Mecklenburg Declaration
Mecklenburg Declaration, in North Carolina history, a mythical declaration of independence. According to persons who claimed to have been present, citizens of Mecklenburg County met at Charlotte on May 20, 1775, and adopted a declaration of independence from Great Britain. This date was more than a year before that of the declaration adopted by the Continental Congress. For many years the Mecklenburg Declaration was thought to exist; its date appears on both the flag and the seal of North Carolina.
However, in 1838 an old newspaper was found containing resolutions adopted at a county meeting on May 31, 1775. These resolutions, called the Mecklenburg Resolves, were signed by the same people who claimed to have attended the meeting of May 20. The Mecklenburg Resolves temporarily suspended laws derived from king or Parliament and established a new county government. The resolves say nothing about independence, and probably would not have been adopted had there been an earlier declaration of independence. Historians believe there was only one meeting—the one at which the resolves were adopted—and that the 11-day difference in dating is due to the fact that some of those present were still using the old-style (Julian) calendar.