MY PERSPECTIVE, Gary Damron

When the Second Continental Congress assembled in Philadelphia on May 10, 1775, news of the bloodshed at Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts had already spread throughout the colonies. This Congress would not be like the first; it became in fact the first government of the united colonies for the next six years. Each colony had one vote, regardless of population or number of delegates it sent; it was simply a representative assembly, but it exercised legislative, executive, and judicial powers.

Delegates from each colony sought to respond to British actions and the needs of their constituents. New York had been informed of the coming arrival of British troops on Manhattan Island. Delegates learned that American soldiers had captured Fort Ticonderoga on the same day they convened, and then Crown Point. Seizure of the two forts could be justified as defensive, to protect against troops from Canada. However, in late June, Benedict Arnold and Ethan Allen persuaded Congress - who feared an attack by French Canadians - to approve an invasion in Canada, which had to be seen as an offensive act, and General Richard Montgomery took Montreal. However, a combined attack on Quebec, which didn't occur until Dec. 31 in a blizzard, was a complete disaster.

Provincial congresses and conventions asked the Continental Congress how they were to deal with governmental issues in light of the collapse of royal governments. In June 1775, Massachusetts was advised to abide by its charter of 1691, and act as if the royal governor were absent. New governments were set up by New Hampshire, South Carolina and Virginia, based on "representation of the people". Congress also took charge of Indian affairs, the postal service, and the process of resolving disputes between colonies - all of which were previously functions of the Crown. The Congress could not levy taxes, but it could borrow money and issue paper currency.

The Continental Association continued to regulate trade, and now allowed for importation of war supplies. Clerks were hired to manage currency; special committees oversaw specific issues. Sometimes, all delegates worked as a committee of the whole to discuss major topics without keeping minutes. The Congress convened six days a week, Monday through Saturday, from morning through late afternoon; committees met earlier in the morning or late in the evening.

Each colony gave its delegates direction; at first, most simply called for them to agree on what would bring about solutions to grievances, and restore harmony with the mother country. Strategies of resistance or reconciliation often came into conflict. If the British Army overran the colonies, there would be no hope of reconciliation, so Congress accepted the necessity of military authority and resistance. However, their concern that a standing army might lead to military dictatorship meant militias made up of citizen soldiers were preferred.

Congress received a request from Massachusetts to take responsibility for the units assembled at Cambridge, across the Charles River from Boston. At the urging of John Adams on June 15, 1775, George Washington was appointed Commander in Chief of a newly formed Continental Army. They established its structure, appointed officers, called up men, and decided where they should be assigned. Congress began purchasing supplies and arranging for medical services,

and sent military orders to General Washington.

While this was happening, efforts were still made toward reconciliation, with "Olive Branch Petition" sent to King George on July 5, 1775. Written by John Dickinson of Pennsylvania, it was courteous and respectful, affirmed loyalty to the Crown, and begged the king to take the initiative in reconciliation. Since it reached Britain about the time as news of Bunker Hill, the king refused to receive the petition. Instead, he proclaimed on August 23 that Americans were engaged in "open and avowed rebellion".

On October 26, the king declared that the American rebellion was "manifestly carried out for the purpose of establishing an independent Empire", and that their profession of loyalty was merely designed to buy time while they prepared for "general revolt". In Dec. 1775, he approved a Prohibitory Act, which forbade all trade with any of the colonies. It ordered colonial vessels and cargoes forfeited to the crown, and crews could be impressed into the Royal Navy.

Lord Dunsmore, the British royal governor of Virginia, declared his colony under martial law, and began assembling a Loyalist army. On Nov. 17, he promised freedom to slaves who left their masters and joined the king's cause, a move that alienated many in the south. Combined with British attempts to turn Indians against colonists, reconciliation grew increasingly remote.

News of the king's October speech arrived in Philadelphia in January 1776. At the same time, reports came that the British had attacked and burned Norfolk, Va., on New Year's Day. Congress' position shifted. On Jan. 9, the first copies of Englishman Thomas Paine’s pamphlet "Common Sense" appeared in Philadelphia and rapidly spread throughout the colonies. The timing was perfect, for the king’s address supported Paine's message that the flawed system of monarchy and hereditary rule under the British constitution was the problem.

Colonials had already stopped trusting in Parliament, and they had tried petitioning directly to George III, whom they still viewed as their monarch. But when he declared them as rebels and started treating them as such, confidence shifted to the new government under this Second Continental Congress.