The Halifax Resolves not only recommended that North Carolina
declare independence but also urged all the colonies to do so together.
The resolves were printed in newspapers in other colonies and read by
colonists. More importantly, the resolves were read and discussed by the
representatives at the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. Not long
after the Halifax Resolves had been adopted in North Carolina, the
Declaration of Independence was drafted.
The Declaration of Independence
The members of the Continental Congress voted to declare independence.
They set up a five-man committee to draft a formal declaration. Thomas
Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence to explain why the
colonies decided to separate from Britain and what rights the newly
independent states now held. The declaration also listed the many wrongs
that colonists suffered under King George III. Read the Declaration of
Independence on pages 186–189.
The Declaration of Independence was approved on July 4, 1776. It
was signed on August 2 by 55 representatives, including North Carolina’s
Joseph Hewes, William Hooper, and John Penn. Although the Declaration
of Independence said that free and independent states had been created,
Britain would not give up the colonies easily. Colonists would have to
fight more battles to win their freedom.
The Mecklenburg Resolves
Colonists in North Carolina’s Mecklenburg County
were concerned when they heard about the
Lexington and Concord battles and Parliament’s
declaration that the colonies were in rebellion.
They met to discuss the situation and adopted the
Mecklenburg Resolves on May 20, 1775.
The resolves stated that British laws were no
longer in effect. To solve this crisis, the resolves provided
for the creation of an independent local government
to manage Mecklenburg County. The Mecklenburg
Resolves (shown at right), which temporarily severed
ties between Mecklenburg County and Britain, were
drawn up more than a year before the Declaration of
Independence was approved.
The Revolutionary War and North Carolina’s Role 183