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

Its 78 million manuscripts, from the papers of the Continental Congress and George Washington to those of the Gershwin brothers and J. Robert Oppenheimer, cover the breadth of the American experience.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 25, 2025

The historical record shows that American lawmakers have understood regular forces to mean “the standing army” since 1776, when the Continental Congress set forth the Articles of War.

From Slate • Oct. 30, 2025

Jones plays Isaac Higgintoot, a member of the American Continental Congress who — appropriately, given his last name — died of dysentery while serving as a captain in the Revolutionary War.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 17, 2024

It was on July 2, 1776, that the Continental Congress voted in favor of the resolution for independence, though the Declaration of Independence wasn’t formally adopted until two days later.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 1, 2023

In a separate act, the Continental Congress enacts the Northwest Ordinance, which outlaws slavery in the territories north of the Ohio and east of the Mississippi Rivers.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis