Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence
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The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence is said to be the first Declaration of Independence made in America during the American Revolution; it was a supposedly written at Charlotte, North Carolina, by the Committee of citizens of Mecklenburg County on May 20, 1775.[1] No original text exists and no reference to it can be found in extant newspapers from 1775. Suspicious phrases in the document, such as "the rights of man," echo documents from the French Revolution and were not common in 1775. The earliest copy (1819) was said to be created from memory. There is no conclusive evidence to confirm the original document's existence.[2][3][4]
The early government of North Carolina was persuaded that the Mecklenburg Declaration was authentic, and hence, they maintained that North Carolinians were the first Americans to declare independence from Britain. As a result, both the seal and the North Carolina flag to this day bears the date of their "declaration of independence," May 20, 1775. The Mecklenburg Declaration story was printed in elementary school textbooks and some North Carolinians still believe it. Coins have been minted which celebrate the Mecklenburg Declaration. Every year on May 20, “Meck Dec Day,” a celebration occurs in North Carolina.[5] U.S. Presidents Taft, Wilson, Eisenhower and Ford each traveled to Mecklenburg to participate in the celebration. Government endorsement, however, does not prove its authenticity.
May 20 was the day after news arrived in North Carolina of the battle of Lexington. There is prima facie evidence that the citizens of Mecklenburg did in fact adopt, on May 31, 1775, strong anti-British resolutions, known as the Charlottetown Resolves declaring the Continental Congress in Philadelphia the only legitimate government in America.
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[edit] Text
Text presented as the "Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence" by the Raleigh Register on April 30, 1819:
- 1. Resolved, That whosoever directly or indirectly abetted, or in any way, form, or manner, countenanced the unchartered and dangerous invasion of our rights, as claimed by Great Britain, is an enemy to this County, to America, and to the inherent and inalienable rights of man.
- 2. Resolved, That we the citizens of Mecklenburg County, do hereby dissolve the political bands which have connected us to the Mother Country, and hereby absolve ourselves from all allegiance to the British Crown, and abjure all political connection, contract, or association, with that Nation, who have wantonly trampled on our rights and liberties and inhumanly shed the innocent blood of American patriots at Lexington.
- 3. Resolved, That we do hereby declare ourselves a free and independent people, are, and of right ought to be, a sovereign and self-governing Association, under the control of no power other than that of our God and the General Government of the Congress; to the maintenance of which independence, we solemnly pledge to each other, our mutual cooperation, our lives, our fortunes, and our most sacred honor.
- 4. Resolved, That as we now acknowledge the existence and control of no law or legal officer, civil or military, within this County, we do hereby ordain and adopt, as a rule of life, all, each and every of our former laws - where, nevertheless, the Crown of Great Britain never can be considered as holding rights, privileges, immunities, or authority therein.
- 5. Resolved, That it is also further decreed, that all, each and every military officer in this County, is hereby reinstated to his former command and authority, he acting conformably to these regulations, and that every member present of this delegation shall henceforth be a civil officer, viz. a Justice of the Peace, in the character of a 'Committee-man,' to issue process, hear and determine all matters of controversy, according to said adopted laws, and to preserve peace, and union, and harmony, in said County, and to use every exertion to spread the love of country and fire of freedom throughout America, until a more general and organized government be established in this province.
[edit] History and Controversy
On April 30, 1819, the Raleigh Register published the Mecklenburg Declaration, said to have been adopted by the Mecklenburg Committee. The document was allegedly based in part on general recollections of those resolutions over 40 years earlier. Some of its phrases are very similar to parts of the Declaration of Independence (which was signed one year later in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), raising questions as to whether one document may have been based in part on the other, that would have been authored fifteen months earlier. When John Adams was provided with a copy of the Register, he quickly transmitted a copy to Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson’s reaction was not what Adams expected. Adams probably hoped that Jefferson may have recognized the document and even admitted that he used it as a precedent. Instead, Jefferson said that he had never seen it before. In fact, Jefferson went further; he said that he did not believe that the document is authentic. Jefferson told Adams that he was "an unbeliever in this apocryphal gospel."[6]
But besides Jefferson, few doubted the authenticity of the document until the 1850s. Since Peter Force included the document in his American Archives, early nineteenth century historians generally regarded the document as genuine. Bancroft, Hodge, Joseph Jones, William H. Foote, and Thomas Smyth[7] all wrote about the Mecklenburg Declaration with the assumption it was unassailable.
[edit] The Charlottetown Resolves
In 1847, a similar authentic document, the Charlottetown Resolves, was found in a South Carolina newspaper that had been produced in Charlotte, NC, in May, 1775. But this was not the text of the Mecklenburg Declaration that had appeared in the Raleigh Register in 1819. Many began to suspect that the latter document was a distortion of the authentic one. The Charlottetown Resolves were passed on May 31, 1775, not May 20, and they did not contain the language that was parallel to Jefferson’s Declaration of 1776. Nearby Tryon County, North Carolina adopted a similar declaration known as the Tryon Resolves on August 14, 1775 that is also known to be authentic.
