The main reason the colonists assembled for the First Continental Congress in 1774 was to respond collectively to the Coercive Acts (also known as the Intolerable Acts), which were punitive laws passed by the British Parliament to punish Massachusetts and reassert control after the Boston Tea Party. The colonists sought to discuss a unified response to these acts, which they viewed as violations of their rights and liberties
. The Congress aimed to appeal to the British government for a peaceful resolution and to restore colonial rights, while also coordinating economic resistance, such as boycotting British goods through the creation of the Continental Association. The delegates hoped to pressure Britain into repealing the Intolerable Acts and agreed to reconvene if their grievances were not addressed
. Thus, the primary purpose was to unite the colonies in opposition to British policies that threatened their autonomy and to seek redress for their grievances through collective action and negotiation
