The Olive Branch Petition
In a last-ditch attempt to avoid a full-blown war with one of the world’s foremost superpowers, the Second Continental Congress dispatched the Olive Branch Petition to London on 8 July 1775. The petition, originally drafted by Thomas Jefferson and tweaked by John Dickinson (who found Jefferson’s language too offensive), claimed the colonies only wanted to negotiate trade and tax regulations with the mother country, not … Continue reading The Olive Branch Petition