The Mecklenburg declaration of independence, May 20, 1775, and lives of its signers

Preface

This monograph upon the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence was read before the Scotch- Irish Society of America at its meeting in Lexington, Virginia, on June 21, 1895, and is printed in Vol. VII of the transactions of that association. It has since been revised and enlarged and several separate editions issued in pamphlet. And, as the demand for the essay has exceeded the writer's expectations, it is now published in book form with a short biography of the signers of the declaration added.

The author will be found to differ with some advocates of the Mecklenburg Declaration, in that he acknowledges the verbal errors of the Davie copy of the resolutions, defines the position of the Thirty-first Resolves in the controversy, and shows why Martin's History of North Carolina is authentic, and therefore contains a correct account of the famous convention at Charlotte on May 19-20, 1775.

Since this address was first presented to the Scotch- Irish Society, a number of writers, usually newspaper contributors, have copied freely from it and displayed their productions in the press without either quotation marks or any acknowledgment whatever as to the source of their information.

The reader that desires to examine the authorities cited in this paper will find in the appendix a transcript of the Davie copy of the Mecklenburg Declaration, so much of the preface to Martin's History as is pertinent to our subject, and a copy of the pamphlet issued by the Legislature of North Carolina in 1 83 1, containing Mr. Jefferson's letter to John Adams, and the testimony of spectators and delegates to the twentieth of May convention, as well as other interesting data germane to this question.

George W. Graham, M. D.

Charlotte, N. C.

April, 1905.

Contents

PAGE

Preface 5

The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence 9