A Second Strategy

A. "We met in Carpenter’s Hall in Philadelphia from September 5^th until October 26^th, 1774."

Q. "How many delegates attended and how many colonies sent delegates?"

A. "There were 56 delegates, 44 of which were on time and 12 came late. Half of the delegates were lawyers. Twelve colonies sent delegates. Georgia did not send any delegates, as no one at the time had been appointed by their House, but agreed to support any decisions made."

A. "We met to help Massachusetts boycott the INTOLERABLE ACTS, and to establish fair treatment by Great Britain. We did not want independence at this time. We were still trying very desperately to remain loyal to the King of England, especially the southern colonies who depended so much on England for their support."

Q. "Isn’t there an Englishman trying to convince the colonists to break ties with England?"

A. "Yes, that must be Thomas Paine. He published a pamphlet written so the colonists could understand his thoughts and why we owed nothing to Great Britain. It was so popular that within three months 100,000 copies were sold which helped sway opinions against King George III."

A. "We adopted the Declaration of Rights and Grievances on October 14, 1774 which denounced (publicly made known) all laws since 1763 that violated colonists’ rights. We also set up the Continental Association, which allowed no trade with England until taxation stopped and trade policies were changed. We advised all colonies to form militias or groups of volunteers who fight in times of emergencies."

A. "Each colony had equal voting power, but Virginia may have had slightly more power, since I was President of the Congress."

A. "Yes, we met in Philadelphia. Shortly after the battles of Lexington and Concord. Fighting between the colonists and British was occurring in all the colonies. We had to prepare a plan of action so this time, the Pennsylvania State House was the building where the meeting took place."

A. "Yes, the Olive Branch Petition was sent, but King George III refused to read it because he believed it was an illegal document made by an illegal Congress. King George III threatened to "bring the traitors to justice" which basically turned the rebellion into an all-out-war. The petition was simply a symbol of peace assuring the King we Americans were still trying to remain loyal; and we requested the Intolerable Acts be repealed."

A. "Fifty-six brave men eventually signed the Declaration of Independence. John Hancock signed on July 4^th, 1776 in such large lettering so King George III couldn’t miss his signature. Most of the rest signed the declaration on August 2nd. We also proposed the Articles of Confederation, but are waiting for it to be ratified. For a document to be ratified, 9 out of 13 colonies must approve. We have also passed the Declaration of Causes of Taking Up Arms, which explains why we are fighting Great Britain."

A. "There was a committee appointed which consisted of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston. Jefferson wrote most of the declaration informing the world why the colonies should break their ties with Great Britain as the King had imposed many injustices on the colonists. Jefferson had attended the College of William and Mary, and decided to become a lawyer. He studied the ideas of John Locke, an English philosopher, who believed all people are born with certain rights mainly life, liberty, and the right to own

property. Jefferson had included passages about slaves and slave traders. There was much debate from the representatives from the colonies owning slaves who refused to accept the clause and did not approve of the document until the words were dropped."

A. "We organized The Continental Army with George Washington commander-in-chief. Washington had been campaigning against John Hancock, but Hancock lost because he was from New England. If a New Englander was named commander-in-chief, we feared the Southern colonies would refuse to help with the war effort, saying "It’s New England’s War." Our military was designed for a short conflict as most soldiers were only signed until the end of 1776. We got most men to stay on by winning the Battle of Trenton."

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