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The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence

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The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence * *. •^ vn*t v v ' „«? f> •^ O vv o , » .0* . "^o* «£j^ ^o' ^•v ^<** -'IBS'- ,-iq ^ ,-&? *•' ,0 J? The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence MAY 20, 1775 AND LIVES OF ITS SIGNERS BY GEORGE W. GRAHAM, M. D. NEW YORK AND WASHINGTON THE NEALE PUBLISHING COMPANY 1905 C<f1 LIBRARY of CONGRESS PREFACE This monograph upon the Mecklenburg Declara- tion of Independence was read before the Scotch- Irish Society of America at its meeting in Lexing- ton, Virginia, on June 21, 1895, and is printed in Vol. VII of the transactions of that association. It has since been revised and enlarged and several separate editions issued in pamphlet. And, as the demand for the essay has exceeded the writer's expectations, it is now published in book form with a short biography of the signers of the declaration added. The author will be found to differ with some ad- vocates of the Mecklenburg Declaration, in that he acknowledges the verbal errors of the Davie copy of the resolutions, defines the position of the Thirty- first Resolves in the controversy, and shows why Martin's History of North Carolina is authentic, and therefore contains a correct account of the famous convention at Charlotte on May 19-20, 1775. Since this address was first presented to the Scotch- Irish Society, a number of writers, usually news- paper contributors, have copied freely from it and displayed their productions in the press without either quotation marks or any acknowledgment whatever as to the source of their information. The reader that desires to examine the authorities cited in this paper will find in the appendix a tran- script of the Davie copy of the Mecklenburg Declara- tion, so much of the preface to Martin's History as is pertinent to our subject, and a copy of the pam- phlet issued by the Legislature of North Carolina in 1 83 1, containing Mr. Jefferson's letter to John Adams, and the testimony of spectators and delegates to the twentieth of May convention, as well as other interesting data germane to this question. George W. Graham, M. D. Charlotte, N. C. April, 1905. : : CONTENTS PAGE Preface 5 The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence 9 The Thirty-first Resolves 38 The Lives of the Signers and a Few Spectators Gen, Thomas Polk 84 Col. Abraham Alexander ioo> Dr. Ephraim Brevard 103 Col. Adam Alexander 107 Gen. Robert Irwin no John McKnitt Alexander ill, Rev. Hezekiah Balch 114 Hezekiah Alexander r 116 Capt. Zaccheus Wilson 117 Neil Morrison 120 Richard Barry 121 John Flennikin I22 William Graham l23 Matthew McClure • 123 John Queary I24 Ezra Alexander I24 Waightstill Avery 125 Col. William Kennon 127 Col; James Harris 128 David Reese 129 Henry Downs J 30 John Foard I 3i Charles Alexander I32 Robert Harris, Sr 132 Maj. John Davidson 1 34 Col. Ezekiel Polk 130 Capt. James Jack 137 Rev. Francis Cummings, D. D 139 Gen. Joseph Graham 14° Gen. George Graham 142 Appendix—Documents Cited in Preceding Address Martin's Preface 146 Pamphlet Issued by the Legislature of North Carolina, 1831. 151 THE MECKLENBURG DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE * MAY 20, 1775 Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: The subject of our address to-day is the Mecklen- burg Declaration of Independence, a theme of deep interest to the Scotch-Irish fraternity, as the first men in America to cast off the British yoke were members of that brotherhood. The genuineness of this decla- ration has long been a subject of controversy among historians, because at the time of their writing all the proofs of its authenticity had not been gathered. During the past four years, we, aided by Professor Alexander Graham of Charlotte, North Carolina, have made a thorough investigation of this question, and now present to your honorable assembly the result of our research. It will be found to contain much new evir* mce that has never appeared in print, and, we think\ will remove all doubt as to there having been a . eclaration of Independence by the Scotch-Irish of A ecklenburg on May 19-20, 1775. The history of L ne adoption of this declaration, its publication, and the subsequent controversy regard- ing it, runs as follows : *See Preface. 