Following the drafting and ultimate rejection of the ''Olive Branch'' petition, congress issued the [[Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms]].<ref>[http://www.constitution.org/bcp/takuparm.htm Declaration of Taking Up Arms: Resolutions of the Second Continental Congress]</ref> | Following the drafting and ultimate rejection of the ''Olive Branch'' petition, congress issued the [[Declaration of the Causes and Necessity of Taking Up Arms]].<ref>[http://www.constitution.org/bcp/takuparm.htm Declaration of Taking Up Arms: Resolutions of the Second Continental Congress]</ref> |