Monday, October 28, 2024

Signers of the Continental Association

The Continental Association, also known as the Articles of Association, was an agreement among the American colonies adopted by the First Continental Congress on October 20, 1774, in Philadelphia. It aimed to address the colonies' grievances, particularly the Intolerable Acts, through a trade boycott against British merchants. The "non-importation, non-consumption, non-exportation" agreement, suggested by Richard Henry Lee and based on the 1769 Virginia Association initiated by George Washington, began with a pledge of loyalty to King George III and banned British imports starting December 1, 1774. The boycott caused a sharp decline in trade with Britain, which retaliated with the New England Restraining Act. The outbreak of the American Revolutionary War in April 1775 rendered the boycott unnecessary. The Association demonstrated the colonies' collective will to act in their common interests and is considered a foundational moment in the creation of the union that would become the United States, as referenced by Abraham Lincoln in his 1861 inaugural address.

Twenty of the 53 signers also signed the Declaration of Independence.

Two of the signers eventually became Loyalists after the signing of The Declaration of Independence, and fled to Britain. They were Joseph Galloway and Isaac Low. One of the signers, Silas Deane, died under mysterious circumstances on his way back to Boston, and is buried in Deal, UK.

Recommended video: The Forgotten Foundational Document: The Articles of Association. by @TheHistoryGuyChannel.




Name
DOB - DOD
Burial Location
Visited
30 Oct 1735 – 4 Jul 1826
Quincy, MA
2007
27 Sep 1722 – 2 Oct 1803
Boston, MA
2007
John Alsop
1724 – 22 Nov 1794
New York, NY
Edward Biddle
1738 – 5 September 1779
Baltimore, MD
Richard Bland
6 May 1710 – 26 Oct 1776
Jordon Pt. Manor, VA
Simon Boerum
29 Feb 1724 – 11 July 1775
New York, NY
Richard Caswell
3 Aug 1729 – 10 Nov 1789
Kinston, NC
17 Apr 1741 – 19 Jun 1811
Baltimore, MD
2021
Stephen Crane
1709 – 1 July 1780
Elizabethtown, NJ
Thomas Cushing III
24 Mar 1725 – 28 Feb 1788
Boston, MA
John De Hart
25 July 1727 – 1 June 1795
Elizabeth, NJ
Silas Deane
4 Jan 1738 – 23 Sept 1789
Deal, UK
John Dickinson
13 Nov 1732 – 14 Feb 1808
Wilmington, DE
James Duane
6 Feb 1733 – 1 Feb 1797
Duanesburg, NY
Eliphalet Dyer
14 Sept 1721 – 13 May 1807
Windham, CN
17 Dec 1734 – 4 Aug 1821
Westernville, NY
2023
Nathaniel Folsom
28 Sept 1726 – 26 May 1790
Exeter, NH
Christopher Gadsden
16 Feb 1724 – 28 Aug 1805
Charleston, SC
Joseph Galloway
1731 — 29 Aug 1803
Watford, UK
13 Dec 1730 – 24 Apr 1791
Charles City, VA
2019
Patrick Henry
29 May 1736 – 6 June 1799
Brookneal, VA
23 Jan 1730 – 10 Nov 1779
Philadelphia, PA
2021
28 Jun 1742 – 14 Oct 1790
Greensboro, NC
2019
7 Mar 1707 – 13 Jul 1785
Providence, RI
2023
Charles Humphreys
19 Sept 1714 – 11 Mar 1786
Haverford, PA
John Jay
23 Dec 1745 – 17 May 1829
Ray, NY
Thomas Johnson Jr.
14 Nov 1732 – 26 Oct 1819
Frederick, MD
James Kinsey
22 Mar 1731 – 4 Jan 1802
Burlington, NJ
20 Jan 1732 – 19 Jun 1794
Coles Point, VA
2019
15 Jan 1716 – 12 Jun 1778
York, PA
2023
William Livingston
30 Nov 1723 – 25 July 1790
Brooklyn, NY
Isaac Low
13 Apr 1735 – 25 July 1791
Cowes, UK
5 Aug 1749 – 1779
Buried or Lost at Sea
2021
19 Mar 1734 – 24 Jun 1817
Philadelphia, PA
2021
Henry Middleton
1717 – 13 June 1784
Goose Creek, SC
Thomas Mifflin
10 Jan 1744 – 20 Jan 1800
Lancaster, PA
10 Mar 1724 – 1 Apr 1777
Chester, PA
2021
31 Oct 1740 – 23 Oct 1799
Queen Anne's County, MD
2021
11 Mar 1731 – 12 May 1814
Boston, MA
2023
Edmund Pendleton
9 Sept 1721 – 23 Oct 1803
Williamsburg, VA
Peyton Randolph
10 Sept 1721 – 22 Oct 1775
Wm. & Mary, VA
18 Sep 1733 – 21 Sep 1798
New Castle, DE
2021
7 Oct 1728 – 29 Jun 1784
Dover, DE
2021
10 May 1730 – 14 Jul 1779
Philadelphia, PA
2021
23 Nov 1749 – 23 Jan 1800
Charleston, SC
2019, 2021
17 Sept 1739 – 21 June 1800
Charleston, SC
19 Apr 1721 – 23 Jul 1793
New Haven, CT
2023
Richard Smith
22 Mar 1735 – 17 Sept 1803
Natchez, MS
John Sullivan
17 Feb 1740 – 23 Jan 1795
Durham, NH
Matthew Tilghman
17 Feb 1718 – 4 May 1790
Claiborne, MD
Samuel Ward Sr.
25 May 1725 – 26 Mar 1776
Newport, RI
22 Feb 1732 – 14 Dec 1799
Mt. Vernon, VA
2000, 2022
Henry Wisner
1720 – 4 Mar 1790
Wallkill, NY
 
