Celebrating the First Continental Congress and America’s Founding Ideals
In a little less than two years, the United States will celebrate its semiquincentennial, marking 250 years since a group of 13 coastal colonies declared their independence from the British Empire on July 4, 1776. At a time when Americans are as politically divided as ever, the upcoming semiquincentennial offers a much-needed opportunity for us to reflect on our country’s founding and the progress made since then to create the “more perfect union” promised by the Declaration of Independence’s sister document, the U.S. Constitution.
Fortunately, July 4 is not our first and only bite at the celebratory apple. As any student of American history knows, the road to the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 was long and eventful, with several major milestones along the way. Thus, many more semiquincentennial anniversaries lie ahead.
Today, the United States celebrates one of the first of those milestones: the anniversary of the start of the First Continental Congress. Convening in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, between Sept. 5 and Oct. 26, 1774, a group of delegates representing 12 of the 13 colonies met to discuss their mounting grievances against the British government and determine how to handle them collectively.
Though the First Continental Congress lasted less than two months, its significance cannot be overstated in that it arguably represents the beginning of American self-government as we know it today. In defiance of British law (and at great risk to their lives and fortunes), the delegates did two important things. First, they created the Continental Association and a corresponding policy banning British imports and exports in an effort to apply pressure on Parliament to repeal the “Intolerable Acts,” a handful of retaliatory laws enacted by the British in the wake of the Boston Tea Party. Second, they established the Second Continental Congress, which convened the subsequent spring.
The Second Continental Congress existed until 1781, and it is most famous for adopting the Declaration of Independence and seeing the new and fledgling country through the Revolutionary War.
This history (and the understanding and appreciation of it) is as important now as it has ever been. The promise of a more perfect union is one that Americans of all backgrounds and political stripes have fought to secure over the past two-and-a-half centuries—and one that we continue to strive for today.
Indeed, the common identity espoused by these principles has provided the inspiration and unity necessary to make America’s most significant advances. Though there is much work to be done, this powerful excerpt from Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech provides a superb example of how this history and these principles can be harnessed for good. On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the man who had issued the Emancipation Proclamation 100 years earlier–King stated that he and his fellow protesters who marched on Washington that day had come to “cash a check”:
When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men—yes, Black men as well as white men—would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
President Gerald R. Ford shared a similar sentiment regarding the virtue and power of the country’s founding principles during his remarks at the bicentennial celebration in Philadelphia in 1976:
It is good to know that in our own lifetime we have taken part in the growth of freedom and in the expansion of equality, which began here so long ago. This union of corrected wrongs and expanded rights has brought the blessings of liberty to the 215 million Americans, but the struggle for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is never truly won. Each generation of Americans, indeed of all humanity, must strive to achieve these aspirations anew. Liberty is a living flame to be fed, not dead ashes to be revered, even in a Bicentennial Year.
It is fitting that we ask ourselves hard questions even on a glorious day like today. Are the institutions under which we live working the way they should? Are the foundations laid in 1776 and 1789 still strong enough and sound enough to resist the tremors of our times? Are our God-given rights secure, our hard-won liberties protected?
The very fact that we can ask these questions, that we can freely examine and criticize our society, is cause for confidence itself. Many of the voices raised in doubt 200 years ago served to strengthen and improve the decisions finally made.
The American adventure is a continuing process. As one milestone is passed, another is sighted. As we achieve one goal—a longer lifespan, a literate population, a leadership in world affairs—we raise our sights.
It is in this spirit that the R Street Institute will proudly participate in the semiquincentennial celebration. Over the next two years, we will recognize and celebrate days like today, reflect on the meaning and promise of our country’s founding, and continue to articulate a vision for a freer, more prosperous, and more just society—indeed, a more perfect union—through our guiding principles of free markets and limited, effective government.
One way in which we plan to feature and celebrate this heritage is with our 2025 Real Solutions Summit, currently planned for Tuesday, May 6, 2025. At the summit, we will explore contemporary challenges, debate various perspectives, and offer innovative but real solutions that will pave the path toward a brighter future. Topics will range from good governance to energy and environmental policy to technology policy.
We hope you will join us at the Summit and participate in other semiquincentennial celebrations taking place across the country over the next two years. Together, in the words of President Ford, we will “strive to achieve these aspirations anew,” feeding the flame of liberty so that future generations will reap the benefits of a more perfect union.