In the autumn of 1774, delegates from twelve of the thirteen colonies on the eastern coast of North America met at Philadelphia to discuss their response to a series of Acts of Parliament passed in London following the events of the Boston Tea Party the previous winter. The Acts had stripped the Colony of Massachusetts of self-governance and other rights that it had enjoyed since the first settlers arrived in North America in 1620. The meeting, known as the First Continental Congress, drew up a united response to protest injustices committed by British forces in America, which were written down in a petition to George III. This book contains the proceedings of the first Congress, it was printed in Philadelphia shortly after the disbanding of the meeting.
Ultimately, the petition to the king was unsuccessful, and the following year the Second Continental Congress, which included representatives from all thirteen colonies, met to discuss a new response. Debates continued for months and resulted in the colonies declaring their independence from Britain, which was published on 4 July 1776. The Second Continental Congress would serve as the American government throughout the War of Independence.