The Continental Congress
Three Centuries of Self-Governance
"In free governments, the rulers are the servants, and the people their superiors and sovereigns."
— Benjamin Franklin
I. The First Continental Congress
1774
The First Continental Congress (1774) marked the beginning of unified American self-governance, inspiring a legacy of liberty and collective action that endures to this day. While not a formal government in the modern sense, it was an assembly of delegates chosen by the people, united in peaceful resistance to injustice and committed to defending liberty, justice, and the right of self-determination. Its convening established a lawful precedent for citizens to gather in common cause, independent of any existing governmental authority. It represents an early example of self-governance, as the colonies organized themselves to deliberate and act collectively on matters affecting their communities.
II. The Second Continental Congress
1775-1781
The Second Continental Congress (1775–1781) built upon the foundation laid by the First, guiding the colonies through the American Revolution, adopting the Declaration of Independence, and drafting the Articles of Confederation, while laying the groundwork for the origin of the nation’s three branches of government. While it exercised wartime administrative authority, it remained rooted in the people’s right to assemble, deliberate, and act collectively in the public interest. This tradition, born in times of crisis, affirmed that the power to deliberate and decide in matters of liberty rests first and foremost with the people themselves, through voluntary delegates—the essence of self-governance.
III. The Third Continental Congress
2026
The Citizens-Led Third Continental Congress (2026), symbolically organized by The Continental Congress Project, LLC™, is a for-profit civic education and event platform designed to bring together citizens, activists, and community groups to learn, debate, and engage in the practice of direct democracy across the 26 states and Washington, D.C., where such mechanisms exist. Operating as an LLC allows this platform to lawfully provide partisan, opinion-based, and educational programming while generating revenue through ticket sales, merchandise, subscriptions, and patronage tools like Buy Me a Coffee — without handling donations for nonprofits or political campaigns. Participants may attend civic forums, workshops, and virtual congressional sessions; join state-level working groups; sign symbolic resolutions or declarations; contribute ideas, artwork, or policy proposals; and collaborate on Project 2026 initiatives. Community partners and nonprofit organizations may table, present, recruit volunteers, or fundraise independently using their own systems, websites, or QR codes, with all financial transactions handled solely by those organizations. This structure ensures that all engagement remains voluntary, educational, citizen-powered, and legally protected under the First Amendment, while fostering participation, self-governance, and solidarity with the No Kings Movement — a platform for civic education, discussion, and lawful activism. Brooke Teal Robbins, as a public speaker and Direct Democracy Influencer, may host and facilitate such events for the Citizens-Led Third Continental Congress — stylized publicly as Civic Congress.