against Britian's economy. They told Parliament to repeal the Intolerable Acts by September 1775 or they would cut off all colonial exports to Britian, Ireland, and the West Indies. Many British leaders wanted compromise, including William Pitt who suggested that Parliament should give up their power to tax the colonies.
The Congress infuriated British Parliament with these demands and identifed them as an illegal assembly. Lord North set some demands of his own. His terms stated that Americans had to recognize Parliaments power to tax them. He also set up a naval blockade that ceased all colonial exports to other countries besides Britian. This was the beginning of the road to independence and the colonies governing themselves.
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Lord North did attempt some level of compromise by persuading parliament to repeal some of the townshend initiatives, which led to temporary satisfaction in the colonies. But he did believe in parliament supremacy and the need for the colonies to recognize this.
The First Continental Congress did create unity among the colonies. Working together to boycott and get taxes repealled gave them a common interest, but what is going to happen when they don't have something to hate together?
The first continental congress was the first step to creating unity in the colonies. This gave the colonist a chance to all touch on what needs to be done to boycott the englsih. Communication was so difficult it gave the colonists a chance to all agree on what to boycott and how to do it, as well as future plans.
Without the continental congress it probably would not have been possible for the colonies to band together as they did. It spread the feelings felt mostly in the northern colonies to the rest of them as well.
The First Continental Congress was one of many things that united the colonists and I think ultimately led the success of the United States. The colonists were also united by all of the taxes the British were placing on them, their dislike of the Proclamation Line, all of their attempts at protest, their paranoia over the presence of the British military, and their general hatred toward the British. These things united all classes, both genders, people from all locations in the U.S., people of different ethnicities, and people of all occupations. I think the unity of all of these different types of Americans resulting from all these things helped to make the revolution and the unification of all of the colonies a success.
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