The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1849-03-02
believing tina. the Mecklenburs declaration

believing that the NeeklenourS usS'afaNoh
was spurious.
A work was subsequently published by
Mr.. Joseph Seawell Jones. OF North Caro-.
lima, to prove Us authenticity, and in Il he
charged Mr.. Jefferson with plagiarism.
The attack was followed up in several
quarters, and became so formidable that
Professor Tucker, IN his life Of Mr.. Jetfer-
son, entered into formal defence Of him
from lha, charge.
The expressions in the MeckeEburg pa.
per which are also found in the decla,a.
ton made at Philadelphia, are four. These
are, "dissolve the political bands which
have connected -" absolve fIom Nil al.
lepiance TO the British crown "" are,
aud of RICH, ought 10 be ~" pledge to
each other, our lives, our fortunes and our
sacred honor"
Professor Tucker believed tina, these
expressions were original with Mr. J,tief.
son, and that il there was any plagiarism,
i, was in the Mecklenburg declaration, IN.
been inrerpolaled. But in the discussion
which followed, it was shown that three OF
these phrases were not original with Mr..
Jefferson, but were taken from the resolu.
ton offered in Congress by Richard Hen
~ Lee, Of Virginia. This resolution was
offered in compliance with one of the Nir.
ginia Convention Of May Is, 1870, in
siiuc,ing their Delegates in the General
Congress "to propose In that respectable
body, to declare the United Colonies free
and independent. From the resolution
OF Mr.. Lee, we quote as follows, 10 show
what were the particular words used and
copied from them;
That these United Colonies are, and OF right
oncht TO be- FREQ and independent States that
they arc absolvcd from all allegiance TO the Bri,
ish crown that all political connection between
them and tho State of Great Britain 10 and ought
TO DO totally Dissolved
And i, further appeared, that these
phrases were not even ~ the original draft
of Mr.. Jefferson, but we're inserted By the
Committee TO whom he reported. The
words marked in itaiirs IN the following
extract from The declaration, were those
inserted by the Committee:
That these United States arc, ard Of rigkt
ought TO Be. free and Independent States that
they are absoired from oil siisg lance 10 the Brit
isA erora, aud that all Political eeansefion be.
fteser them and the STATE Of Great Britain 10.
and OvgA 10 BE-, totally d'ssoired
IL thus appears that three Of he phrases
IN the Mecslenburg paper were adopted
by Mr.. Lee in MS resolution, aud were
no, copied by Mr.. Jefferson in his draft,
but were inserted by the Commlltee to
whom he submitted {, previous to It's being
reported to the Congress. The fourth
phrase, and which stands in the Mecken.
burg Declaration as follows; "io the
maintenance Of which independence We
solemnly pied 20 10 zach other our mutual
c O. ope GRAFTON, our lives, our fortunes, and
our sacred honor" Is no. found in the 70
solves Of Mr.. Lee, aud is used in MIR. JEFF
Persons declaration, modified by the om,s
sion Of some words, as follows and for
the support of this Declaration, with q
firm reliance on Divine Providence, We
mutually pledge to each other our lives.
our fortunes, and our sacred honor" The
words in brackets were no, in. Mr. JeiFer.
sons drafi, but were inserted BY the Com.
mittee. This phrase has not been traced.
as far as We have seen to any other paper
than the Mecklenbufg Declaration.
la The discussion upon the authenticity
of the Declaration. which followed The
publication in the Raleigh Register IN
1919, The archives of North Carolina were
ransacked, and documents and many 10.
tcresins historical facts we're brought TO
light Ia the New York Review and
Quarterly Churci Journal OF March,
1887, an article was published, in general
review Of Mr.. Jetitrson's personal, polili.
cal and religious character, which vas &C.
verely criticised. Tie writer touches
upon the MeekIcnbure Declaration, and
made it the foundation ol charge Of pla.
giarism agains, the Distinguished Virgin.
ian. How unlnsily hi. charge was made,
We have shown above. In the Southern
Literary Messenger Of April, 1888, the
article IN the New York Review was no:
ticed and condemned and in a subseouen,
number Of the Messenger, august s3s.)
was published another article. mainly de-
voted 10 the Mccklcnburg Declaration.
From those publicat IONS We derive many
Of the facts which We have related.
In the article in the Messenger, we have
abundant evidence, that nj The very begin.
nng Of the troubles with the mother coun.
try, North Carolina took leading part,
and even favored eHtrcme measures. Mr..
Jefferson, indeed, IN his letter 10 Mr. Adj.
ANS, declaring his belief that the Mccklen.
burg Declaration was spurious, said of
North Carolina, " no State was more for.
ward or fixed" They commenced this
opposition Immediately upon the receipt of
The news Of the passage Of the Stamp Act
by Great Britain. in 1905, and things had
reached such poiu among them BY 1875.
hat on the 25lh Of April of that wear.
'ov. Martin, the colonial governor, zap.
pretending further violence from the Wing
eaders, on the evening Of The same dny,