Summary
Delegates from twelve colonies gather in Philadelphia for the First Continental Congress, arguing over whether to reconcile with Britain or resist together. James and Henri watch leaders who barely trust one another begin to act, for the first time, as one people with shared grievances.
Viewer safety
No violent content; historical debate and political tension.
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
Before 1774 the colonies rarely cooperated. The First Continental Congress was a fragile first attempt to speak with one voice — a huge step toward thinking of themselves as Americans, not just Virginians or New Yorkers.
- Why is it hard for separate groups, each used to running its own affairs, to agree to act together?
- What did the colonies have in common that made a shared response possible?
- Some delegates still hoped to patch things up with Britain. Why might unity be useful whether you want peace or war?
- When has a group you belong to had to set aside differences to face a shared problem? How did it go?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: Continental Congress, delegate, colony, grievance, unity.
Try it: Imagine your class is a “congress” trying to solve one school-wide problem. Write the one rule you think everyone would have to agree on first — and one reason agreeing is harder than it sounds.