The colonists were outraged by a series of unfair taxes and other things that the king had done (put british troops in colonists' homes).... They had tried sending the King several documents asking the King to repeal the taxes and let them have representatives in Parliament. The final one that they sent was the Olive Branch petition. However, the King angrily refused all of their peaceful offers, and so they felt that their only option was to declare independence if the King wouldn't cooperate.