Contact Congress: Support the Presidents of Congress Commemoration Resolution
From 1774 to 1788, fourteen Presidents led America under the Continental and Confederation Congresses, guiding the nation through revolution, independence, and union long before George Washington’s inauguration.
The Presidents of Congress Commemoration Resolution calls on Congress and the President to honor these early heads of state with official wreath-laying ceremonies beginning in 2026, the 250th anniversary of the United States.
Please review the resolution and sample letter below, then contact your U.S. Senators and Representatives to urge their support for this long-overdue historic and unifying measure.JOINT RESOLUTION
117th CONGRESS, 2d Session
Directing that official wreaths be laid annually at the
graves or memorial sites of the Presidents of the Continental and Confederation
Congresses, beginning with the Semiquincentennial of the United States of
America.
Whereas, from September 5, 1774, until March 3, 1789, the legislative and
executive authority of the United States resided in the Continental Congresses
and the United States in Congress Assembled; and
Whereas, the Presidents of Congress, elected by their fellow delegates, presided
over the nation’s earliest governing bodies, executed treaties, signed military
commissions, directed the national mail, set the congressional agenda, managed
debate, appointed committees, determined adjournments, guided the Revolution,
proclaimed independence, conducted diplomacy, coordinated military strategy,
and implemented the Articles of Confederation, called the 1787 Philadelphia
Convention; and
Whereas, these Presidents, Peyton Randolph, Henry Middleton, John Hancock, Henry
Laurens, John Jay, Samuel Huntington, Thomas McKean, John Hanson, Elias
Boudinot, Thomas Mifflin, Richard Henry Lee, Nathaniel Gorham, Arthur St.
Clair, and Cyrus Griffin, established the precedents of republican leadership;
and
Whereas, their elections represent the first peaceful transfers of executive
authority within the United States, laying the institutional foundations for
the later offices of President, Vice President, and Speaker of the House under
the Constitution of 1787; and
Whereas, in recognition of their indispensable service, the United States has a
duty to honor these founding Presidents in a manner consistent with the
wreath-laying ceremonies conducted annually at the gravesites of the Presidents
of the United States: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may
be cited as the “Presidents of Congress Commemoration Resolution.”
SEC. 2. WREATH-LAYING CEREMONIES.
Beginning in 2026, the 250th anniversary of the United States, the
President of the United States shall direct that an official wreath, in the
name of the Nation, be laid each year on the anniversary of the election of
every President of the United Colonies Continental Congress, the United States
Continental Congress, and the United States in Congress Assembled, at their
gravesite or other suitable memorial.
SEC. 3. ADMINISTRATION. (a) The White
House Military Office, in coordination with the Department of Defense and the
National Park Service, shall administer and execute the ceremonies. (b) In
cases where no gravesite is extant, the wreath shall be placed at the most
appropriate memorial or historical marker available.
SEC. 4. FUNDING. Such sums as may be
necessary to carry out this resolution shall be made available from funds
appropriated for ceremonial and representational purposes of the Executive
Office of the President.
Sample Email for Supporters to Send to Their Senators or Representatives
Subject: Please Support the “Presidents of Congress Commemoration Resolution” – Recognizing America’s First Heads of State
Dear [Senator/Representative] [Last Name],
I am writing to urge your support for the “Presidents of Congress Commemoration Resolution” — a Joint Resolution directing that official presidential wreaths be laid annually at the graves or memorial sites of the Presidents of the Continental and Confederation Congresses, beginning with the Semiquincentennial of the United States in 2026.
From 1774 to 1788, before the presidency of George Washington, America was led by fourteen Presidents of the Continental and Confederation Congresses: Peyton Randolph, Henry Middleton, John Hancock, Henry Laurens, John Jay, Samuel Huntington, Thomas McKean, John Hanson, Elias Boudinot, Thomas Mifflin, Richard Henry Lee, Nathaniel Gorham, Arthur St. Clair, and Cyrus Griffin.