[edit] Perpetual Battles Over the Mecklenburg Declaration
Reminiscent of the Sally Hemings debates that have persisted to the present, the discovery of the Charlottetown Resolves led historians to clash unendingly on the matter of the authenticity of the Mecklenburg Declaration. In the May 1853 issue of the North Carolina University Magazine Dr. Charles Phillips wrote an article entitled “May, 1775,” in which he laid out strong evidence that a Declaration of Independence could not possibly have been made in Mecklenburg on the twentieth of May, 1775. James C. Welling piggybacked on Phillips’ views in 1874 in the North American Review. Phillips’ and Welling’s arguments, while powerful, did not deter the faithful among the Mecklenburg believers. Around 1875, which was the centennial of the Mecklenburg Declaration, believers again went to presses with their argument. Shortly thereafter, at the time of the U.S. centennial, William Pratt Breed published Presbyterians and the Revolution, in which he endorsed the authenticity of the May 20 Declaration. George Graham went on the defensive in 1898 in his Why North Carolinians Believe in the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence of May twentieth, 1775.[8]
In 1906, William Henry Hoyt took Jefferson and Phillips’ arguments and gave them complete scholarly expression. His book was titled, The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence: A Study of Evidence Showing that the Alleged Early Declaration of Independence by Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, on May twentieth, 1775, is Spurious.[9] Many historians have regarded Hoyt’s work as the conclusive refutation of the myth. But it also had a galvanizing effect on the supporters. Adelaide Fries found a document written in 1783 which stated that the Mecklenburgers declared independence in May 1775.[10] James H. Moore followed in 1908 with Defence of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. More importantly, in 1912 Dr. Archibald Henderson published “The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence” in the Journal of American History.[11] Henderson continued to work on the question throughout his life, and in 1955 published what he believed to be a persuasive affirmative case that takes into consideration all of the concerns of the skeptics. Henderson’s work has been regarded by the believers as the most conclusive and scholarly presentation on their side. It was supplemented five years later by V.V. McKnitt, Chain of Error and the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence.[12]
[edit] The Current Status of the Question
At present, professional historians tend to agree with Jefferson and Hoyt’s assessment of the document, but some scholars who have examined all the evidence believe that the matter is still an open question. Dan L. Morrill, author of A History of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County has conducted a thorough investigation of the debate. Morrill sympathizes with Chalmers Davidson’s view that, “The evidence is as good that it did happen as that it didn’t happen,” Morrill writes, “Let’s make one thing clear. One cannot demonstrate conclusively that the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence is a fake. The dramatic events of May nineteenth and May twentieth could have happened. Ultimately, it is a matter of faith, not proof. You believe it or you don’t believe it.” Professor William S. Powell, in his standard history North Carolina: A History (New York: Norton, 1977) does not mention it at all; Professor H.G. Jones, in his North Carolina Illustrated (Chapel Hill: University of N.C. Press, 1983), pointedly places ironic quotation marks around the name of the declaration. The Harvard Guide to American History (1954) lists the Mecklenburg Declaration under the heading of "spurious declarations." Allan Nevins says "Legends often become a point of faith. At one time the State of North Carolina made it compulsory for the public schools to teach that Mecklenburg County had adopted a Declaration of Independence on May 20, 1775--to teach what had been clearly demonstrated an untruth."[13] R. D. W. Connor asserts, that "North Carolina's Priority in the Demand for Independence rested upon the Halifax Resolves rather than either of the Mecklenburg papers."
[edit] The Case for the Mecklenburg Declaration
The principal basis upon which skeptics base their argument is the fact that no original copy of the MecDec has been discovered.
Despite the fact that no original copy has ever been discovered, there exists some circumstantial evidence that the citizens of Mecklenburg County adopted the MecDec at the Convention of May 20th.
Specifically:
- In 1830 - 31, the Legislature of North Carolina appointed a special commission to settle the controversy “once and for all.” That commission reviewed existing records, interviewed eye witnesses and survivors and published a report, under the auspices of Governor Montfort Stokes by authorization of the North Carolina legislature, that contained fourteen affidavits (including one from James Jack) and various certificates vouching for the authenticity of the MecDec.
- The second piece of evidence are the numerous deeds for real property executed after 1775. Prior to the revolution, deeds were generally dated as “in the reign of King George III.” After May 20th, numerous deeds are dated with reference to May 20th. Some examples include deeds “made this 13th day of February, 1779, and in the fourth year of our independence” or “made this 28th day of January in the fifth year of our independence.” All these deeds date “independence” in Mecklenburg County from 1775 – not 1776. However, it could be argued that this dating comes primarily from the fact that the first bloodshed in the war of Independence took place in 1775 with the battles of Lexington and Concord.
- Among the surviving records of John McKnitt Alexander are his written records of the May 20th Convention that record in detail the events of the Convention and the text of the MecDec. These survive and are in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. They leave a specific written record in rough draft format and some text of the MecDec and the events during the Convention of May 20th.
