Olive Branch Petition

The Olive Branch Petition was a document sent by the Continental Congress to King George III in July 1775, during the early stages of the American Revolutionary War. The petition was a last ditch effort by the colonists to avoid an all-out war with Britain and to reconcile with the British government.

The petition was written by John Dickinson and was signed by the President of the Continental Congress, John Hancock. It was sent to King George III along with a letter from Hancock, in which he stated that the colonists were not seeking independence from Britain, but rather a peaceful resolution to their grievances.

The Olive Branch Petition stated that the colonists were willing to accept any reasonable terms for reconciliation, and that they were still loyal subjects of the British Crown. The petition also acknowledged that some of the colonists had taken up arms against the British government, but that this had been done out of a sense of necessity, and that the colonists were willing to lay down their arms if the King were to offer them reasonable terms for reconciliation.

The King, however, rejected the Olive Branch Petition and instead issued a Proclamation of Rebellion in August of 1775. In it, he declared the colonies to be in a state of rebellion and ordered the raising of additional troops to put down the rebellion.