The MecDec Through the Ages

Treason! That’s what many called the rebellious acts of Mecklenburg leaders over 225 years ago when twenty six of Mecklenburg County’s civic leaders declared independence from Great Britain. Even some of our fellow citizens of North Carolina denounced these patriots for it. Yes, what they did was emotional and rash. More reasonable men never would have put their lives in such jeopardy. But then, how would the fire of liberty ignite? Where would the courage to rebel come from?

On May 20, 1775, a group of Mecklenburg leaders met at the county courthouse at the crossroads of Trade and Tryon. They declared themselves independent from Britain in several documents, the foremost of which is a document known today as the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence (or “MecDec”). It was a reaction to the news that colonists had been massacred by the British at Lexington. On May 31, they drafted a second document—a set of resolves further outlining their independence and organizing their new governance.

A young tavern owner, Captain James Jack, volunteered to carry the documents 600 miles to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. It was a courageous act. He knew that if he were caught in possession of such seditious documents, he would be hanged. On horseback, Captain Jack slipped past British regulars and Tory spies. When he arrived in Philadelphia, he demanded that the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence be read into the record at the Continental Congress.

May 20th became a monumental date—it is displayed prominently on the North Carolina state flag and has been celebrated with great fanfare since the early 1820s. While the authenticity of the MecDec is questioned by some, the Spirit of MecDec is beyond doubt.