These men served as the nation’s first heads of state, guiding the Revolution through war and peace, executing treaties, signing military commissions, directing the national mail, and overseeing the creation of the executive departments of Foreign Affairs, War, Marine, and the Postal Service. Their leadership sustained the fledgling republic for fifteen years and laid the institutional foundations upon which the Constitution of 1787 was built.
Despite their indispensable service, these Presidents remain largely unrecognized in official commemorations. The Presidents of Congress Commemoration Resolution would correct that omission by ensuring the Nation honors them annually with wreath-laying ceremonies — a tradition already observed for Presidents under the later Constitution.
As our country approaches its 250th anniversary, it is fitting that we honor all of America’s Presidents, those who guided the United States from resistance to nationhood.
Please lend your name and voice to this historic and unifying resolution.
Sincerely,
[Your Full Name]
[City, State]
[Optional: Affiliation, Organization, or Title]
🔗 How to Contact Your Members of Congress
Supporters can easily identify and contact their Senators and Representatives using this official directory:
👉 Find Your Members of Congress – Congress.gov
This link provides verified contact forms, email portals, and mailing addresses for every sitting U.S. Senator and Representative.
From the meeting rooms of Philadelphia’s Carpenters’ Hall in 1774 to New York’s Federal Hall in 1790, eleven historic buildings served as the seats of America’s Continental and Confederation Congresses. This richly illustrated calendar presents the architectural, political, and cultural history of each capitol where the foundations of the United States were laid. - CLICK HERE
Background
The Presidents Before Washington – America’s Forgotten Founders (1774–1788)
Before George Washington took the oath of office in 1789, the United States was guided by a succession of remarkable leaders, the Presidents of the United Colonies, Continental, United States Continental, and United States Confederation Congresses.
From 1774 to 1788, these men served as the nation’s first de facto heads of state. Under both the Continental Congress and the Articles of Confederation, there was no single executive. Consequently, these Presidents performed the essential administrative and diplomatic duties of the national government.
They executed treaties, signed military orders and commissions, supervised the national mails, received and entertained foreign diplomats, set legislative agendas, managed debate, appointed committees, issued proclamations, and determined congressional adjournments.
Under their leadership, Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, formed the Continental Army and Navy, conducted the Revolutionary War, ratified the Articles of Confederation, enacted the Northwest Ordinance, and created the first executive departments, Foreign Affairs, War, Marine, and the Postal Service.
For fifteen years, these Presidents sustained the fledgling republic through war and peace until George Washington’s inauguration in 1789. Yet their vital contributions have faded from the nation’s collective memory, their names absent from presidential monuments, commemorations, and coinage.
America’s First Presidents – 1774 to 1788
These Presidents personified the steadfast courage and unyielding vision that carried the American Revolution from mere defiance to the birth of the United States of America. Their leadership bridged the gap between rebellion and nationhood, transforming the ideals of independence into the framework of republican governance.
An Enduring Mission of Recognition
Since 2003, when I had the distinct honor of delivering the keynote address at the reinterment of President Samuel and First Lady Martha Huntington, I have urged that these early heads of state be honored alongside the later Presidents of the United States.
Although efforts to include them in the Presidential $1 Coin Program were unsuccessful, new efforts are underway. A Joint Resolution now before Congress would direct that official presidential wreaths be laid annually at the graves or memorials of these founding Presidents — just as is done for Presidents under the Constitution of 1787, beginning with America’s 250th anniversary in 2026.
This long-overdue act of remembrance would complete the circle of our national story, recognizing the Presidents who built the bridge from revolution to republic — those who kept the American experiment alive until the ratification of the Constitution and Washington’s inauguration.
About the Project
This webpage and video is part of the Historic.us / Presidents Before Washington educational series, a national effort to restore public recognition for the fourteen Presidents who served under the Continental and Confederation Congresses. Through exhibits, lectures, documentaries, and primary-source research, this project illuminates the men who held America together before the establishment of the federal presidency in 1789.
Produced and narrated by Stanley Y. Klos, historian, preservationist, and founder of Historic.us, this work continues a twenty-year mission to correct the historical record and give these early Presidents their rightful place in America’s commemorative history.
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