The Mecklenburg Declaration – History

In early 1775 the 13 British Colonies in North American were in ferment.  In the 12 years since the end of the French and Indian War the King and Parliament had attempted to increase their power over these independent minded citizens.  These attempts such as the Stamp Act and the Tea Taxes were unsuccessful, only causing the colonials to contemplate making a break with the mother country.  The reaction of the Crown to the Boston Tea Party was to close the port of Boston and occupy the city with the British Army.  As word of this spread through the North Carolina Colony and into the back country, people in Mecklenburg met by twos and threes to discuss what should be done.  At length they determined to have a county-wide meeting and authorized Colonel Thomas Polk, the commander of the county Militia, to call this meeting.  There were to be two representatives from each of the nine Militia Companies and their decisions would be binding on the citizens of the county.

On Friday, May 19th the elected representatives met at the courthouse in the middle of Charlotte and began their discussions. It just so happened that on that particular day an express rider arrived with the news of the battles of Lexington and Concord.  As can be imagined, after hearing that British soldiers had fired on, and killed and wounded, fellow British citizens, the discussion increased in urgency and intensity, resulting in the five resolutions that make up the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence.  This document was not called a declaration at that time or for many years afterwards.  Rather it was a resolution of the citizens of Mecklenburg County, to be sent to the North Carolina representatives at the Continental Congress, declaring the fact that they had separated themselves from the mother country.

The essence of these five resolutions was that Great Britain had “wantonly trampled on our rights and liberties and inhumanly shed the innocent blood of American patriots at Lexington” and that we “dissolve the political bands which have connected us to the Mother country” and declare ourselves “a free and independent people.”  The laws were to remain the same but “The Crown of Great Britain never can be considered as holding rights, privileges, immunities, or authority therein.”  To read the complete text of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, click here.






James H. Williams
June 10, 2008