jul 5, 1775 - Olive Branch Petition

Description:

The Olive Branch petition was adopted by the Continental Congress on July 5, 1775. It was a last resort to make peace with the king and stop a war from occurring. In the petition, the colonists explained why they had been rebelling against the British government, then stated that the colonists were still loyal to the British government, and asked to repeal taxes and laws they felt were unjust. The king refused to read the petition and passed the Proclamation of Rebellion in late August. This meant the Parliament considered the colonists to be in a state of rebellion and needed to be subdued by the British military. The petition was too late to save the colonists from a war and did not help the relations between the colonies and Britain.