What was the Continental Congress?

• A. The national legislature that governed the American Colonies from 1774 to the adoption of the Articles of Confederation
• B. A colonial council for trade regulation
• C. A temporary military council during the Revolution
• D. The first two chambers of the U.S. Congress

Answer: (A)

The Continental Congress was the united governing body of the American colonies during the Revolution, functioning as the national legislature before there was a formal U.S. Constitution. It first met in 1774 to coordinate colonial responses to British policies and, in its later sessions, directed the war effort, handled diplomacy, and moved the colonies toward independence. It also drafted and adopted the Articles of Confederation, which created the framework for the new national government.

This is the best description because it captures its role as the overarching legislative body for the colonies during that time, before the current system of government existed. It wasn’t simply a trade-regulation council, nor a temporary military council, and it isn’t the two-house Congress that the United States would have under the Constitution.