The continental congress assumed the powers of a central government, organized an army and navy, made plans to issue money, and appointed george washington as commander of the continental army.

 The SECOND Continental Congress.

The First Continental Congress had met in Philadelphia in September/October, 1774, in regard to what the colonies saw as "Intolerable Acts" passed by British Parliament after the Boston Tea Party.  That meeting had called for a second congress to meet if the British did not respond satisfactorily to the colonists' concerns.

So, when Britain did not yield, the American colonies convened the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia, beginning in May, 1775.  The Philadelphia sessions of the Second Continental Congress lasted till December, 1776.  There followed further sessions of the Second Continental Congress that continued through 1781, not only in Philadelphia, but also in Baltimore, Maryland, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and York, Pennsylvania.

by creating a labor shortage that pushed the continent toward a market economy

frederick william of brandenburg-prussia trained his son, frederick, to be a hardy soldier. but frederick disliked rifle shooting and horseback riding. unlike his father, he was interested in french literature. he enjoyed poetry and music and, like some others of the enlightenment, he scoffed at religion. his father thought him soft, frivolous and unmindful of his duties. and when frederick refused to put his signature on a right to succession, for a few moments his father strangled him.