Final answer:
Before declaring independence, the colonists petitioned the British Crown to address grievances and formed the First Continental Congress to respond to British oppression. After the Crown ignored their petitions, and with the conflict at Lexington and Concord, they realized reconciliation was not feasible and moved towards independence.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to the redress in the Declaration of Independence, before deciding to declare independence, the colonists attempted several things. The first was petitioning the British Crown for redress of their grievances in what they termed 'the most humble terms.' These petitions addressed oppressive laws and actions by the British government, but were met with 'repeated injury' and ignored or dismissed by the Crown. A second attempt at resolving issues involved cooperation and formal response to oppression through the Committees of Correspondence, which led to the First Continental Congress drafting a list of grievances.
This Congress had hoped for reconciliation, but following the outbreak of conflict at Lexington and Concord, the Second Continental Congress had to lead the war effort and govern the nascent states. As the situation escalated and peaceable solutions failed, the Congress moved towards declaring independence, resulting in
Thomas Jefferson
and the drafting committee creating the Declaration of Independence, concluding that only independence would suffice because all other attempts had failed.