President of the Continental Congress

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The President of the Continental Congress was the chief executive of the Continental Congress , who was elected by the delegates to the Congress. After the Articles of Confederation were adopted on March 1, 1781, the office was known as President of the United States in the assembled Congress .

Although the United States was an independent state at the time the office was introduced, the early presidents of Congress were not the sole heads of state . The position can best be compared to a senior chairman, and the incumbents had little power in just a few areas of responsibility.

The title "President" (unusual at the time) creates a natural line between the office of Congress President and that of the current President of the United States of America (see below).

While all the delegates to Congress were remarkable, two are particularly vivid in the minds of many Americans: John Hancock , since the American Declaration of Independence was adopted and signed under his presidency , and John Hanson, who was occasionally - albeit incorrectly - considered, for his service as Congress President First President of the United States is designated.

List of presidents

The following men served as President of the Continental Congress:

  • Peyton Randolph (September 5, 1774 - October 21, 1774)
  • Henry Middleton (October 22, 1774 - October 26, 1774)
  • Peyton Randolph (again) (May 10, 1775 - May 23, 1775)
  • John Hancock (May 24, 1775 - October 31, 1777)
  • Henry Laurens (November 1, 1777 - December 9, 1778)
  • John Jay (December 10, 1778 - September 27, 1779)
  • Samuel Huntington (September 28, 1779 - March 11, 1781)

The following men served as Presidents of the United States in the assembled Congress:

On March 1, 1781, the title of the office was changed, but Samuel Huntington remained in office.

Name form

The adoption of the Articles of Confederation changed the authority of Congress and its relationship with other states. There have also been some changes in the names of institutions and offices, including the President. During the first few sessions there were small changes in the way the Congress described itself. The articles now made three names standard:

  • United States of America was the name of the confederation or country.
  • United States Assembled in Congress was the common name of the Congress.
  • The full, but little used, name of Congress was United States of New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia gathered in Congress .

It is interesting to compare the terms with the UK Parliament (which operated on a similar system), for example, "The Honorable House of Commons, Gathered in Parliament".

President under the articles

In line with the government's name changes, the official title of Executive Chairman, President of the United States, was established in Congress . Apart from John Hanson, most presidents only used this title for treaties and diplomatic credentials for ministers. The articles did not give all power to the presidency. The president was elected for one year and a delegate could only be elected three times in a row. When Congress was not in session, a state committee consisting of one delegate from each state acted as government.

The view that the office of President is a forerunner to the office of President of the United States is maintained. However, in view of contemporary documents, this seems to need to be limited. Congress as a whole was government. He embodied the legislative , judicial and executive power. In practice, this system of government proved flawed, and as a result, the United States Constitution divided power and established the powers of the President of the United States of America.