Which Colony Didn't Send Anyone to the First Continental Congress Meeting?

Delegates from every American colony except Georgia attended the First Constitutional Convention.
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The American colonies convened the First Continental Congress on September 5, 1774 to protest the Intolerable Acts – also called the Coercive Acts – enacted by the British Parliament. Twelve of the 13 states which ultimately rebelled against English rule sent delegates. The only colony that would eventually join the rebellion not represented was Georgia.

1 Why They Sat It Out

At the time when the First Continental Congress was called, Georgia was dealing with a conflict involving Native Americans. Members of the Creek Indian tribe were infuriated by what they perceived as an unfair deal struck between colonial authorities and Creek and Cherokee chiefs that required them to move off of their traditional lands along the Savannah River. Georgia was dependent on Britain for military supplies to fight the Creek and in no position to anger the British authorities.

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2 Georgian Loyalties

Most Georgians – with the exception of Savannah's merchants – supported the British government in September, 1774. However, in complying with the October 1774 peace treaty that smoothed the disagreement with the Creeks, provincial Royal Gov. James Wright demanded no further land concessions from the tribe. This angered the colonists and one month after the First Continental Congress concluded large numbers of Georgians joined the protest against the Intolerable Acts.

Dell Markey is a full-time journalist. When he isn't writing business spotlights for local community papers, he writes and has owned and operated a small business.

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