Historical Background of Mecklenburg Declaration

The Land We Love, A Monthly Magazine Devoted to Literature, Military History and Agriculture, Charlotte, N. C., Published by Hill, Irwin & Co. Volume II, no.2 (December, 1866), pp. 129-133

"Sketch of Mecklenburg County"

[Reproduced here in unedited form]

As “The Land We Love” is printed and published at Charlotte, its Carolina readers will consider some remarks upon the PAST of Mecklenburg and Charlotte as neither inopportune nor inappropriate.

Mecklenburg county began to be occupied about the year 1742. That delightful section of North Carolina lying between the Yadkin and Catawba rivers, and for this reason not inaptly called Mesopotamia, was like most other frontier counties, first occupied by hunters, herdsmen and shepherds. Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia, poured in their full contingent to that flood of emigration which was soon to make the wilderness and the solitary places blossom as the rose. The primitive simplicity of the pastoral stage of society, with its calm, quiet and security, its freedom from care, from avarice and the rivalries of older communities, stamped the infant settlements with the impress of another Arcadia, pure, contented, free, enlightened, enterprising, virtuous and independent.

These beautiful and charming features of frontier society were soon followed by the agricultural, commercial and political stages. Lands began to be appropriated---farms cleared---villages erected---counties laid off---courts established---laws promulgated---schools and churches organized, and all the machinery of civilization and government put into motion.--- Such was the condition of things west of the Yadkin, when in 1762, Mecklenburg county was formed, and its seat of justice laid off and called Charlotte, in honor of the new Queen, Princess Charlotte, of Mecklenburg.

As already remarked, the principal emigration to Mecklenburg was from the less remote colonies north of Charlotte. Besides these, many of the emigrants reached the country direct from Europe through the Cape Fear river and the harbor of Charleston. Many of the Irish, Scotch-Irish and Huguenot families sought the interior sections of the Carolinas through these channels. But all of them came to the new country with the noble purpose and determination of bettering their condition. Few of them brought wealth with them. But what was better, they all brought enterprise, energy, industry-simple and frugal habits-physical strength and a manly self-reliance. Most of them, too, were intelligent and well informed-accustomed to subordination and obedience to law, while not a few of them were learned men, profound thinkers-classical and thorough scholars of the olden time-the palmy days of Edinburgh and Nassau Hall. To these excellent traits of character must be added a strong development of the religious principle, their conscientiousness and their strict performance of social and relative duty.

Such, in brief, were the characteristics of the inhabitants of Mecklenburg a century since. These are the very elements from which to elaborate a destiny to illustrious-a future so glorious-a fame so eternal and imperishable. To these elements may be traced her sudden expansion and rapid growth in the arts of civilized life-her early efforts in the cause of learn, as well as her more recent educational enterprises, and her time-honored devotion to religious culture and improvement, her churches and her schools of learning. And to these elements, to, in the character of her first population, may be traced that careful vigilance for right, conscience and liberty-that stern defense of the Representative Principal and that bold assertion of the rights of self-government. To these elements are to be ascribed her first Declaration of Independence, the unselfish patriotism which prompted and the lofty heroism which achieved it.

The whole record of Mecklenburg is a bright one. The reminiscences of her early patriots, and of her self-sacrificing soldiers, constitute a rich legacy which their posterity and their countrymen should never forget, nor under-value.

The original boundaries of Mecklenburg embraced Rutherford county, and also Lincoln, then extending to the South Carolina line. The present counties of Cabarrus and Union belonged, at a still later period, to Mecklenburg- forming thus a magnificent area and princely domain, equal in superficial extent to New Jersey and Delaware, and surpassing that of Rhode Island. This side area was beautifully diversified, and adorned by every variety of charming landscape, combining the tame features of the extended campaign-the fertile valley-the river alluvial, with the grandeur of mountain scenery. It was an inviting theatre for the display of the highest phase of Anglo-American civilization.

The names designating the county and town imply the steadfast loyalty and devotion of the original colonist to the reigning family. As another proof of this loyalty they gave to the first institution of learning established west of the Yadkin, the name of Queen’s Museum.

