Talk of freedom from British rule was prevalent in Mecklenburg County in the spring of 1775. A committee of citizens drew up a document known as the Mecklenburg Resolves on May 31, 1775. They reorganized their local government and declared themselves "independent of the Crown of Great Britain." This document was published in the North Carolina Gazette in New Bern on June 16, 1775. It has great historical importance but has never drawn the interest and curiosity of historians, politicians and citizens as much as an alleged previously written document known as the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence.
Controversy has existed for decades about the possibility of a "declaration of independence," often referred to as the "Meck Dec," which was reportedly written eleven days prior to the Mecklenburg Resolves. Was the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence written on May 20, 1775, more than a year before our founding fathers met in Philadelphia and signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776?
View and listen to a reading of this controversial document.
What led up to the events of May 20, 1775?
Photo & memorabilia collection from past Meck Dec celebrations
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