10 The Mecklenburg "In the months of March and April, 1775, the leading men in the county of Mecklenburg held meetings to ascertain the sense of the people, and to confirm them in their opposition to the claims of Par- liament to impose taxes and regulate the internal policy of the Colonies. At one of these meetings, when it was ascertained that the people were pre- pared to meet their wishes, it was agreed that Thomas Polk, then colonel commandant of the county, should issue an order directed to each captain of militia, requesting him to call a company meeting to elect two delegates from his company to meet in general com- mittee at Charlotte on the 19th of May; giving to the delegates ample power to adopt such measures as to them should seem best calculated to promote the com- mon cause of defending the rights of the Colony, and aiding their brethren in Massachusetts. Colonel Polk issued the order, and the delegates were elected. They met in Charlotte on the day appointed. The forms of their proceedings and the measures to be proposed had been previously agreed upon by the men at whose instance the committee were assembled. The Rev. Hezekiah Jones Balch, Dr. Ephraim Brevard, and William Kennon, Esq., an attorney at law, addressed the committee, and descanted on the causes which had led to the existing contest with the mother country, and the consequences which were to be apprehended unless the people should make a firm and energetic resistance to the right which Parlia- ment asserted of taxing the Colonies and regulating their internal policy. : Declaration of Independence 11 "On the day on which the committee met, the first intelligence of the action at Lexington, in Massachu- setts, on the 19th of April, was received in Charlotte. This intelligence produced the most decisive effect. A large concourse of people had assembled to witness the proceedings of the committee. The speakers addressed their discourses as well to them as to the committee, and those who were not convinced by their reasoning were influenced by their feelings, and all cried out : 'Let us be independent ! Let us declare our independence and defend it with our lives and fortunes !' A committee was appointed to draw up resolutions. This committee was composed of the men who had planned the whole proceedings, and who had already prepared the resolutions which it was intended should be submitted to the general com- mittee. Doctor Ephraim Brevard had drawn up the resolutions some time before and now reported them with amendments as follows " T. Resolved, That whosoever directly or indi- rectly abets, or in any way, form, or manner counte- nances the invasion of our rights, as attempted by the Parliament of Great Britain, is an enemy to his country, to America, and to the rights of man. " 'II. Resolved, That we, the citizens of Mecklen- burg County, do hereby dissolve the political bonds which have connected us with the mother country, and absolve ourselves from all allegiance to the Brit- ish crown, abjuring all political connection with a nation that has wantonly trampled on our rights and liberties and inhumanly shed innocent blood of Amer- icans at Lexington. 1 12 The Mecklenburg " 'III. Resolved, That we do hereby declare our- selves a free and independent people; that we are, and of right ought to be, a sovereign and self-govern- ing people under the power of God and the General Congress ; to the maintenance of which independence we solemnly pledge to each other our mutual co-op- eration, our lives, our fortunes and our most sacred honor. " TV. Resolved, That we hereby ordain and adopt as rules of conduct all and each of our former laws, and that the crown of Great Britain can not be con- sidered hereafter as holding any rights, privileges, or immunities amongst us. " 'V. Resolved, That all officers, both civil and military, in this county, be entitled to exercise the same powers and authorities as heretofore; that every member of this delegation shall henceforth be a civil officer and exercise the powers of a justice of the peace, issue process, hear and determine controversies according to law, preserve peace, union and harmony in the county, and use every exertion to spread the • love of liberty and of country until a more general / and better organized system of government be estab- f lished. " 'VI. Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be transmitted by express to the President of the Con- tinental Congress assembled in Philadelphia, to be laid before that body.' "These resolutions were unanimously adopted and subscribed by the delegates. James Jack, then of Charlotte, but now residing in the State of Georgia, was engaged to be the bearer of the resolutions to the Declaration of Independence 13 President of Congress, and directed to deliver copies of them to the delegates in Congress from North Carolina. The President returned a polite answer to the address which accompanied the resolutions, in which he highly approved of the measures adopted by the delegates of Mecklenburg, but deemed the subject of the resolutions premature to be laid before Con- gress. Messrs. Caswell, Hooper and Hewes for- warded a joint letter, in which they complimented the people of Mecklenburg for their zeal in the common cause, and recommended to them the strict observ- ance of good order ; that the time would soon come when the whole continent would follow their example.
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