The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-05-20
TODAY IN HISTORY
e MeckIenburo oecIaratlon-May 20.
FRIDAY, MAY 20, 1910.

The Meckenbure DecIaratlon-May 20.
Although the Declaration OF Iude-
pendence as drafted In Philadelphia by
Thomas Jefferson and others. iii li76
Is recognized as the document that gave
emphatic voice to tho sentiment of the
colonies. previous TO the writing OF this,
the greatest state paper In our history
practically the same declaration was
made at different other sections Of the
country by the enthusiastic patriots,
Some thirteen months before the sign
ing OF the great declaration there was
drawn up "a document In Mecklcnburg
county y. c.. that was almost model
of the great charter OF American liberty.
There are different accounts OF the mat
ter, but the most reliable Is this:
At a public meeting OF She residents
Of Mecklenburg county. in the state OF
North Carolina. held at Charlotte on the
twentieth day Of May, lI16. 1t was.
Resolved. That whenever directly or
Indirectly abbctted. or In any way, form.
or manner countcnancod. the unchartcrcd
and dangerous invasion Of our rights. as
claimed by Great Britain, Is an enemy oil
our county--to AmcriCa-and TO The IN
herent and inalienabe rights Of man.
Resolved That We the citizens of
MeCklcnburE county. do hereby dissolve
the political bonds which have connected
us 10 the mother country, and hereby ABB
solve ourselves from all allegiance 10 the
British crown and abjure all political
connection, contract or association win
our rights aud liberties and inhumanly
shed the blood OF American patriots AT
Lexington.
Resolved. That We do hereby declare
ourselves a free and Independent people.
are and OF right ought 10 be Al sovereign
and self governing association, under the
control of no power other than that oil
our God and the general government OF
the congress. TO the maintenance OF
which independence we sOlcmnly pledge
to each other our mutual cooperation
our lives, our fortunes. and our sacred
honor"
At the time OF this declaration Char
lotte was the center Of the culture OF
that part OF the province, The meeting
was called together at the Instance OF
Thomas Polk, the commander OF the min
tia of the county and two gentlemen from
each company were selected as repre-
sentative committee
The authorized account OF this docu-
ment is that IL was adopted at : o'clock
i'm the morning Of MAY 20 and that the
papers OF John Nj. Alexander, the secre-
tary of the convention, were accidentally
burned I'm April. 1900. Alexander John
ston. In his american Political History.
says:
"The declaration Is historically sus-
piclous from its use Of phrases used ~
the Declaration Of July !. l176: and from
the Facts that Williamson and the con-
temporary writer's Of this and neighbor-
ing states show no knowledge OF IL. and
that 1t was entirely ignored in and out
of congress at a time when resolutions
coming far short of Independence were
heralded by every newspaper In the Coun-
try. Nevertheless Bancroft accepts II
without hesitation; but the probability Is
that resolutions OF the kind which were
common at the time were passed. that tho
copies OF 1878 (Which were produced and
printed in Raleigh, y. ca were from
recollection, with strong traces Of the
Declaration OF July {. lTT6. and the Meek
enburg declaration was not OF It's pur-
ported date, or essentially Of Its purportcd
nature"