Olive Branch Petition facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Olive Branch Petition |
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| Ratified | July 5, 1775 |
| Signers | Second Continental Congress |
| Purpose | Avoiding war between Great Britain and the Thirteen Colonies |
The Olive Branch Petition was a special letter written by the Second Continental Congress on July 5, 1775. It was signed on July 8. This letter was a final try to stop a war between Great Britain and the Thirteen Colonies in America.
Even though the Congress had already planned to invade Canada, the petition said that Americans were still loyal to Great Britain. It asked King George III to prevent more fighting. However, another document, the Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms, was also sent. This made the petition's success unlikely. In August 1775, the colonies were officially declared to be in rebellion. The British government rejected the petition. King George refused to read it before calling the colonists traitors.
Writing the Petition
The Second Continental Congress met in May 1775. Most of the people there, like John Dickinson, wanted to make peace with King George. But a smaller group, led by John Adams, thought war was going to happen no matter what. They decided to wait for the right time to get people ready for independence. This allowed Dickinson and his group to try for peace.
Dickinson was the main writer of the petition. Other important people like Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, John Rutledge, and Thomas Johnson also helped. Dickinson stated that the colonies did not want to be independent. Instead, they wanted fairer rules for trade and taxes.
He asked the King to create a lasting peace between Great Britain and the colonies. This peace would ensure good times for future generations in both countries. He suggested starting by removing the Intolerable Acts, which were unfair laws. The letter mentioned twelve of the thirteen colonies, all except Georgia.
The letter was approved on July 5. It was signed by John Hancock, who was the President of the Second Congress. Representatives from the twelve colonies also signed it. It was sent to London on July 8, 1775. Richard Penn and Arthur Lee carried the letter. It is now kept in the National Archives in the United Kingdom. Dickinson hoped that news of the Battles of Lexington and Concord and this humble petition would make the King offer a new plan or start talks.
What Happened Next
The King's choice not to even look at the petition changed everything. It gave John Adams and others a chance to push for independence. They saw that the King was not willing to listen to the colonists' complaints.
This made the situation very clear for many colonists. They realized they had to choose between being completely independent or completely giving in to British rule. This idea became even stronger a few months later. That's when Thomas Paine's famous pamphlet, Common Sense, was widely read.
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