Editing First Continental Congress (section)

== Adjournment and Legacy ==

The First Continental Congress adjourned on October 26, 1774, having accomplished its immediate objectives: unifying the colonies in opposition to British policies, organizing an economic boycott, and articulating a principled defense of colonial rights. Before dispersing, the delegates agreed to reconvene on May 10, 1775, if their grievances had not been addressed—a decision that ensured the institutional continuity of intercolonial resistance. The delegates returned to their colonies to organize enforcement of the Association and to prepare for whatever response Britain might make.<ref name="rakove"/>

The legacy of the First Continental Congress extends far beyond its immediate achievements. The Congress demonstrated that the colonies could act together, overcoming the parochialism and mutual suspicions that had historically divided them. It created precedents and procedures that would guide the [[Second Continental Congress]] through the crisis of war and independence. The enforcement committees established under the Association provided experience in self-government that would prove invaluable when royal authority collapsed. Most importantly, the Congress began the process of creating an American political identity—the delegates arrived as Virginians, Pennsylvanians, and New Englanders, but they left having taken the first steps toward becoming Americans. The building where they met, [[Carpenters' Hall]], remains open to visitors as a memorial to this pivotal moment in the birth of the nation.<ref name="ferling"/>