Continental Congress

American  

noun

American History.

1. either of two legislative congresses during and after the Revolutionary War. The first was in session from September 5 to October 26, 1774, to petition the British government for a redress of grievances. The second existed from May 10, 1775, to 1789, and issued the Declaration of Independence and established the Articles of Confederation.

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Continental Congress British  

noun

1. the assembly of delegates from the North American rebel colonies held during and after the War of American Independence. It issued the Declaration of Independence (1776) and framed the Articles of Confederation (1777)

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Continental Congress Cultural  

1. An assembly of delegates from the thirteen colonies (soon to become the thirteen states). It governed during the Revolutionary War and under the Articles of Confederation. The Continental Congress first met in 1774, before the revolution. When it reconvened in 1775, it organized for war against Britain and eventually passed the Declaration of Independence.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Continental Congress

He was the leading voice for independence in the Continental Congress.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

The challenges of keeping an army fed and armed gradually imposed this insight on even the most obdurate members of the Continental Congress.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

The captured ship was then brought back to Britain and its papers seized, including the privateer's commission, printed instructions from the Continental Congress, and the Declaration itself.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

The Second Continental Congress, meanwhile, convened in Philadelphia with much-needed breaks at the City Tavern.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

Another source was Elias Boudinot, a delegate from New Jersey to the Continental Congress who went into the army as a colonel and became superintendent of British prisoners of war.

From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen