After our class debate about the colonists’ ideas concerning separation, I began to wonder what were the final avenues taken to try to avert the Revolutionary War. To find a source pertinent to my interest and fitting for our assignment, I searched the “historymatters.gmu.edu” site using the key words “Revolutionary War primary document.” The search provided several documents, such as Washington’s papers at the Library of Congress, Martha Ballard’s diary, as well as a few others. None of the documents in my original search were specific enough to my interests in the days leading up to the American Revolution. I then narrowed my search to documents written in 1775 and found a link in The University of Georgia Tech’s American history documents database to The Olive Branch Petition.
In July 1775, The Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia to discuss possible courses of action following the most recent battle with Britain at Bunker Hill. Members of the Congress disagreed about what steps to take in dissolving the confrontation with Parliament and King George III. Separatists, such as John Adams, were fed up with decades of British colonization and were ready for sovereignty, even if at the price of war. Yet Congressional moderates garnered enough support to attempt one last-ditch effort to stop further bloodshed and end the conflict amicably. The Congress decided to write yet another letter, send it to London, and hope the king would be receptive. They called the letter The Olive Branch Petition.
The Olive Branch Petition professed colonial loyalty to his majesty in a final appeal for peaceful reconciliation with Britain. Fighting with the British had already started with the Battles of Concord, Lexington, and Bunker Hi...
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...arliament, caused the colonies to become more and more independent throughout the eighteenth century. Yet the colonists wanted to exhaust every remedy to their grievances before resorting to war. Declaring independence was never going to be a swift process, as each colony progressed at a different rate. Nonetheless, forming a colonial army at the same time as attempting to negotiate peaceful conciliation with the British was not at first a popular decision, yet to many the benefits outweighed the possible losses. In the end, the rejection of the Olive branch represented a watershed in the evolution of a national identity that was completely independent of a British identity, for its dismissal stiffened the patriots’ resolve toward independence and paved the way for the penning of a much more famous letter to the king, the Declaration of Independence.
At the beginning of the war, everything was in array and no one could agree on anything, disorganization and uncertainty overwhelmed everyone. Organizations that were meant to be unifying factors for the colonists, like the Continental Congress, were little more than debating clubs that had to work for weeks before they could come to a decision. As time went on and the Tea Act was put into place the rage of the people made them grow closer. By the eve of the American Revolution, Parliament’s aggression towards the colonists had drawn a distinction between the colonist’s political, economic, and social ideas and those of the British. Colonists had embraced a new identity that helped fuel their resistance against Britain (American Identity and
Their need to make peace made them write a petition that tributed a man they deemed despicable. King George III was their enemy, on the contrary after reading the plea one would say he was a “great man” crucial to the colonists. In the king’s lense, The Olive Branch Petition may have seemed as fragility, demonstrating the desperation of the people, he was not amenable to fulfill. In addition, they state they are connected with Britain by unbreakable ties, which is ironic because the sole purpose of fleeing was independence. The Olive Branch Petition was their last endeavor to make truce peacefully; thus, the American Revolution was waged as a war of last resort. Also, the colonists constantly mention the benefits of being an ally with Britain, depicting that it was not their first choice to conduct a war. Adversity was at such level that they risked destabilizing their economy and their comfort to be free. They did not want to be isolated from great Britain because they considered them as the roots from which they sprouted. Nevertheless, the anguish was so high that the colonists decided to risk their security for
The Olive Branch Petition, drafted on July 5th, 1775 by John Dickenson, was, not only, a major turn point in the movement of the American Revolution, but marked a very important point in American History. During the creation process of the Olive Branch Petition, the Battles of Lexington and Concord and the Battle of Bunker Hill had just taken place. Members within the Continental Congress had opposing views on what approach they should take to dissolve the tension between the colonies and Great Britain. Some strived for Independence no matter the consequences, while others disagreed. These others were Loyalist who didn’t agree with the idea of betraying the King, but still had conflict with taxation without representation. They came to an agreement and decided to send a second request to the King asking for a compromise, in order to come up with a reasonable solution to the ongoing war. This plea was other known as the Olive Branch Petition. As many predicted, the compromise was rejected by Great Britain, resulting in new tensions between their nation and the American Colonies. With this said, the Olive Branch Petition impacted the American Revolution in two significant ways by England refusing the American’s request for a compromise guiding them to go through with war and changing the views of the Loyalist, through how the King handled the petition.
When Britain entered the war, one of their biggest problems was uneven support in the war. One problem was that there were many American sympathizers in British Parliament. These sympathizers saw the revolt in the colonies as a plausible and reasonable reaction. The fact that pa...