 
 
 
 
* Gravesite on Private Property
 
 




Historical Background
The Continental Association, also known as the Articles of Association, was an agreement among the American colonies adopted by the First Continental Congress in Philadelphia on October 20, 1774, as a response to the escalating American Revolution. The colonies aimed to apply economic pressure on Britain, hoping to force Parliament to address their grievances, particularly the repeal of the Intolerable Acts. The agreement outlined a "non-importation, non-consumption, non-exportation" policy that called for a boycott of British goods. The boycott, suggested by Richard Henry Lee and based on an earlier Virginia initiative by George Washington and George Mason, opened with a pledge of loyalty to King George III but blamed Parliament for the oppressive laws imposed on the colonies.

The Continental Association's ban on British imports began on December 1, 1774, significantly reducing trade with Britain. In response, the British passed the New England Restraining Act, further escalating tensions. However, the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War in April 1775 overshadowed the need for the boycott. Despite this, the agreement represented the colonies' growing unity and resolve to act collectively in defense of their rights. Abraham Lincoln later recognized the adoption of the Association as a foundational moment in the formation of the United States, noting it as the origin of the Union in his first inaugural address in 1861.

Background
The Coercive Acts, passed by Parliament in 1774, aimed to punish Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party and restructure colonial administration. This led to the convening of the First Continental Congress on September 5, 1774, where delegates from twelve colonies met to coordinate a response. Leaders such as George Washington, John Adams, and Patrick Henry were present. The Congress rejected a plan of reconciliation with Britain, fearing it would acknowledge Parliament's right to regulate colonial trade and impose taxes. Many Americans saw the Coercive Acts as a threat to their liberties, sparking the call for economic boycotts.

The boycott idea gained traction in May 1774, when the Boston Town Meeting, led by Samuel Adams, passed a resolution urging a halt to trade with Britain until the Boston Port Act, one of the Coercive Acts, was repealed. Paul Revere played a key role in spreading this message. Congress soon endorsed the Suffolk Resolves, which advocated for an embargo on British trade and called for the colonies to organize militias. This cooperation among the colonies laid the groundwork for the Continental Association, adopted on October 20, 1774, to address the growing crisis.

Provisions
The Continental Association immediately banned British tea and, starting December 1, 1774, all imports from Britain, Ireland, and the British West Indies. If the Intolerable Acts were not repealed by September 10, 1775, the colonies would also stop exporting goods to these regions. Article 2 specifically banned ships involved in the slave trade. The agreement also addressed the potential scarcity of goods, restricting merchants from price gouging. Local committees of inspection were established to monitor compliance, and violators were publicly ostracized. The Association promoted frugality, discouraging extravagance in clothing and even setting guidelines for simple funeral observances.

Enforcement
The Continental Association went into effect on December 1, 1774. Compliance was largely enforced through local committees, which were effective in most colonies except Georgia, where the need for British protection from Native Americans hindered participation. Public pressure played a significant role in enforcing the boycott, with newspapers and social networks shaming those who violated the agreement. In some cases, direct action was taken, such as in Annapolis, Maryland, where a merchant chose to burn his ship rather than face the consequences of importing British goods. In areas where enforcement was difficult, some counties enacted price ceilings to discourage smuggling.

Effects
The boycott caused a dramatic drop in trade with Britain, and by early 1775, the local committees of safety had become de facto revolutionary governments in many colonies. The Continental Association forced colonists to take sides, with Patriots supporting the boycott and Loyalists opposing it. In South Carolina, for example, Patriots dominated coastal areas, while Loyalists were more prevalent in the backcountry. The Association also led to the development of new governmental structures that supervised revolutionary activities.

Britain responded by passing the New England Restraining Act, which restricted the colonies' ability to trade with anyone except Britain and the British West Indies. This act, along with other punitive measures, only intensified the conflict, eventually leading to the outbreak of the Revolutionary War. Although the boycott ended with the war, the Continental Association's lasting impact was its demonstration of the colonies' ability to organize and act collectively in defense of their rights.

Legacy
The Continental Association is considered one of the first major steps toward the formation of the United States. In his first inaugural address in 1861, President Abraham Lincoln traced the origins of the Union to the Articles of Association, emphasizing the continuity between the Continental Association, the Declaration of Independence, and the Articles of Confederation. The Association represented the colonies' collective resolve to resist British oppression and laid the foundation for the political unity that would eventually lead to the establishment of the United States.



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