What 1774 gathering brought delegates from 12 British North American colonies together in Philadelphia?

The First Continental Congress was the 1774 gathering that brought delegates from 12 British North American colonies together in Philadelphia.

The Congress met from September 5 to October 26, 1774, at Carpenters’ Hall. Georgia did not send delegates, while the other 12 colonies sent representatives to coordinate a response to the Coercive Acts imposed after the Boston Tea Party.

Delegates debated whether the colonies should seek reconciliation with Britain or organize resistance. They adopted the Continental Association, which called for a boycott of British goods, and sent a petition to King George III. The meeting did not declare independence.

The First Continental Congress is sometimes confused with the Second Continental Congress, which began meeting in May 1775 after fighting had started at Lexington and Concord. The later Congress managed the war effort, created the Continental Army, and eventually adopted the Declaration of Independence.