▁States . ▁De leg ates ▁to ▁the ▁First ▁( 1 7 7 4 ) ▁and ▁then ▁the ▁Second ▁( 1 7 7 5 – 1 7 8 1 ) ▁Cont inental ▁Congress ▁were ▁chosen ▁largely ▁through ▁the ▁action ▁of ▁comm itte es ▁of ▁correspond ence ▁in ▁various ▁colon ies ▁rather ▁than ▁through ▁the ▁colonial ▁or ▁later ▁state ▁legisl atures . ▁ ▁In ▁no ▁formal ▁sense ▁was ▁it ▁a ▁gather ing ▁representative ▁of ▁existing ▁colonial ▁govern ments ; ▁it ▁represented ▁the ▁diss atisf ied ▁elements ▁of ▁the ▁people , ▁such ▁persons ▁as ▁were ▁sufficiently ▁interested ▁to ▁act , ▁despite ▁the ▁str enu ous ▁opposition ▁of ▁the ▁loyal ists ▁and ▁the ▁obst ruction ▁or ▁dis f avor ▁of ▁colonial ▁govern ors . ▁The ▁process ▁of ▁selecting ▁the ▁deleg ates ▁for ▁the ▁First ▁and ▁Second ▁Cont inental ▁Congress es ▁unders c ores ▁the ▁revolution ary ▁role ▁of ▁the ▁people ▁of ▁the ▁colon ies ▁in ▁establish ing ▁a ▁central ▁gover ning ▁body . ▁End owed ▁by ▁the ▁people ▁collect ively , ▁the ▁Cont inental ▁Congress ▁alone ▁possessed ▁those ▁attributes ▁of ▁external ▁so vere ig nt y ▁which ▁entitled ▁it ▁to ▁be ▁called ▁a ▁state ▁in ▁the ▁international ▁sense , ▁while ▁the ▁separate ▁states , ▁exer cis ing ▁a ▁limited ▁or ▁internal ▁so vere ig nt y , ▁may ▁right ly ▁be ▁considered ▁a ▁creation ▁of ▁the ▁Cont inental ▁Congress , ▁which ▁preced ed ▁them ▁and ▁brought ▁them ▁into ▁being . ▁ ▁Articles ▁of ▁Confeder ation ▁▁ ▁The ▁Articles ▁of ▁Confeder ation ▁and ▁Per pet ual ▁Union ▁was