King George III refused to even accept or consider the Olive Branch petition sent by the Continental Congress. While George III did not respond to the Olive Branch Petition, he did react to the petition by declaring his own Proclamation of Rebellion. In August 1775, the colonies were formally declared to be in rebellion by the Proclamation of Rebellion, and the petition was rejected by the British government; King George had refused to read it before declaring the colonists traitors. The Olive Branch Petition was a significant, yet doomed, attempt to preserve the relationship between the British government and the colonies before the conflict escalated into war. The Olive Branch Petition asked King George III to recognize the colonists' rights as Englishmen and repeal the unjust laws passed by Parliament.