Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence (United States | 1775) — Digital download — Classroom handout
Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence (United States | 1775) — Digital download — Classroom handout
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On 20 May 1775, over a year before the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia, residents of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, wrote their own declaration of independence from Great Britain, the first place in Britain’s North America colonies to do so. The date of this Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence — or the “Meck Dec” for short — remains enshrined on North Carolina’s state flag and seal and in lore.
Unfortunately, the original, signed copy of the Meck Dec was lost in a fire in April 1800. Because of this, over the past two centuries a number of historians have cast doubt over the Meck Dec’s authenticity.
However, in the early part of the 21st century, a number of historians have reexamined the evidence for and against the Meck Dec’s authenticity. They have uncovered a number of contemporary accounts of the document, the convention that drafted and signed it, and related events.
Thanks to their work, the evidence is substantial and convincing: the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence really happened. What does the declaration say? And what does it say about values and the fervor for independence on what was the edge of the colonies in the mid-1770s?
This handout is designed with classroom needs in mind. The text is set in easy-to-read, 11-point type. Lines of text are numbered for easy reference in classroom discussion. A lined section on the right side of the page provides space for the reader to take notes. (These lines use the same spacing as college-ruled notepaper.) The document’s title, place, and year are clearly indicated. An extended introduction and footnotes provide context and background to the reader. The handout is optimized for black-and-white printing and to save printer/photocopier ink/toner to reduce your printing costs.
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