- Skeptics long pointed to a lack of contemporaneous written evidence of the MecDec. However, in 1903 researchers discovered journals of the Moravians from Salem North Carolina, in which merchant Traugott Bagge wrote:“I cannot leave unmentioned at the end of the 1775th year that already in the summer of that year, that is May, June, or July, the County of Mecklenburg in North Carolina declared itself free and independent of England, and made such arrangements for the administration of the laws among themselves, as later the Continental Congress made for all. This Congress, however, considered the proceedings premature.” Bagge's annals were the first contemporaneous evidence of the MecDec and corroborate the widely held account in all major respects. Also note that Bagge records that Mecklenburg County "declared itself free and independent."[14] Therefore, he must have been speaking of the MecDec, not simply the Charlottetown Resolves.
- Among the citizens of Mecklenburg County at the time, of course, there was no controversy at all and they considered MecDec a fact. One citizen, Adam Brevard, composed a poem in 1775 entitled “The Mecklenburg Censor” which includes the lines: “When Mecklenburg’s fantastic rabble/Renowned for censure, scold and gabble/In Charlotte met in giddy counsel/To lay the constitutions’ ground-sill…Their Independence did declare.” Why would this poem have been written if there were no MecDec?
- Similarly, one school boy, James Wallis, in 1809 made the following pronouncements at his graduation: “On May 19, 1775, a day sacredly exulting to all Mecklenburg bosoms … [a Convention] solemnly entered into and published a full and determined Declaration of Independence, renouncing forever all allegiance, dependencies or connection with Great Britain – dissolved and judicial and military establishments from the British crown…May we ever act worthy of such predecessors.” Where did the young James get these facts if they were not common knowledge?
- Captain Jack's ride to Philadelphia is corroborated by British records. In Governor Martin’s letter to Dartmouth he noted, “A copy of the Resolves, I am informed, were sent off express to the Congress in Philadelphia as soon as they were passed in Committee.” Why would Captain Jack have ridden to Philadelphia to meet with the North Carolina delegates if there were no MecDec?
- Finally, the British officials themselves make note of the rebellious Mecklenburgers. Royal Governor Martin records his dismay at “the treasonable proceedings” of “the people of Mecklenburg.” English advisors believed “His Excellency should take every lawful measure in his power to suppress the unnatural rebellion now fomenting in Mecklenburgh.”What were the British referring to if not the May 20th Convention?
[edit] References
- ^ Proclamations and resolutions, such as the Fincastle Resolutions in the Colony of Virginia, by local groups throughout the American Colonies during 1774 and 1775 were common.
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=JHQBAAAAMAAJ
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=I213GQAACAAJ
- ^ http://www.newrivernotes.com/nc/meckdec1.htm
- ^ http://www.may20thsociety.org/index.cfm
- ^ The correspondence between Adams and Jefferson pertaining to the Mecklenburg Declaration can be found at http://books.google.com/books?id=w8olAAAAMAAJ&printsec=toc#PPA11,M1
- ^ Thomas Smyth, “The True Origin and Source of the Mecklenburg and National Declaration of Independence,” Works of the Rev. Thomas Smyth, Vol. 3, 411-432.
- ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=I213GQAACAAJ
- ^ William Henry Hoyt. The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence: A Study of Evidence Showing that the Alleged Early Declaration of Independence...is Spurious (1907) online edition
- ^ Adelaide Fries, The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence as Mentioned in the Records of Wachovia (1907) online edition
- ^ The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence by Archibald Henderson, Ph.D
- ^ Celebrating the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence - Chain of Error
- ^ Nevins, Gateway to History (1938), 119.
- ^ Adelaide Fries, The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence as Mentioned in the Records of Wachovia (1907) online edition
[edit] Bibliography
- Richard M. Current, "That Other Declaration: May 20, 1775-May 20, 1975", North Carolina Historical review 54 (1977): 169-91.
- Adelaide Fries, The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence as Mentioned in the Records of Wachovia (1907) online edition
- George W. Graham, The Mecklenburg declaration of independence, May 20, 1775, and lives of its signers (1905) online edition
- George W. Graham, Why North Carolinians Believe in the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence of May twentieth, 1775 (1895).
- William Graham, "The Declaration of Independence by the people of Mecklenburg County" online edition
- William Henry Hoyt. The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence: A Study of Evidence Showing that the Alleged Early Declaration of Independence...is Spurious (1907) online edition
- Victor C. King, Lives and Times of the 27 Signers of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence of May 20, 1775 (1956).
- V.V. McKnitt, Chain of Error and the Mecklenburg Declarations of Independence online
- Dan Morrill, Independence and Revolution online edition
- A. S. Salley, Jr, "The Mecklenburg Declaration: The Present Status of the Question" The American Historical Review, Vol. 13, No. 1 (Oct., 1907), pp. 16-43.
- James C. Welling, “The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence,” The North American Review 118, Issue 243 (April 1874).
[edit] External links
- May 20th Society - Celebrating the Spirit of Mecklenburg
- The First Declaration of Independence
- F W Thornton article
- Modern History Sourcebook - Mecklenburg Declaration
- MeckDec.org
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