An Early Bill of Rights: Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress
On October 14, 1774, the Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress was adopted in response to the Intolerable Acts passed by Parliament. It not only set the stage for further actions in the next 2 years, but also included principles and rights that...
Today in History: Enforcement of the Boston Port Act Begins
Today in 1774, Britain began enforcement of the Boston Port Act, passed in response to the destruction of the tea a few months earlier. One of the Coercive Acts (or, as many of the colonists called them, the “Intolerable Acts”), the law closed Boston harbor...
The Struggle for American Independence: The First Continental Congress
In this episode, I cover the First Continental Congress – a convention of delegates from the colonies to determine a concerted response to the Intolerable Acts. Two basic political factions developed in the Congress, which thwarted the type of radical opposition to...