Olive Branch Petition Analysis

Hailey Ohl Mr. Snyder American Cultures I period 3 11 December 2017 The Olive Branch Petition could not stop The Revolutionary War If Britain had accepted the Second Continental Congress’s Olive Branch petition the Revolutionary war could not have been avoided. The Olive branch petition is a peace petition sent to king George III by colonial delegates after the battles of Lexington and Concord. There were several reasons based on events that had happened before 1775 that can date back to many things the British have done that would have not stopped the war it was just a matter of time.

Nevertheless, the war quickly became longer than planned and desperate actions were needed to be taken. Hence, the conservatives started pressuring king

With many losses to secure a stronghold in the provincial Congress the Patriot cause has been at a disadvantage. The Second Session of the Provincial Congress the petition to re-open the courts passed however it is under British rule. The very first act to not be in favor or help the patriot cause. Opening the courts under British rule will make passing laws and creating a new system more difficult. Americans wanting freedom from the British rule must take even more dangerous actions by way of mobs and a large amount of sacrifice the possibility of sending our men and sons to war to enable the Patriots a victory over his Majesty’s tyrannical ways.

“Talk of rebellion has been brewing for some time. It had been festering for the past several years, as Britain levied a series of taxes on its American colonies” (5). Henry observed the resistance to the countless British

After the declaration of independence in 1776, different groups of people raised particular issues concerning their status in the society through petitions. This paper will consist in presenting three petitions written in the late eighteenth century. The first document is addressed to the authorities of the state of Pennsylvania in 1784 by the leaders of Philadelphia Jewish community concerning the religious aspect of the constitution. The second petition is addressed by enslaves African-Americans to the Massachusetts Legislature in 1777 about the status of slaves.

The Olive Branch Petition was sent from the colonists to Great Britain in hopes of achieving peace and relieving the tensions between them put in place prior to the Battle of Lexington and Concord in 1774. Great Britain responded to the petition with a letter referring to the colonists as traitors to their mother country. This response effectively initiated the Revolutionary War for the colonists. Many varying political views stemmed from whether the colonists should embark on a revolution that would move them out of the guidance of Great Britain and that would provide them independence from Great Britain. Some argued that the revolution would be a “conservative” revolution where every thing will remain largely the same, in terms of political

They simply do not understand that the colonies would like to be free of their rule. We shouldn't have to go through all these struggles to receive our peace. Instead Great Britain has decided to impose taxes and laws upon us. This should hint us in removing ourselves from Great Britain’s power before it could possibly get worse. Why should we continue peaceful methods if they continue to tax us and impose laws on us?

For starters, the American Revolution was waged as a war of last resort because the colonists could not execute any more plans to make truce with Britain peacefully. The principle of last resort states that a war can only be waged after all the peaceful options are considered and force must be conducted as the last alternative. In the “Olive Branch Petition”, John Dickinson, a representative of the colonists wrote: “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, whether it may not be expedient, for facilitating those important purposes, that your Majesty be pleased to direct some mode, by which the united applications of your faithful Colonists to the Throne, in pursuance of their common counsels, may be improved into a happy and permanent reconciliation; and that, in the mean time, measures may be taken for preventing the further destruction of the lives of your Majesty’s subjects; and that such statutes as more immediately distress any of your Majesty’s Colonies may be repealed.” (Dickinson, John). As inscribed in the “Olive Branch Petition” the colonists’ will was not to detach from Great Britain but to maintain union and peace.

They knew that you couldn’t just talk to the King about how the government isn’t fair. So, they took matters into their own hands. At first, colonists boycotted a lot of goods. They boycotted for a short time. Soon, the boycotting turned to riots.

They were rejecting the idea of a monarchy. A monarchy was based on the idea of

The settlers in the colonies started to gathering ideas to create their own nation and stop being ruled by the British Government. The problem with pure democracy was that people were not treated equal and the government was abusing of its power, and the colonists wanted a solution to that problem. The Declaration of Independence took place in Philadelphia. Fifty-six delegates from the thirteen colonies gathered for the Second Continental Congress they were seeking a solution for the similar problem they had in the colonies. Our founding fathers signed the United States Declaration of Independence.

They could not hold meetings and make decisions for themselves. The king decided that they could not hold meetings because, as he felt they were planning to overthrow him during these organized get-togethers. They could not protest his decrees, or they would be killed. Take the Boston massacre, the colonists were protesting and the soldiers started firing on them. “Order quickly broke down, and the frightened soldiers fired into the crowd.

Therefore, the reason that the actions of the colonists worked is because of the strain that the War had put on Britain’s

They used this group to warn each other about possible British laws and acts that would be placed upon the

We have all been through rough times, have we not? Sir Patrick Henry speaks of the tyranny of British rule, but is it really all that bad? If you were in the same position as our great King George, what else would you do? We started ourselves into a war that we were not prepared to fight on our own, and so the generous King provided us with soldiers to help win the battle. This war was very taxing on Britain—we are in great debt—and the King is merely trying to help us get out of the debt.