On this day 250 years ago, the first Continental Congress convened at Carpenters’ Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Eleven of the thirteen colonies had delegates present — Georgia did not send delegates to the Congress and the North Carolina delegation had not yet arrived. As its first order of business the Congress elected Peyton Randolph of Virginia as President and Charles Thomson of Pennsylvania as Secretary of the Congress.

Thomson, who emigrated from Ireland as an orphan after his widowed father died on the ship bringing his young sons to America, would serve continuously as Secretary of each Continental Congress until April 1789, the only person to hold that post. Thomson’s name would appear on the Declaration of Independence as the second to sign after John Hancock, and he personally safeguarded the Declaration and all the papers of Congress throughout the Revolution. Yet he is not usually regarded as a Signer or as one of the Founding Fathers. Charles Thomson was an unsung hero of the Revolution who needs to be remembered and celebrated by all Americans. Fortunately this weekend in Philadelphia there are commemorations that will help celebrate his contributions to American Independence.

https://declaration.fas.harvard.edu/blog/november-thomson; https://www.carpentershall.org/my-zeal-for-liberty;

Each weekend beginning this Saturday, September 7 through October 2024, Carpenters’ Hall will be hosting reenactments of events in the First Continental Congress. https://www.carpentershall.org/building-independence-historical-reenactments Also this weekend, September 7-8, 2024, the Emerging Revolutionary War bloggers will be posting live videos from Philadelphia to commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the First Continental Congress. https://emergingrevolutionarywar.org/2024/09/05/250th-anniversary-of-the-first-continental-congress/?