What Was The Main Goal of The First Continental Congress?

The main goal of the First Continental Congress was to counter the 5 Intolerable Acts of the British Parliament.

The delegates, who attended the First Continental Congress in 1774, intended to emphasize the Parliament of Great Britain and the British King George III to repeal all those retaliatory acts under any circumstances.

[Interesting Fact: Did You Know? The 5 Intolerable Acts Were The Last Vengeful Move From The English Authority, Which Led The Entire Struggle of Americans To The Revolutionary War of Independence]

What Were The Other Goals of The First Continental Congress?

• To send a petition to the British King George III to withdraw the notorious laws.
• Impose a heavy economic boycott on British economic goods’ supply to the colonies.
• To urge all 13 colonies for setting up their own militias for inevitable arm conflicts against English Red Coats.

But How The Problem Began Between Colonies And English Authority?

Actually, in the year 1773, Great Britain’s Parliament imposed an act to create a monopoly in the 13 North American colonies’ whole tea market via their East India Company.

This act was none other, but the ‘Tea Act of 1773’.

By any means, the colonists didn’t welcome the British Parliament’s decision. They condemned it as a part of their abominable mercantilism policy.

Especially, the act was a major threat to the businesses of colonies’ local merchants and shippers, who had been depending upon the tea business for a long time. 

As a result, resistance widely spread against the new Tea Act.

On 16th December 1773, some around 116 patriots from the Sons of Liberty led by Samuel Adams executed the Boston Tea Party incident.

The incident caused heavy economic losses to the British government as well as the company; also it challenged the authority of the Parliament over the 13 colonies.

The response came out immediately, in the next year (1774).

For punishing colonists for that guilt, the British Parliament decided to impose some Coercive Acts on them, in the year 1774.

Realizing the vengeful form of those Coercive Acts, American colonists named them ‘Intolerable Acts’. Because the laws were violating their rights of being British citizens. 

Finally, to counter it, they met in the First Continental Congress from September 5th to October 26th, 1774.

[Interesting Fact: Did You Know? While Executing The Boston Tea Party, Patriots Wore Dresses Like Native Americans. They Boarded On The Ship of The British East India Company At Boston Harbor And Spilled Out 342 Chests of Tea Into The Water of The Atlantic Ocean]

Did Colonists Succeed In Countering The Laws?

Though they tried a lot to create pressure on the British Parliament and King George III for repealing those 5 Intolerable Acts, it made no effect on the crown.

As a result, armed conflict between the two sides became inevitable.

Finally, on 19th April 1775, they were involved in an armed confrontation at the Battles of Lexington and Concord.

This armed conflict fully kicked off the Revolutionary War of America’s independence.

[Interesting Fact: Did You Know? Many Historians Throughout The World Consider The First Continental Congress As The Very First Federal Government of The United States of America. Because The Continental Congress Took Some Very Important Decisions In Colonists’ Interests, Which Finally Led Them Towards Full Independence]