We Must All Agree

Go back in time to the 1770s. Imagine you are meeting with men from all over the country. While you are there you must discuss what is best for the people from your town and county.  You also must listen to everyone else discuss what they think is best as well.  Finally, you must all agree on what action to take.

Inside Carpenter's Hall

Does this sound familiar to you?  These types of discussions go on daily in Congress.  The very precepts of Congress are based on the actions of men who got together over 200 years ago.  The 12 of the 13 colonies - Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Delaware, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts sent representatives to Philadelphia to discuss declaring independence from Great Britain.  Only Georgia did not send anyone because it was not invited.  Apparently it was considered a true state at the time.

Furniture they actually sat in all those years ago!

This momentous event - the First Continental Congress in 1774.  The colonies were upset over the different acts England was passing. The men met at Carpenter's Hall.  For weeks they discussed what action to take and finally decided to boycott British goods.  This means they refused to buy anything from Britain!!

Carpenter's Hall

Finally they agreed to meet again the following year to discuss what their next steps should be!

I will give you five names of men present.  Can you tell me more?

1. Patrick Henry - the man who said "Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Death!"
2. George Washington - our first president
3. John Dickinson - became a governor of Pennsylvania
4. Peyton Randolph - speaker of the House of Burgesses in Virginia
5. Samuel Adams - a governor of Massachusetts