John Lothrop Motley 
Causes of the Civil War in America [PDF ebook] 

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. The Continental Congress, which was the central ad ministrative board during this epoch, was a diet of envoys from sovereign states. It had no power to actors individuals. It could not command the states. It could move only by requisitions and recommendations. Its functions were essentially diplomatic, like those of the States General of the old Dutch republic, like those of the modern Germanic confederation.