US History

U.S. History Study Guide

independence from Britain right away. Other delegates, mostly those from the Middle Colonies, favored a more moderate course of action. 5.20 The Olive Branch Petition This faction, led by John Dickinson, fervently opposed complete separation from England. In an effort to reconcile with the King, Dickinson penned the Olive Branch Petition, offering peace under the following conditions: • A cease-fire in Boston • The Coercive Acts be repealed • Negotiations between the colonists and Britain commence immediately The Olive Branch Petition reached Britain the same day as news of the Battle of Bunker Hill. King George III rejected it and declared war on New England in August 1775. 5.21 Washington Elected as Commanding General In June 1775, the Second Continental Congress needed to select a commander to lead the new army, John Adams nominated George Washington commander in chief of the newly established Continental Army. Although John Hancock felt he was the better choice, Adams and the rest of the colonists knew they needed to include the south in the war in order to ensure success. Dressed in his French and Indian War British Colonels' uniform, Washington accepted the daunting task of molding a respectable army out of the rag tag farmers assembled and taking them against the greatest army in the world at that time. Although Washington's track record as a commander, (Fort Necessity in the French and Indian War) wasn't the best, he was the best and most capable candidate for colonial success. 5.22 The Declaration of Independence In June, the Second Continental Congress adopted a resolution of independence, officially creating the United States of America. Thomas Jefferson’s draft of the Declaration of Independence was officially approved on July 4. The Declaration of Independence proclaimed a complete and irrevocable break from England, arguing that the British government had broken its contract with the colonies. It extolled the virtues of democratic self-government, and tapped into the Enlightenment ideas of John Locke and others who promoted equality, liberty, justice, and self-fulfillment.

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