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• Europe • Map and Globe • North
America • Plate Tectonics • South
America
Continental
Congress
The Continental Congress was the first
government of the United States. When
the congress adopted the Declaration of
Independence on July 4, 1776, it
brought the United States into existence.
It then served as the country’s government
until the U.S. Constitution went
into effect in 1789.
First Continental Congress
In the early 1770s citizens of the 13
British colonies in North America were
starting to rebel against Great Britain. A
network of patriots, known as the Committees
of Correspondence, called
together the First Continental Congress
to plan future action.
The First Continental Congress met in
secret in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on
September 5, 1774. All colonies except
Georgia sent delegates, or representatives.
GeorgeWashington, Patrick
Henry, John Adams, and Samuel Adams
were among them. Each colony had one
vote.
The delegates decided not to call for
independence from Britain. Instead
they demanded such rights as life,
liberty, property, public assembly, and
trial by jury. They protested having to
pay British taxes without being
represented in Parliament (the part of
the British government that made laws).
The congress also called for the colonies
to boycott, or refuse to buy, British
goods.
Second Continental Congress
The American Revolution had already
begun when the Second Continental
Congress opened in Philadelphia on
May 10, 1775. Delegates from all 13
The First Continental Congress met in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, on September 5,
1774.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Continental Congress 191
colonies attended the congress. New
delegates included Benjamin Franklin
and Thomas Jefferson. Among those
serving as president were John Hancock
and John Jay.
The congress took control of the colonies’
new Continental Army. It put
Washington in command of the army.
The congress also issued and borrowed
money and set up a postal service and a
navy.
At first the congress still said that the
colonists were fighting for their rights as
British citizens. On July 2, 1776, however,
the congress stated that the colonies
should be independent states. The
congress declared independence from
Britain two days later.
The congress prepared the Articles of
Confederation, which served as the first
constitution of the new United States.
The articles went into effect in 1781.
They gave Congress official powers.
After that, the Continental Congress
became known as the Confederation
Congress.
The Confederation Congress had little
real control over the states. In 1789 the
new U.S. Constitution set up the U.S.
Congress. The U.S. Congress replaced
the Confederation Congress.
#More to explore
American Revolution • Articles of
Confederation • Declaration of
Independence • United States • United
States Constitution
Continental
Drift
#see Plate Tectonics.
Cook, James
A British explorer and navigator, Captain
James Cook led three expeditions to
the Pacific Ocean. His voyages took him
south to the Antarctic Circle and north
to the Bering Strait.
Early Life
James Cook was born on October 27,
1728, in Marton, Yorkshire, England.
At age 18 he became a sailor on the
North Sea. While ashore he studied
mathematics.
In 1755 Cook joined the British Royal
Navy. He was promoted quickly and
The Second
Continental
Congress did
not have a
permanent
home. Its final
seat was New
York City.
James Cook
192 Continental Drift BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Coolidge, Calvin
The 30th president of the United
States, Calvin Coolidge took office after
the death of President Warren G.
Harding in 1923. A popular politician,
he served during a period of economic
growth.
Early Life
John Calvin Coolidge was born on July
4, 1872, in Plymouth, Vermont. He
was the only son of a storekeeper, John
Calvin Coolidge, Sr., and Victoria
Moor Coolidge. Coolidge graduated
from Amherst College in Massachusetts
in 1895. Two years later he became a
lawyer. In 1905 he married Grace Anna
Goodhue, a teacher. They had two
sons.
Political Career
A Republican, Coolidge entered politics
as a city councilman in Northampton,
Massachusetts, in 1898. In 1909 he was
elected mayor of Northampton. He
served as a Massachusetts state senator
from 1911 to 1915 and as lieutenant
governor from 1915 to 1918.
Coolidge was elected governor of Massachusetts
in 1918. During a 1919 strike
(refusal to work) by the Boston police,
riots broke out. Coolidge sent the state
guard to restore order. He became
July 4, January 5,
1872 1918 1923 1924 1928 1929 1933
Coolidge is
born in
Plymouth,
Vermont.
Coolidge is
elected
governor of
Massachusetts.
Coolidge
becomes
president after
Harding dies.
Coolidge is
elected to a full
term.
The Kellogg-
Briand Pact
is signed.
Coolidge
retires from
office.
Coolidge
dies in
Northampton,
Massachusetts.
T I M E L I N E
Calvin Coolidge was the 30th president of
the United States.
194 Coolidge, Calvin BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
famous for saying that police officers did
not have the right to strike.
In 1920 Coolidge became Harding’s
vice presidential running mate. They
