Scott Syfert

The First American Declaration of Independence?

The Disputed History of the Mecklenburg Declaration of May 20, 1775

• Broschiertes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

This is a comprehensive history of one of the greatest mysteries in American history--did Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, declare independence from Great Britain more than a year before anyone else? According to local legend, on May 20, 1775, in a log court house in the remote backcountry two dozen local militia leaders met to discuss the deteriorating state of affairs in the American colonies. As they met, a horseman arrived bringing news of the battles of Lexington and Concord. Enraged, they unanimously declared Mecklenburg County "free and independent" from Great Britain. It was known as the "Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence" ("MecDec" for short). A local tavern owner named James Jack delivered the MecDec to the Continental Congress, who found it "premature." All of this occurred more than a year before the national Declaration of Independence. But is the story true? The evidence is mixed. John Adams believed the MecDec represented "the genuine sense of America" while Thomas Jefferson believed the story was "spurious." This book sets out all of the evidence, pro and con.

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: McFarland
• Seitenzahl: 260
• Erscheinungstermin: 24. Dezember 2013
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 254mm x 178mm x 14mm
• Gewicht: 496g
• ISBN-13: 9780786475599
• ISBN-10: 0786475595
• Artikelnr.: 38474953

Autorenporträt

Scott Syfert is a corporate attorney and cofounder of the May 20th Society, dedicated to commemorating the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. He lives in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Inhaltsangabe

Table of Contents Acknowledgments
ix Preface
1 Prologue: "One of the deepest mysteries"
3 Part I.
Life in the Carolina Backcountry (1663-1775)
1.
"Always insolent to their Governors": The Rule of the Lords Proprietors
12
2.
"People of desperate fortune": The Scots-Irish Settle Mecklenburg County
19
3.
"Highly injured and aggrieved": Alexander Craighead and the Presbyterians
28
4.
"Brutal Sons of Bitches": Thomas Polk and the Sugar Creek War
36 Part II.
High Treason (1775-1781)
5.
"General frenzy": Polk Summons a Meeting
48
6.
"Fury and revenge": May 19, 1775
60
7.
"There was not a dissenting voice": The Mecklenburg Declaration Is Made
68
8.
"A rash act": Treason and Second Thoughts
76
9.
"I set out the following month, say June": The Ride of Captain James Jack
83 10.
The Empire Strikes Back: "A most treasonable publication ... in Mecklenburg"
91 Part III.
Opening Arguments (1817-1829) 11.
From Beyond the Grave: The "copy in an unknown hand"
100 12.
"He has copied the spirit, the sense, and the expressions of it Verbatim": John Adams Accuses Thomas Jefferson of Plagiarism
111 13.
"I believe it spurious": Thomas Jefferson, Original Mecklenburg Declaration Skeptic
119 Part IV.
The Mecklenburg Controversy (1829-2012) 14.
"Solemn proof":
John McKnitt Alexander's Version of the Story
128 15.
"Independence lang before any body else": Eyewitnesses and Local Legends
137 16.
"All former laws are now wholly suspended": The Mecklenburg Resolves Confuse Everybody
150 17.
Tampering with the Evidence: Charles Phillips and the Davie Copy
159 18.
Death by a Thousand Cuts: The Case Against the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence
170 19.
"The faithful disperse": The Controversy Fizzles Out
179 Part V.
Clues and Explanations 20.
Red Herrings: Fraud, Forgery and the Case Against Jefferson
190 21.
"Frey u. independent von England": The Moravian Explanation
201 22.
Occam's Razor: Summing Up the Case for the Mecklenburg Declaration
210 Chapter Notes
221 Bibliography
237 Index
241