The May 20th Society is a non-profit organization that endeavors to capture and celebrate Charlotte’s rebellious and visionary spirit. We hope to define our City’s future by heralding its rich history—a history that changed forever on May 20, 1775, when at least 26 prominent civic leaders signed and approved The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. The May 20th Society raises funds to bring world renowned historical figures to Charlotte to educate schoolchildren and deliver pertinent speeches as part of our adult historical lecture series. In addition to our youth and adult speaker series, The May 20th Society sponsors a free-to-the-public noon event which honors the reading of the MecDec and includes colonial reenactments, and festivities at the corners of Trade and Tryon Streets in Uptown Charlotte. We also sponsor the James Jack Bike Ride in which hundreds of cyclists participate to commemorate Capt. Jack's historic ride from Charlotte to Philadelphia.