Less than a year after adopting the Declaration of Independence, the Second Continental Congress formally signed the Olive Branch Petition on July 8, 1775, after approving its final text a few days prior. The third-to-last paragraph pleaded: “We therefore beseech your Majesty, that your royal authority and influence may be graciously interposed to procure us relief from our afflicting fears and jealousies, occasioned by the system before-mentioned, and to settle peace through every part of our Dominions, with all humility submitting to your Majesty’s wise consideration…”
This document stands as a powerful reminder that before declaring absolute independence, early Americans deeply desired to avoid war, aiming instead to be heard and to preserve unity. The tragic contrast of the petition is that King George III had already resolved to use total military suppression to crush the colonial unrest before the peace offering even arrived in London, flatly refusing to grant the document a formal reading.
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