the assembly of delegates from the North American rebel colonies held during and after the War of American Independence. It issued the Declaration of Independence (1776) and framed the Articles of Confederation (1777)
Continental Congress in American English
either of two assemblies of representatives from the American colonies during the Revolutionary period: the first was held in 1774 to express grievances against British colonial policy; the second convened in 1775, created the Continental army, issued the Declaration of Independence (1776), and operated temporarily as the legislative body of the U.S.