May 10: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Convened shortly after warfare had commenced.
Between the Colonists and the British.
Included delegates from all thirteen original colonies. The Congress would manage the Colonists war effort, and moved steadily towards independence. It raised armies, set overall strategy; appointed senior generals and diplomats, and executed formal treaties. The Congress acted as the de facto government of the United States.
(With the adoption of the Articles of Confederation six years later in 1781, the Congress became known as the Congress of the Confederation.)