The Second Continental Congress consisted primarily of the members of the former First Continental Congress, which had met between September 5, 1774 to October 26, 1774 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. When the new Congress convened in May 1775, the membership had changed very little. Notable additions included Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Hancock, who was elected President of the Congress on May 24, 1775. By the time the Second Congress met, the Revolutionary War had already begun with the Battles of Lexington and Concord. On June 14, the Congress voted to form a Continental Army to replace the uncoordinated military efforts against the British. The Continental Congress did not technically have the authority to govern on behalf of the individual states, but assumed many nat