President of the Continental Congress

The President of the Continental Congress was the presiding officer of the Continental Congress elected by the delegates to the congress. After the Articles of Confederation were adopted on in March 1 1781 the office was known as the President of the United States in Congress Assembled.

Style of the name

The adoption of the Articles of Confederation changed the authority of the Congress and its relation with the states. There were also some changes in the names of institutions and offices, including that of President. Throughout the earlier sessions there had been minor changes in the way congress described or named itself. Now, through the articles, three names became standard:

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• The "United States of America" was the name of the Confederation or country.
• The "United States, in Congress Assembled" became the normal name for the Congress.
• The full name of the Congress, rarely used, was "The 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, in Congress Assembled".

It may be useful to compare the naming of these entities with the naming of entities in the United Kingdom Parliament which operates a similar system. For example, the British House of Commons is formally titled "The Honourable The Commons in Parliament Assembled".

Related Topics:
United Kingdom Parliament - British House of Commons

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