Existing comment:
Journal of the Continental Congress
When the first Continental Congress met in September and October 1774, it drafted a Declaration of Rights and Grievances claiming for the colonists the liberties guaranteed to them under "the principles of the English constitution, and the several charters or compacts." The colonists sought the preservation of their self-government, freedom from taxation without representation, the right to a trial by a jury of one's countrymen, and their enjoyment of "life, liberty and property" free from arbitrary interference from the crown. On this title page is a symbol of unity adopted by the congress: twelve arms reaching out to grasp a column that is topped by a liberty cap. The base of the column reads "Magna Carta." |