Presidents of the Continental Congress

The president of the United States in Congress Assembled, known unofficially as the president of the Continental Congress and later as president of the Congress of the Confederation, was the presiding officer of the Continental Congress, the convention of delegates that assembled in Philadelphia as the first transitional national government of the United States during the American Revolution. The president was a member of Congress elected by the other delegates to serve as a neutral discussion moderator during meetings of Congress. Designed to be a largely ceremonial position without much influence, the office was unrelated to the later office of President of the United States.

Fourteen men served as President of the Continental Congress (1774 - 1788) in the order shown below. We have been to the gravesite of ten of the fourteen presidents.

An excellent source of information about the Presidents of the Continental Congress can be found at website: President of the Continental Congress

Signers of the Articles of Confederation

The Articles of Confederation were signed by delegates from all thirteen states, though not all were present at the same time. Sixteen signers of the Articles also signed the Declaration of Independence. Congress approved the Articles in 1777, and the signing began on July 9, 1778, with delegates from eight states. New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland couldn't sign initially due to pending state ratifications, while North Carolina and Georgia's delegates were absent. Signings continued as more states ratified the Articles, with Maryland being the last to do so on March 1, 1781, after resolving a conflict over western lands. By then, many original creators were no longer delegates, and some signers had not participated in the initial debates.

This is the list of the Signers of The Articles of Confederation. Thus far we have visited 30 of the 48 signers gravesites. Sadly, five of the 48 signers burial locations are Unknown, and one is Unmarked.

An excellent source of information about the Signers can be found at the following National Archives website: Articles of Confederation (1777)