I was pondering Independence Day as the Fourth of July is this week. I was thinking how we celebrate our independence on the day the Declaration of Independence was signed, even though independence wasn’t actually won until the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783.
Reading up on this, I hadn’t before appreciated the role that North Carolina played in independence. Earlier on, many of the colonies’ delegates to Congress weren’t authorized to consider any votes for independence. The delegates were limited in what they could consider, and so any thoughts of independence seemed a long way away.
North Carolina’s congressional delegates changed that on April 12th, 1776, though, with a resolution that has become known as the Halifax Resolves. Through the Halifax Resolves, North Carolina granted its congressional representatives the authority to vote in favor of independence: the first colony to do so.
North Carolina: leading the way right from the very start!
Here’s the text of the Halifax Resolves:
THE HALIFAX RESOLUTION
The Select Committee taking into Consideration the usurpations and violences attempted and committed by the King and Parliament of Britain against America, and the further Measures to be taken for frustrating the same, and for the better defence of this province reported as follows, to wit,
It appears to your Committee that pursuant to the Plan concerted by the British Ministry for subjugating America, the King and Parliament of Great Britain have usurped a Power over the Persons and Properties of the People unlimited and uncontrouled; and disregarding their humble Petitions for Peace, Liberty and safety, have made divers Legislative Acts, denouncing War Famine and every Species of Calamity against the Continent in General. That British Fleets and Armies have been and still are daily employed in destroying the People and committing the most horrid devastations on the Country. That Governors in different Colonies have declared Protection to Slaves who should imbrue their Hands in the Blood of their Masters. That the Ships belonging to America are declared prizes of War and many of them have been violently seized and confiscated in consequence of which multitudes of the people have been destroyed or from easy Circumstances reduced to the most Lamentable distress.
And whereas the moderation hitherto manifested by the United Colonies and their sincere desire to be reconciled to the mother Country on Constitutional Principles, have procured no mitigation of the aforesaid Wrongs and usurpations, and no hopes remain of obtaining redress by those Means alone which have been hitherto tried, Your Committee are of Opinion that the house should enter into the following Resolve to wit,
Resolved that the delegates for this Colony in the Continental Congress be impowered to concur with the delegates of the other Colonies in declaring Independency, and forming foreign Alliances, reserving to this Colony the Sole, and Exclusive right of forming a Constitution and Laws for this Colony, and of appointing delegates from time to time (under the direction of a general Representation thereof) to meet the delegates of the other Colonies for such purposes as shall be hereafter pointed out.