The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-11-27
l0H IeA-El0H n. 9, THURSDAY NOVEMBER p 1879

North Carolina CoIonists declared thcmseI..
to, te eteTnaIly free and independent. In
| coln should have known. if he djd not = F
South Carolina and Virginia had fo,nd. 49,
constitutions before the PHILADELPHIA Del
ration Of Independence. North Carolina he.
gan to exercise State sovereignty EARL n
l775 Her State Convention, in session =
Halifax, was drafting her constitution AZ t6l
very time ofthe General Declaration lively
months previous she had held repeated CON,
ventlons in direct defiance of the Royal Gov
ernor Early In 1775, she sent $4,000 r
aid be'eagured Boston, voted $50 90
for State defence, organized her militia on :;
war footing, drove Governor Martin into
exile, raised two regiments for continental
service, tone of which defeated the Rova]
Governor of Virginia at Great Bridge, the
other helped to defend Charleston, and f.
nally dispersed the Royalists Of her own
flock by the battle of Moore's Greek Bridge.
All this prior to the 'Independence' Con-
guess at Philadelphia. A month before that
Congress convened, namely, on the 18th day
or April, a spectral committee of the State
Gen. Tom Person, Abner Nash, and others,
composedsthe committee) reported 1esolu-
-tions instructing the Representatives of the
State in the Colonial Congress, to 'eoncm
an declaring ndependence,.' bVt, mark you
--s'reyerriaa to thas colony the sole aad &c
! 'ctustre right of forming constitution and
laws; for this. colony I" On the 18th ot
May,-precise!y one month later. Virginia
adopted similar resolutions So we see that
these States not only declared themselves in
dependent in advance of the general declara-
ton, but also reserved to themselves all con-
troll oftheir State affairs.
THE UNION EGG BEGINS TO HATCH.
The General Congress, in truth, was far
less ready than the States themselves, to
throw off British supremacy 1t was not
until after the battle of Bunker Hill. after
re-capture of Boston, after defence of Fsrt
Moultrie, after Arnold had invaded Canada,
In short, after ftteeh, months Of octudI ,cay-
fare, that Congress, on the motion of Rich
ard Henry Lee, of Virginia, ventured to
take vote on the question of independence.
1t was carried by tight squeeze, ont
Of the Is StoteS roting ogdi,,St It! Two
weeks later the formal declaration was pro
mulgated.
= Another passed before the Union was
broached. Finally, the necessity of making
some Of the colonies perform their share of
defence caused the drafting Of military
and civil league, called The Articles of
Confederation. But even this imperfect
Union. the States were slow to ratify. Not
until March 1881, the last year of the war
could assent of all the States be obtained.
Note that the first crude attempt at Union
dated but six months before the surrender
at Yorktown which as Is well known virtual
ly ended the struggle. 'Cornwallis Is ia
ken !"-roared the Philadelphia Night
Watch, '"nd peace Is "'Gder Cornwall
lis is taken, ,"-groancd the British Prime
NJ / III !, I'll
Both were right. In a few months Parlla-
ment adopted Gen. Conways motion for a
truce Formal peace soon followed. But
mark you, the treaty of peace was not made
with the Union, there was no recognition OF
fhe Confederation Each State was
named by name, separately, as an Individual
nation, endowed with all the attributes OF
sovereignty, freedom, and independence.
The treaty ran as follows His Brltanlc
Majesty acknowledges the United States
(nameing them) to be free, sovereign, and
ilrlebendent States: that he treats with
them as such and for himself, his hers,
and successors, relinqulshes all clam to the
government, proprietorshlp, and territorial
rights of the same.
The thirteen colonies now stood as thirteen
Nations. each as distinct and we'll l-defined as
the States of Brazil or Peru, or France, or
England.
~ SWORN To SUPPORT THE STATE ONLY.
\And, on this point, find curious cor.
roboration in the shape of the Test Oath =
exacted by North Carolina OF all members OF OF
her LEGISLATURE at the spring session AprlD
1882. The oath (Which l give rer6dttna
from the time stained original In the Audi
tors office was imposed in order to weed
out the Loyalists, Of whom there were great
many then in the State.
/. A. b. do solemnly and sincerely swear,