The Philadelphia Packet was a weekly newspaper that had only been around for about four years by the start of 1775, so tensions between the Colonies and the Crown were already in place from the first issue.

But while publisher John Dunlap generally sided with the Americans, he did feel a responsibility to present both sides of the debate. And it was on this day in 1775 that Dunlap published an anonymous letter aimed at convincing people that reconciling with Britain was a better idea than pushing back against every decision made by the Crown.

Dunlap became famous later on for something else he printed…listen in and find out what it was.