5 – The First Continental Congress

Media Type

Audio

34 min 49 s

Season 1

They wanted to make things right with the empire. They also wanted to protect their rights.

In this episode of Revolution Revisited, host Maggie Creech, along with expert John Ragosta, explores the First Continental Congress of 1774 and the significant contributions of Virginia.

Inside the Episode:

This episode discusses the early resistance efforts in Virginia, the formation and impact of Committees of Correspondence, and the subsequent unity among the colonies. Key figures such as Patrick Henry, Peyton Randolph, and George Washington are highlighted, as well as the major decisions made during the Congress, including the Suffolk Resolves and the Continental Association.

Guest:

Dr. John Ragosta: Fellow at Virginia Humanities
John Ragosta, previously the acting director of the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello, is a fellow at Virginia Humanities. He has taught law and history at the University of Virginia, George Washington University, and Hamilton, Oberlin, and Randolph Colleges. Dr. Ragosta’s most recent book – For the People, For the Country: Patrick Henry’s Final Political Battle – was released in August of 2023 by the University of Virginia Press. He is also the author of Religious Freedom: Jefferson’s Legacy, America’s Creed (UVA Press, 2013), Wellspring of Liberty (Oxford 2010), and other works. An award-winning author and frequent commentator, Ragosta holds both a PhD and a JD from the University of Virginia. Before returning to academia, Dr. Ragosta was a partner at Dewey Ballantine LLP. He is also a beekeeper.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction to Revolution Revisited
00:41 Setting the Stage: Virginia's Role in Early Resistance
02:39 The Path to Unity: From Local Grievances to Continental Congress
04:45 The First Continental Congress: A Historic Gathering
08:34 Virginia's Influence and Key Figures
16:17 Debates and Decisions: Defining Colonial Rights
21:27 The Continental Association: Economic Strategy and Enforcement
30:49 Looking Ahead: The Road to Revolution
33:28 Conclusion

COLLECTION SPOTLIGHT:

A letter stating "Parliament of Great Britain hath no more Right to put their hands into my. Pocket than I have to put my hands into yours, for money.”

VMHC Call Number Mss2 W277 c 3

Letter, George Washington to Bryan Fairfax, July 20, 1774

George Washington was unwilling to submit to what he considered unfair taxation. In letters to the Fairfax family he became a spokesman against British usurpation of colonial rights. Here he writes, "Parliament of Great Britain hath no more Right to put their hands into my Pocket, without my consent, than I have to put my hands into yours, for money.”

A portrait of a white haired man in a brown waistcoat

VMHC Object Number 1858.6

Painting, Peyton Randolph (1721-1775)

Randolph served as a very popular attorney general and speaker of the Virginia House of Burgesses before he was elected president of the Continental Congress. There he "preside[d] with [such) dignity" (wrote Connecticut delegate Silas Deane) that he seemed "designed by nature for the business." He won the support of America's founding fathers and (prior to George Washington's ascendancy) was lauded in Williamsburg as "the Father of [the] Country."

A locket with a portrait of a young white-haired man in a teal waist coat

VMHC Object Number 1968.21.1.A

Painting, Benjamin Harrison (1726 - 1791)

Throughout the revolutionary years, Harrison was among the most active political figures in Virginia, serving on a half-dozen committees and signing the Declaration of Independence. He helped establish the State, War, and Navy departments. After the war, he was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates and to serve as governor. At the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1788, he opposed approving the Constitution if it did not have a Bill of Rights.

5 – The First Continental Congress