Why was a general assembly of the colonies called?
In 1774, as a consequence of the Tea Party, Parliament passed a series of bills defending the remaining tea tax of the Townshend Acts, closed the port of Boston and nullified the charter of Massachusetts. General Gage landed 4,000 troops, many of who were quartered in residents’ homes. In this way the British Parliament hoped to isolate the Massachusetts “rebels” from support by the other colonies. However, because of these “Intolerable Acts,” colonial Assemblies (except Georgia) agreed to send delegates to a “congress” (First Continental Congress), which represented the full spectrum of opinion, from those seeking compromise with England to fiery rebels. Delegates chose Carpenters’ Hall since it was a more neutral location than the State House, to which they had been invited. After seven weeks of debate (September 5 to October 26), delegates adopted 10 resolutions, often by very close votes, declaring to the King, Parliament, and the colonists the rights of British citizens in America
