may 10, 1775 - Second Continental Congress May 10, 1775-March 1, 1781

Description:

The Second Continental Congress was established on May 10, 1775, and remained the governmental body of the United States until March 1, 1781. Delegates from all thirteen colonies met in Philadelphia to discuss the military threat of the British forces and how to respond to it. They decided to create the Continental Army out of Bostonian militia units and appointed George Washington the commanding general. In their first session, which lasted from May 10, 1775 to December 12, 1776, they also discussed how they would fund the war, how they would impose taxes and how they would acquire supplies. This first session also issued the Olive Branch Petition as a last-ditch effort to avoid war and, when King George III refused to receive it, they issued the Declaration of Independence.