Changes

The '''Olive Branch Petition''' was the last attempt made by the colonists to bring about a reconciliation with the British Government.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NwEPAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA111|title=History of England|date=1898}}</ref>

The '''Olive Branch Petition''' was the last attempt made by the colonists to bring about a reconciliation with the British Government.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NwEPAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA111|title=History of England|date=1898}}</ref> After the [[Battle of Bunker Hill]], [[King George III]] refused to receive the ''Olive Branch''.

==Drafting==

==Drafting==

===Second Constitutional Congress===

===Second Constitutional Congress===

Early in its history this second congress had drafted a new petition to the king. To this, the king did not even pay the courtesy of a formal answer.  

Early in its history this second congress had drafted a new petition to the king, written by [[John Dickinson]]. The petition was adopted July 5th, 1775 and finalized July 8th, 1775, during the [[Continental Congress#Second Continental Congress|Second Continental Congress]].

The petition was adopted July 5th, 1775 and finalized July 8th, 1775, during the [[Continental Congress#Second Continental Congress|Second Continental Congress]] ,which appeals directly to [[King George III]] and expresses hope for reconciliation between the colonies and Great Britain.<ref>[http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/congress-adopts-olive-branch-petition Congress adopts Olive Branch Petition]</ref>

On the 8th of July, the Congress assembled at Philadelphia had confided to Richard Penn, governor of Pennsylvania, a petition denominated the ''Olive Branch'' to the king, to be presented on his arrival in England.  It was delivered to lord Dartmouth on the 1st of September.<ref name=knight>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d30BAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA612|title=Charles Knight's school history of England, abridged from the Popular history of England|date=1865}}</ref>

It was written by [[John Dickinson]].  Dickinson also wrote the [[Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms]], following the Olive Branch petition.<ref>[http://www.constitution.org/bcp/takuparm.htm Declaration of Taking Up Arms: Resolutions of the Second Continental Congress]</ref>

The king's response to Bunker Hill was to issue the [[Proclamation of Rebellion]], declaring the colonists to be rebels, closing the American ports, and warning foreign nations not to trade.  The ''Olive Branch'' was an attempt to appeal directly to [[King George III]] with the hope for reconciliation between the colonies and Great Britain.<ref>[http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/congress-adopts-olive-branch-petition Congress adopts Olive Branch Petition]</ref>  Three days after their arrival in Britain, Penn and his companion, Arthur Lee, were informed by letter that no answer would be given to it.

 

This contemptuous rejection of the humble petition of Congress went upon the ground that the body petitioning had no legal existence. The Americans from the time of that rejection of their last humble effort at pacification held that to British councils, and not to American, all the bloodshed and guilt of the war were to be ascribed. In an examination of Mr. Penn before the House of Lords, he averred that the general feeling in America was not for independence, but simply "for the defence of their liberties." Mr. Penn's opinions on this subject have been confirmed by those held by Washington, Madison, Franklin, and Jefferson, before the commencement of hostilities. A motion that the petition of Congress afforded grounds for conciliation was rejected by an overwhelming majority.<ref name=knight />

This treatment also convinced many that the colonists need hope for nothing at the hands of the king or parliament, and also had an effect on the king's own men.  Many English army officers resigned their commissions rather than serve against the Americans.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ro4rAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA222|title=Reading courses ... prepared under the advice and direction of Edwin Markham|date=1907}}</ref> When the subservient "king's friends" in parliament voted 25,000 troops, most of them had to be hired in Germany.  Shortly after the news reached America that the British government had hired [[Hessian (soldier)|Hessian soldiers]] to help fight their battles in the colonies, even the most conservative began to admit the necessity of separation.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6T0XAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA54|title=School Civics: An Outline Study of the Origin and Development of Government and the Development of Political Institutions in the United States|date=1919}}</ref>

After the [[Battle of Bunker Hill]], the King refused to receive the ''Olive Branch''.  His response to Bunker Hill was to issue the [[Proclamation of Rebellion]], declaring the colonists to be rebels, closing the American ports, and warning foreign nations not to trade. This contemptuous treatment convinced many that the colonists need hope for nothing at the hands of the king, and also had an effect on the king's own men.  Many English army officers resigned their commissions rather than serve against the Americans.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ro4rAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA222|title=Reading courses ... prepared under the advice and direction of Edwin Markham|date=1907}}</ref> When the subservient "king's friends" in parliament voted 25,000 troops, most of them had to be hired in Germany.  Shortly after the news reached America that the British government had hired [[Hessian (soldier)|Hessian soldiers]] to help fight their battles in the colonies, even the most conservative began to admit the necessity of separation.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6T0XAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA54|title=School Civics: An Outline Study of the Origin and Development of Government and the Development of Political Institutions in the United States|date=1919}}</ref>

==Aftermath==

==Aftermath==

All these considerations were popularized and brought vividly to the imaginations of great numbers by Paine's pamphlet, "[[Common Sense]]."  By May 1776, the Congress, which had acted for a year as a revolutionary general government for the United Colonies, felt justified in entering upon consideration of the subject.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PnFMAAAAMAAJ&pg=PT53|title=The Encyclopedia Americana, Volume 16|date=1904}}</ref>

All these considerations were popularized and brought vividly to the imaginations of great numbers by Paine's pamphlet, "[[Common Sense]]."  By May 1776, the Congress, which had acted for a year as a revolutionary general government for the United Colonies, felt justified in entering upon consideration of the subject.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PnFMAAAAMAAJ&pg=PT53|title=The Encyclopedia Americana, Volume 16|date=1904}}</ref>

==References==

==References==