Wake Wednesday 250 - Extralegal Revolutionary Assembly (1774 - 1776)

A post at the end of May looked at colonial North Carolina and how the Mecklenburg and Halifax Resolves were like bookends of political sentiment among the populace in the journey to American freedom. Let's look at the timeline of extra-legal assembly that was happening in 1774- 1776. 

First Provincial Congress: New Bern, August 25, 1774 - No more complaining. Resist!

Bear in mind that all thirteen colonies had just spent the spring of 1774 looking on as Britain imposed the five coercive acts that stripped more and more representation and freedom from the colonists of Massachusetts. They watched Boston suffer and pushed back to avoid the same fate. In North Carolina, this meant trying to make nice with Britain with conciliatory language while simultaneously gearing up to participate with other colonies in the upcoming Continental Congress (Fall of 1774).

The First Provincial Congress adopted a statement to Britain and the King, a document called the New Bern Resolves that while they, the colonists of North Carolina, still considered themselves loyal Britons but they would resist unfair British laws, boycott British trade, and coordinate with other colonies for a stronger political response. You can read the document in detail and view its signers at this link.

Fun fact, the First Provincial Congress was originally planned to meet at the Johnston County Courthouse. The switch to New Bern was made to make a symbolic statement. Holding the first congress there at the feet of the Royal Governor (in sight line of Tryon Palace was a more direct challenge to British authority. It also signaled that the Patriot movement in NC was strong enough to meet publicly in the colonial capital without being stopped. The optics of this political theater played to their advantage.  So much so that New Bern was chosen again for the second congress. 

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Second Provincial Congress: New Bern, April 3–7, 1775 - We'll Boycott Britain

The second gathering of delegates formally approved the Continental Association (multi-colony association) boycott discussed at the first congress. They met just as Lexington and Concord broke out. Chaos and unease were everywhere. At this stage, North Carolina was still resisting Parliament and trying to force a political settlement, even though war was beginning around it. 

They got to see the fruits of their theatrical labor as they adjourned the second congress. The visible repeat gathering right on the doorstep of Tryon Palace so enraged Governor Josiah Martin, that he dissolved the Royal Assembly on the spot. Was he angry or scared? Either way, he left NC with out a governing body. Did this change a lot of minds?

 

Mecklenburg Resolves: May 31, 1775

A very local response came from Mecklenburg in the face of the lack of government. This was not a colony wide statement. The Resolves assert the annulment of British Authority and termination of all Crown Laws. They transferred all legislative and executive authority to the Provincial Congress and the Continental Congress. They declared anyone aiding or abetting the British were enemies "of this country" and subject to arrest. The county of Mecklenburg mobilized its militia, appointed military officers (independent of Great Britain) and directed the purchase of ammunition and gunpowder. 

As harsh as this sounds, the Mecklenburg patriots were still open to a return to British control as long as Great Britain resigned its "unjust and arbitrary pretentions(sic) with respect to America".  Old habits die hard. Would they persuade any other NC patriots?

Third Provincial Congress: Hillsborough, August 20–September 10, 1775 - Time to Govern and Prepare for War

By autumn 1775, any vestige of royal authority had collapsed. The delegates to the Third Provincial Congress became the de facto government authority for the colony. They moved from protest to the real work at hand. They replaced royal authority with a provincial system that could raise troops, issue currency, and direct defense. This was a much more formal and self-directed effort than past gatherings.

Fourth Provincial Congress: Halifax, April 4–May 14, 1776 -  Ready to Break

The fourth gathering had to be the most intense for the delegates. The recent victorious battle at Moore's Creek Bridge must have felt like a sign. The mood had shifted fully from resistance to open support for independence. This congress seemed more like a business meeting than rebellion. During this congress, they reorganized the militia to be more efficient, raised more regiments for the army, began writing a first draft of a state constitution and authorized more credit for operating. By far, the most momentous accomplishment was the drafting of the Halifax Resolves. Delegates were selected to travel to Philadelphia to present the Resolves to the Second Continental Congress.  The NC delegates were Joseph Hewes, William Hooper and John Penn. The trio presented on April 12, 1776. 

 

Halifax Resolves: April 12, 1776.

The Resolves presented to the Continental Congress were the first of their kind. They marked the shift from some form of reconciliation to a formal stance for independence and a break from the British Empire. The resolves were unanimously adopted by the Continental Congress. Shortly after,  Virginia delegate Richard Henry Lee introduced the Lee Resolution for independence on June 7, 1776. Lee's Resolution was a formal motion for that proposed independence and broke with Britain. It introduced the concept that the colonies “are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States” This was a direct political precursor to the Declaration of Independence. 

On June 11, 1776  the Continental Congress appointed three committees. The first was tasked to draft a declaration of independence. The  second to create a plan for forming foreign alliances. The third was to plan preparations to form a confederation of colonies. The Declaration Committee took the intent of Lee's resolution and refined it into a written statement explaining and justifying the break from Britain. Lee's resolution was adopted on July 2nd and the Declaration was approved on July 4, 1776.  

This was the moment. The deal was sealed. Pen was put to paper and the USA was born. Much had changed rapidly and there was much more to be done.

Fifth Provincial Congress: Halifax from November 12 to December 23, 1776

There was a last Provincial Congress in the late fall of 1776. This was another gathering that was all business. In the afterglow of Independence, the delegates set about the business at hand. They wrote a state constitution and a declaration of rights, and elected the first state governor. Richard Caswell was bestowed the honor to preside over the new General Assembly of North Carolina in December 1776 as war loomed.

 

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