Fifty-six delegates attended the First Continental Congress in 1774.
The delegates represented twelve of the thirteen British colonies in North America. Georgia did not send representatives to this first gathering, partly because Loyalist sentiment remained strong there and the colony had not yet joined the coordinated resistance.
The Congress met in Philadelphia from September 5 to October 26. Its members included future national leaders such as George Washington, John Adams, Samuel Adams, John Jay, and Patrick Henry. Peyton Randolph of Virginia served as the presiding officer.
The assembly did not immediately seek independence. Instead, it petitioned the king, issued a declaration of colonial rights, and organized a boycott through the Continental Association. Its failure to obtain a settlement with Britain helped lead to the Second Continental Congress in 1775, after fighting had begun at Lexington and Concord.