Final answer:
The Second Continental Congress approved the Olive Branch Petition in July 1775 as a last effort to avoid war with Britain, but upon its rejection, they moved towards declaring independence and framing the Articles of Confederation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Second Continental Congress convened in May 1775, following the skirmishes at Lexington and Concord. This assembly, realizing that reconciliation with Great Britain was becoming unlikely, took significant steps towards establishing American independence. They prepared for war, created structures for a continental army, engaged in drafting diplomatic policies, and eventually framed the Articles of Confederation for a more formal national governance structure. However, prior to declaring independence, they approved a document in July 1775 known as the Olive Branch Petition, a final attempt to avoid full-scale war and assert the colonies’ loyalty to the British Crown while seeking a peaceful resolution to the conflicts.
The petition addressed issues of taxation and legislative authority, seeking compromise by proposing that British Parliament's taxation and legislation would be subject to American assembly's approval. When the Olive Branch Petition was rejected by King George III, it became clear that the colonies would need to prepare for war and independence, culminating in the release of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, and later, the Articles of Confederation ratified in 1781 which served as the guiding document until the establishment of the current United States Constitution.