claims to rights rather than of the rights of the Colonies formed the burden of these papers. The conservative feeling carried the day and restricted the proceedings to statements of the grievances and appeals for relief. The delegates were unable to go beyond their instructions, and these were limited to consultation on the present state of the Colonies and the measures demanded by the situation for the best good of the dependencies. A restoration of union and harmony between Great Britain and the Colonies was the wish of the meeting. The resulting addresses and papers were on that line, and only when the Congress of 1775 assembled was it seen that the time was ripe for action.
Of the original papers prepared and adopted in this Congress of 1774 but one has been preserved—the Articles of Association. From a number of sources documents have been obtained throwing light upon the measures submitted and the various forms they assumed before acceptance or rejection. What is printed here will even thus form only a journal of proceedings, with the reports prepared in the Congress but the intended publication of the papers and documents of the Continental Congress in full will supply to the student the material necessary to the understanding of the position, measures, and influence of this body.
Worthington Chauncey Ford
Chief of Division of Manuscripts
Herbert Putnam
Librarian of Congress