These repeated compliments to the King did not imply, however, a blind adherence and subserviency to his ministry at home-nor to his parliament-much less to his Colonial Agents in Carolina. Adherence to right was with the freemen of Mecklenburg, the condition of their obedience, and they took the earliest opportunity to disobey when that right was violated or disregarded. When Selwyn, a crown favorite, attempted, in 1766, to locate his large grants of land in this county, the people arose in arms, seized the surveyor and forced him to desist. A few years later the corrupt officials of the Colonial Governor, Tryon, by their fraudulent exaction of unlawful fees, exasperated even the law abiding colonists to armed resistance. He called upon the military of Mecklenburg to put down the insurgents, sustain his authority, and quell the rebellion. To the credit of Mecklenburg, one of her captains was so firm and so virtuous as to refuse to lead his company against his countrymen, who were resisting oppression and protecting their rights. This officer was Captain James Knox, the maternal grandfather of the late President of the United States, James Knox Polk. The minions of Tryon continued, in many of the counties of Carolina, to collect fees not authorized by law and to perpetuate other acts of oppression and tyranny upon the poorer colonists. These again flew to arms. To subdue this incipient rebellion Tryon sent to Charleston for large supplies of ammunition. His wagons transporting these supplies, when passing through the Rocky river settlement, (now Cabarrus) were boldly intercepted by sterling patriots of that neighborhood-a train was set to the powder and the entire cargo destroyed by its explosion. This was near Phifer’s Hill, afterwards Long’s Tavern, in Cabarrus county, and occurred early in May, 1771. So early did Mecklenburg demonstrate her sympathy in resistance to arbitrary government. In the battle of Alamance, which took place on the 16th of May, 1771, we see the first blood shed in the American Revolution. The dawn of independence was already gilding the political horizon from New Hampshire to Georgia. The great question at issue between Great Britain and her American Colonies was that of Parliamentary supremacy. The latter held that taxes were the gift of the people to the crown or the government-that these taxes could not be laid or collected without the consent of the people, or their representative chosen by themselves. The stamp act had been resisted successfully and repealed, but the insignificant tax of three pence per pound on tea was retained for the purpose, as the ministry said, of asserting the right of Parliament to tax the colonies. This assertion dissolved the charm of loyalty to the King, and allegiance to his government, and the colonies armed to resist. In the whole of Mecklenburg county, such were the frugal and inexpensive habits of the people, there were perhaps not ten pounds of tea consumed in the year. This tax, inconsiderable as it was, the people considered as violative of the right to tax themselves, and they therefore resisted it with such entire unanimity that when the act for shutting up the harbor of Boston was made known to them they resolve, that “the cause of Boston was the cause of all” and proceeded to make liberal contributions of money and especially of beeves, which were immediately sent forward for the relief of the sufferers around Massachusetts bay.

In the meantime the organization of a Continental Congress was suggested. This was to be effected through the agency of the Congresses of the several colonies.

That for North Carolina met at New Berne, August 25, 1774.—This was independent of and contrary to the authority of the existing Colonial Government, but Mecklenburg was represented in it. Benjamin Patton was the delegate, and it is tradition that he went the entire distance on foot paying his own expenses. In the preamble and resolution adopted at New Berne, the Congress declares their regard to the British constitution, and their allegiance to the House of Hanover, but that allegiance from them should meet with the protection of government, that no person should be taxed without his consent, freely given by himself or his representative, &c., &c.

 In support of these principles, the New Berne Congress appointed for Salisbury District, which then embraced Mecklenburg county, Thomas Wade, Colonel; Adlai Osborne, Lieut. Colonel; and Joseph Harden, Major. As committee of safety for the same District, Griffith Rutherford, John Brevard, John Crawford, Hezekiah Alexander, James Auld, Benjamin Patton, William Hill, John Hamilton, Charles Galloway, William Dent, Robert Ewart and Maxwell Chambers; and for officers of the 2nd, Battalion, Thomas Polk, Colonel; Adam Alexander, Lieutenant Colonel; and Charles McLean, Major. For the Council of Safety for the State in the same District, Hezekiah Alexander, and Wm. Sharpe. Of the committee on the Bill of Rights and the Constitution of the State, the members from Mecklenburg were Messrs. Alexander, Rutherford, Sharpe, Avery, Irwin and Hill.

All this had transpired in North Carolina before the battle had been fought at Lexington. That occurrence not only stimulated resistance to arbitrary power, but precipitated a severance from the British government. Hooper had said that “the colonies were fast sliding into independence,” and Mecklenburg county was the first to sustain the declaration. In that county a convention was called, which met on the 19th of May, 1775, at Charlotte. Abraham Alexander was chosen chairman, and John McKnitt Alexander secretary. The second resolution is as follows: “That we, the citizens of Mecklenburg county, do hereby dissolve the political bands which have connected us to the mother country, and hereby absolve ourselves from all allegiance to the British Crown, and abjure all political connection, contract or association with that nation, who have wantonly trampled on our rights and liberties, and in inhumanly shed the blood of American patriots at Lexington.”

“III. Resolved, That we do hereby declare ourselves a free and independent people, are and of right ought to be, a sovereign and self-governing association, under the control of no power, other than that of our God, and the general government of Congress; to the maintenance of which independence, we solemnly pledge to each other our mutual co-operation, our lives, our fortunes and our most sacred honor” For the sake of brevity the other resolutions and proceedings are not here given.

ABRAHAM ALEXANDER,

Chairman.

John McKnitt Alexander,

Secretary.

A list of the delegates is here copied from Wheeler.

Ephraim Brevard, Hezekiah J. Balch, John Phifer, James Harris, Wm. Kennon, John Ford, Richard Barry, Henry Downe, Ezra Alexander, William Graham, John Queary, Hezekiah Alexander, Adam Alexander, Zaccheus Wilson, Waightstill Avery, Benjamin Patton, Mathew McClure, Neill Morrison, Robert Irwin, John Flannigan, David Russ, John Davidson, R. Harris, Thomas Polk.

Doctor Ephraim Brevard is the reputed author of the Mecklenburg resolutions.

Referring to the illustratious members of the Charlotte convention, Wheeler says: “These men have long since gone to their final account; but their names, characters and service should be held ever in grateful remembrance by their countrymen. North Carolina is proud of their names, for with them is associated the most unsullied patriotism, uncalculating resistance to oppression, and chivalric daring.”