British colonists imposed severe and oppressive taxes on the Americans. The Americas refused to follow the various Coercive acts which they imposed on them. Their reasoning was simple; they said there could be ‘no taxation, without representation’ (representation meaning representation of the colonies in the British Parliament). As their pleas went unheeded, the Americans were forced to meet together to redress the situation. By the beginning of September 1774, they began collecting in Philadelphia, and this historic gathering came to be dubbed as the First Continental Congress. Altogether, 55 delegates gathered or participated in this Congress.
The major accomplishment of the Congress was its ability to pool together men of diverse origin and propensity. They came from different parts of America and held different notions about acquiring justice. However, at one point, they found they all agreed, and that was a desire to do the public good. Moreover, they agreed that they were self-reliant hence required no power to legislate for them. Thus, they adopted the Declaration of Rights and Grievances on October 14, 1774, which asserted the rights of the colonies to tax and legislated for themselves. They accomplished a tacit unity at this Congress on these two points, which was later to win them their independence.