The Olive Branch Petition, sent by the Second Continental Congress in 1775, is best understood as an effort by the colonists to...

demand their own representation in the British Parliament.

declare their intention to form a new, independent nation.

avoid a full-scale war and reconcile with Great Britain.

create a formal alliance with France against the British crown.

In the Olive Branch Petition, who did the colonists identify as the source of the conflict between America and Great Britain?

Parliament and the king's ministers

The colonial governors appointed by the crown

plan to stop all trade with Britain.

right to expand their territory westward.

desire to create their own separate currency.

was still hoping to avoid a complete separation from Britain.

believed they had already won the war against the British military forces.

was primarily controlled by radical leaders demanding independence.

had no immediate plan for organizing a Continental army for defense.

The Second Continental Congress was immediately disbanded in failure.

The fighting between colonial and British forces came to a halt.

Support for the cause of complete independence grew among colonists.

The colonists decided to send a second, more forceful petition to London.