The First Continental Congress was a group of representatives from the Colonies

who came together in 1774 in response to the Intolerable Acts, which were the British
response to the Boston Tea Party, and the growing need for a unified response to British
rule. Each of the colonies sent representatives to Philadelphia to discuss the course of
action, except for Georgia, since the majority was in favor of remaining loyal to Great
Britain.

The Intolerable Acts were a series of four acts that are one of the largest causes
of the American revolution. The acts are:
The Boston Port Act which closed the port of Boston. This might not seem so bad
but the port of Boston fueled practically the entire economic structure of Massachusetts.
The Quartering Act was an act that applied to all of the Colonies which allowed
British soldiers to stay in a colonist’s home without an invitation, if other housing was not
supplied to them.
The Massachusetts Government Act which took away the Massachusetts Charter
and put the colony under the control of the British government. Almost all the positions
in the Colonial government were to be appointed by the Governor, the Parliament or the
King.
The Administration of Justice Act which allowed the Royal Governor to order
trials of accused Royal officials to take place in Great Britain or elsewhere within the
Empire if he decided that the defendant could not get a fair trial in Massachusetts.
Although the acts stipulated for witnesses to be reimbursed at their own expense across
the Atlantic, it was not stipulated that this would increase the reimbursement of lost
earnings during the period of lost work, leaving few the ability to testify.
The Continental Congress convened on September 5, 1774. The representatives
did not all share a unified set of goals and views. Some were inclined to attempt to put
pressure on the British to get them to rescind the Acts and to try to reconcile. Others
wanted to make a more formal declaration of the rights of the colonists. Ultimately, when
Congress concluded its session on October 26th, there was a compromise. There was
a compact among the colonies to boycott British goods beginning on December 1, 1774
unless parliament should rescind the Intolerable Acts. Even with the boycott, the
Congress still recognized British sovereignty. It was also established that each Colony
would have its own local enforcement of the boycott and insurance of appropriate prices
for goods, which they implemented successfully. The representatives had good foresight
and planned that if the British didn’t react appropriately to the boycott, they would
convene a Second Continental Congress.
The impact of the boycott was significant with British imports into the Colonies
dropping enormously. However, the British did not rescind the Acts and there was no
change in the policy. In the spring of 1775 fighting erupted between colonists and British
soldiers in Massachusetts. In May, the Second Continental Congress began, and this
time Georgia also sent representativesrepresentatives.