id	author	title	date	pages	extension	mime	words	sentences	flesch	summary	cache	txt
en-wikipedia-org-8405		Continental Congress - Wikipedia			.html	text/html	6582	606	57	The Second Continental Congress convened on May 10, 1775, at Pennsylvania's State House in Philadelphia shortly after the start of the Revolutionary War. Initially, it functioned as a de facto national government by raising armies, directing strategy, appointing diplomats, and making formal treaties. The weak central government established by the Articles received only those powers which the former colonies had recognized as belonging to king and parliament.[9] Congress had the power to declare war, sign treaties, and settle disputes between the states. After the colonies declared their independence in 1776 and united as a quasi-federation to fight for their freedom, the president functioned as head of state (not of the country, but of its central government); Otherwise, the office was "more honorable than powerful".[13] Congress also elected a secretary, scribe, doorman, messenger, and Chaplain.	./cache/en-wikipedia-org-8405.html	./txt/en-wikipedia-org-8405.txt