Liberty Point Resolves
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Liberty Point Resolves, also known as "The Cumberland Association", was an early declaration of independence from Great Britain signed by 50 residents of Cumberland County, North Carolina. On June 20, 1775, these early Patriots, who had formed themselves into a group known simply as "The Association", met at Lewis Barge's tavern in Cross Creek (now part of Fayetteville) to sign the document, which vowed that they would "Go forth and be ready to sacrifice our lives and fortunes to secure the colony's freedom and safety".
The period of the American Revolution was a time of divided loyalties in Cumberland County, and a considerable portion of the population, especially the Highland Scots who had immigrated in 1739, were staunchly loyal to the British Crown. Among them was the famous Scottish heroine Flora MacDonald. The Liberty Point document followed the fabled Mecklenburg Declaration by just a month and the battle at Lexington by just two months. It preceded the Declaration of Independence by a little more than a year.
The document concluded:
This obligation to continue in full force until a reconciliation shall take place between Great Britain and America, upon constitutional principles, an event we most ardently desire; and we will hold all those persons inimical to the liberty of the colonies, who shall refuse to subscribe to this Association; and we will in all things follow the advice of our General Committee respecting the purposes aforesaid, the preservation of peace and good order, and the safety of individual and private property.
Robert Rowan, who apparently organized the group, signed first. The names of other signers include those of families who made a deep imprint on the Cape Fear region, from colonial times onward: Barge, Powell, Evans, Elwell, Green, Carver, Council, Gee, Blocker, Hollingsworth.
The event is commemorated today by a memorial and plaque in downtown Fayetteville, near the corner of Bow and Person Streets.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
