There are two dates on the North Carolina flag commemorating North Carolina’s independent spirit. The first date is April 12th, 1776, or the date of the Halifax Resolves being unanimously adopted by the Fourth Provincial Congress of North Carolina in the town of Halifax. Per the North Carolina State Library’s website, NCpedia, the Halifax Resolves “was the first official action by a colony that called for severance of ties to Britain and independence for the colonies.”

The second date is May 20th, 1775, or the dating of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. The Mecklenburg Declaration was published in 1819 in the Raleigh Register, reconstructed from memory by John McKnitt Alexander after the original was purported to have been destroyed in a fire in 1800. The Mecklenburg Declaration’s date would make it the first formal declaration of independence in the colonies, predating the United States’ Declaration of Independence by a year.

The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence’s historicity has been debated for 200 years.

Scott Syfert writing at the Charlotte Museum’s website says about the Mecklenburg Declaration:

“In 1829, the North Carolina General Assembly created a select committee to settle the controversy once and for all. The Committee reached out to witnesses in Mecklenburg and surrounding counties, even as far as Georgia and Tennessee for any surviving participants or observers from the meetings in May 1775, such as Captain Jack, General Joseph Graham and Major John Davidson. In 1831 they produced a 32- page report on their findings.

“The eyewitness testimonies were compelling, and the witnesses themselves beyond reproach. Several were decorated veterans of the American Revolution and two were ordained Presbyterian ministers.“

You can read the full text of the Mecklenburg Declaration here.

In a similar spirit to the Mecklenburg Declaration, the Mecklenburg Resolves of May 31st, 1775 is a widely confirmed document of authenticity. The Resolves reflects the independent fervor of many North Carolinians during the critical, revolutionary days of the 1770s.

You can read the full text of the Mecklenburg Resolves here.