With the Olive Branch Petition, the Continental Congress hoped to avoid a full blown war at all costs by making a declaration to King George that they were still on his side and they wanted to stop these tensions. However King George refused to accept this and the colonies had a war ahead of them.
When Britain entered the war, one of their biggest problems was uneven support for the war. There were many American sympathizers in British Parliament. These sympathizers saw the revolt in the colonies as a plausible and reasonable reaction. The fact that parliament as a whole was not in complete favor of the onc...
In the world’s lens during the 1760s, the British empire had a clear and prominent control over the colonies. However, by the mid-1770s the Americans became enraged enough to declare war against the British for independence. Due to Britain’s massive imperial presence around the globe, the British civilians had a strong inclination for a successful outcome. Instead, the colonists pulled a surprising victory from what should have been a swift defeat. While the British had an abundance of advantages, they lost the Revolutionary War because the British army underestimated the colonists’ perseverance for freedom.
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 a 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,
The American Revolution was a conflict that arose from growing tensions between Great Britain and the Thirteen North American colonies. It was a long bloody war and one of the most well-known, and because of that it has many interpretations, and these interpretations have made it a challenge to be able to come to a single understanding of the war. In this week’s readings, two different views on the same war are given. The American Yawp describes the American colonies point of view on the revolution while the History Lesson discusses how British wanted to control America but instead drove them to rebel and fight for their independence. The colonists saw the war for their independence as a revolution, but through British eyes, events and people were, not surprisingly, seen quite differently.
America’s triumphant victory in the Revolutionary War was an event that was crucial for the continuation and prosperous growth that would emerge and flourish in the United States. Luckily, the Americans defeated the British with their experienced generals and high spirits of Patriots that advocated democracy across the land. The winning of this war and signing of the Treaty of Paris resulted in a new world for colonists, where they were now recognized as an independent country that could create its own democratic legislature and governing documents. However, if the outcome of the war would have been different, life in the colonies would have led had a completely different path for our society today.
By the time of the late 18th century, the colonies had grown socially, culturally, economically, and politically setting the mood for a majority of the colonists to want to break ties with the mother country. The colonies were well established, growing rapidly with new settlers arriving, and had begun to interact and socialize with not only each other, but also the Indians and the French, with whom they shared the new lands. (Devore, Lecture # 3.) These newfound social and cultural interactions allowed the colonies to grow economically giving the colonists a sense of importance. The lack of recognition by parliament started to plant the seeds for the revolution.
The American Revolution was not only a battle between the British and the colonists; it was a historical movement that brought about new ways of thinking. The ideas of liberty and equality began to be seen as essential to the growth of the new nation. The separation of the American colonies from the British Empire occurred for a number of reasons. These reasons are illustrated in the Declaration of Independence. Although Thomas Jefferson wrote the document, it expressed the desire of the heart of each colonist to be free of British rule. British rule over the colonies became unbearable in the early months of 1776, making it clear to the colonists that it was time to either give in to British power or declare their independence. This idea of independence divided the colonies, but it was not long before a revolutionary committee met in Philadelphia and drew up the document that would change American history.
On the eve of the American Revolution, colonists have signified and ensured their newly discovered identity by coming together to rid the American colonies of the British monarchical influence. Throught means of newly developed legislatures, both passive and aggressive protests, and formation of propaganda were the American colonists able to engrave their identity on the future of America forever.
The American Revolution was sparked by a myriad of causes. These causes in themselves could not have sparked such a massive rebellion in the nation, but as the problems of the colonies cumulated, their collective impact spilt over and the American Revolution ensued. Many say that this war could have been easily avoided and was poorly handled by both sides, British and American; but as one will see, the frame of thought of the colonists was poorly suited to accept British measures which sought to “overstep” it’s power in the Americas. Because of this mindset, colonists developed a deep resentment of British rule and policies; and as events culminated, there was no means to avoid revolution and no way to turn back.
For over a century Great Britain had ruled the colonies in America. Since the founding of the Chesapeake Bay colony in the south in 1607, and the Massachusetts Bay colony in the north in 1630, the colonies had relied on the crown for many of their needs. Over time the colonists established a social and economical system that was almost independent of the British Empire. In April of 1775, after many transgressions on both sides, the colonists decided that they no longer needed, or wanted the support, protection, and leadership of the country that founded them. There were many factors, both immediate, and longstanding that lead to the decision to fight for freedom from British rule.