Document · Agreed July 5; signed July 8, 1775
Olive Branch Petition
congressional petition · Second Continental Congress; principal draft by John Dickinson
Read in context
Congress agreed to the petition on July 5, ordered it engrossed, and compared and signed it on July 8 while simultaneously directing an army and defending armed resistance.
Why it matters
Its language prevents war and independence from becoming automatic synonyms in the summer of 1775.
Provenance and access
The companion records caption-verified spoken absence and directly verified visual absence in a named audit window. The Journals record agreement and an order to engross on printed page 127, then comparison, signing, and the text on pages 158–162.