The Patriot Post® · America 250: Reconciliation Attempt Fails

While the Battle of Bunker Hill had struck patriot hearts across the colonies, the truth is that there was not yet a consensus among colonists regarding the wisdom of revolution. Historians disagree about the actual divisions, but most acknowledge that, in 1775, there were probably as many who wished to remain English colonists as there were those urging a permanent break with Great Britain. Even more interesting is the understanding that there were also many colonists who simply did not have an opinion, nor was their interest especially focused on the moments of conflict.

Why do I mention this division?

Because on July 5, 1775, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Olive Branch Petition and the delegates signed it three days later. The document, drafted by Pennsylvania’s John Dickinson and approved by a committee that included John Jay, Benjamin Franklin, John Rutledge, and Thomas Johnson, affirmed that the 13 English colonies were loyal to Great Britain and implored King George III to direct Parliament to avoid further conflict by extending the rights of English citizens to the country’s “loyal” citizens in the colonies. Specifically, Dickinson was concerned about equitable trade and tax constructs.

Interesting proposition, right?

Dickinson, as a renowned attorney who had studied in London, knew that King George did not command Parliament. The English Bill of Rights 1689 had deemed the supremacy of Parliament and regulated the king as the figurehead, albeit a figurehead with great influence with both Parliament and the people. But Dickinson, in asking that King George intercede with Parliament, urged him to “perpetuate the blessings uninterrupted by any future dissensions, to succeeding generations in both countries.” Accompanied by a letter signed by John Hancock, the petition was delivered by Richard Penn and Arthur Lee on behalf of the Second Continental Congress.

King George rejected the petition, allegedly ripping the document and casting it on the floor. So much for a peaceful, if not loving, reconciliation.

Among some of the delegates seated in the Second Continental Congress, the king’s response was just exactly what they needed to once again push for a separation. John Adams’s response to the news was to speak eloquently and passionately about the future of the colonies. The choices were obviously simple: Either the 13 colonies crept back, apologetic and humbled, and submitted to British colonial rule as it had evolved, or the colonies must unite in a swift move toward independence.

What about John Dickinson’s hopes? The king’s response had been painful, but Dickinson remained committed to his hopes for a peaceful resolution to the issues dividing the mother county and her colonies. One year later, when the Declaration of Independence was presented, Dickinson would abstain during the vote, and once it had been approved, he refused to sign the document. It was a difficult day for him because he understood what the future might hold. A beloved figure who had served in both the Delaware and Pennsylvania Assemblies, Dickinson knew that history might relegate him to a traitor’s position. Before voluntarily leaving the gathering in Philadelphia, Dickinson spoke quietly to his colleagues, “My conduct this day I expect will give the finishing blow to my … diminished popularity.”

By October 1775, the Second Continental Congress, which had already created the U.S. Army (Continental Line) under the command of General George Washington, knew that any conflict with Britain would also be fought on the seas. After all, Britain had the strongest navy in the world.

On October 13, 1775, Congress authorized the fitting out of two “armed” vessels with a primary goal of intercepting British transports. By December, the newly created navy was expanded with the authorization of a First Fleet and a Naval Committee. Eight merchant ships were purchased, and, along with the first warship — the USS Alfred — they were placed under the command of Commodore Esek Hopkins. The mission of the Navy was expanded to include protection of colonial trade and the transport of key leaders as needed for the defense of the colonies.

Within the next two months, the conflict expanded with the first Siege of Ninety-Six in South Carolina, the capture of Montreal, the Battle of Great Bridge in Virginia, another battle in South Carolina — The Great Cane Brake — and the Battle of Quebec, a failure that ended the colonial attempt to invade Canada.

As the new year approached, the Second Continental Congress continued its debate about independence. For most of the delegates, reconciliation seemed elusive. But war? What were their chances in defeating the strongest nation in the world? That answer remained equally elusive.