Manuscript petition (7 p.) signed by forty-six members of the Second Continental Congress on July 8, 1775, asking King George III to use his authority and influence to address grievances and restore harmony in the government's relations with the American colonies. The petition, drafted by John Dickinson, is considered the colonies' final effort to avert revolution against Great Britain. The document is also known as the Olive Branch Petition.
Funding: Digitization was made possible by a lead gift from The Polonsky Foundation.
Ownership: Document held in the papers of the 2nd Earl Fitzwilliam (1748-1833, 4th Earl in the Irish peerage) and his descendants at Milton near Peterborough, England until sold at auction at Anderson Galleries, Inc., New York City, 1932.
Publications: Reproduced in: The Olive branch petition of the American Congress to George III, 1775, and letters of the American envoys, August-September 1775 [with essays by] Cornelius W. Wickersham [and] Gilbert H. Montague. New York: New York Public Library, 1954
