After many years of disagreements and new laws including the Intolerable Acts of 1774, tensions were boiling over in some of the colonies. The Battle of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts, kicked off the fighting between Great Britain and the American colonies. On June 16th, 1775, the colonial and British armies both fought to take Bunker Hill in Boston. The Americans were low on supplies and heavily outnumbered. The British took Bunker Hill after a fierce battle. Although the British were victorious, they lost a lot of soldiers and officers. It was becoming clear that this would be more than a small revolt. Yet, even after such a hard fought battle, some Americans still believed a peaceful solution could be found.

Congress Creates a Petition

The Second Continental Congress met for the second time, in the summer of 1775. The congress wanted to decide how to move forward. Despite the outbreak of war, many in America did not want independence. In Congress, there was still a widespread belief that the problem was Parliament and not the king. In July 1775, Congress sent a petition to the King to try to find a way to end the crisis between the British government and its American colonies. This petition was commonly known as the “Olive Branch Petition.” The petition asked the king to find a way to resolve the crisis and offered some possible settlement options for him to consider.

The first draft of the Olive Branch Petition was written by Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson’s draft was thought to be too aggressive. It leaned more towards American independence than peace with England. In response, it was edited by John Dickinson. Dickinson was a leader among a group of Patriots that still wanted peace over war. The letter was a last ditch effort to keep the peace between Britain and America. The Olive Branch Petition was signed by the Continental Congress on July 8, 1775, almost a year before the Declaration of Independence.

"By the King, A Proclamation, For Suppressing Rebellion and Sedition"; Papers of the Continental Congress- 1774-1789, Item 152, Letters from Gen. George Washington, Commander in Chief of the Army, 1775-84, vol 1., p. 271; Records of the Continental and Confederation Congresses and the Constitutional Convention; Record Group 360; National Archives

King George III’s Response

The king refused to even read the Olive Branch Petition. While George III did not respond to the Olive Branch Petition, he did react to the petition by declaring his own Proclamation of Rebellion on August 23rd. This declared that the colonies were in a state of “open and avowed rebellion.” On top of this proclamation, Parliament passed the American Prohibitory Act in December 1775. This was a law that banned all British trade with the American colonies. It also said that American ships and cargo were to be treated like an enemy and could be seized. The Proclamation of Rebellion, followed by the American Prohibitory Act, was considered by many Americans to be a declaration of war by Parliament against the American colonies.

Student Inquiry

1. Why do you think Jefferson agreed to draft the petition? What did he have to gain?
2. What does the term, “olive branch” mean? Have you ever given someone an “olive branch”?
3. Do you think there was ever a time when the Olive Branch Petition could have worked? When?