Letters to the inhabitants of Canada
The Letters to the inhabitants of Canada were three letters written by the First and Second Continental Congresses in 1774, 1775, and 1776 to communicate directly with the population of the Province of Quebec, formerly the French province of Canada, which had no representative system at the time. Their purpose was to draw the large French-speaking population to the American revolutionary cause. This goal ultimately failed, and Quebec, along with the other northern provinces of British America, remained loyal to Britain. The only significant assistance that was gained was the recruitment of two regiments totalling not more than 1,000 men.
The cover sheet to the French translation of the letter drafted by the First Continental Congress in 1774
John Dickinson, author of the first letter
John Jay, author of the second letter
James Wilson, one of the authors of the third letter
First Continental Congress
The First Continental Congress was a meeting of delegates of 12 of the Thirteen Colonies held from September 5 to October 26, 1774 at Carpenters' Hall in Philadelphia at the beginning of the American Revolution. The meeting was organized by the delegates after the British Navy implemented a blockade of Boston Harbor and the Parliament of Great Britain passed the punitive Intolerable Acts in response to the Boston Tea Party.
Image: Flickr US Capitol The First Continental Congress, 1774
Image: Carpenters Hall 00
Image: 1774 Address to the King
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