NC Flag

My daughter is working diligently on a school project about North Carolina. Watching her color a state flag, I noticed the dates and wondered what importance they held. Hours later, I'm not sure I know what is real, but I like the conclusion drawn by the History channel:

While the Meck Dec has largely been consigned to the realm of folklore, historians are quick to note that North Carolina was still at the tip of the spear of American independence. British General Charles Cornwallis dubbed Mecklenburg County a “hornet’s nest” of rebellion during the Revolutionary War, and the state made history by issuing April 12, 1776’s Halifax Resolves, the first official document to support separation from Great Britain. Whether its citizens also issued the first declaration of independence will likely never be known for sure, but the story persists to this day. Visitors to Charlotte can see a statue of Captain James Jack on his way to deliver the Mecklenburg Declaration to Philadelphia, and the date of its supposed signing—May 20, 1775—still appears on both the North Carolina state flag and seal.

And now for the explanation; it's alleged that on May 20th 1775, in Mecklenburg County the state officially called for independence. There are no records of the alleged declaration and a reproduction crafted years after the fact seemingly reflect too much of Jefferson's Declaration of Independence to stand as separately produced material. Also, this document gained notoriety decades after it's alleged creation. Nevertheless, it's on the state flag for a reason. The real pride is the state's proactive stance against Britain, which the second date listed on the flag is indisputably representative of. That is the date a state body unanimously agreed to support colonies working together to separate from British rule in the Halifax Resolves. The state claims these as the first official legislative thrust of the American Revolution.

NCPedia lists the full text of the Halifax Resolves as:

The Select Committee taking into Consideration the usurpations and violences attempted and committed by the King and Parliament of Britain against America, and the further Measures to be taken for frustrating the same, and for the better defence of this province reported as follows, to wit,

It appears to your Committee that pursuant to the Plan concerted by the British Ministry for subjugating America, the King and Parliament of Great Britain have usurped a Power over the Persons and Properties of the People unlimited and uncontrouled and disregarding their humble Petitions for Peace, Liberty and safety, have made divers Legislative Acts, denouncing War Famine and every Species of Calamity daily employed in destroying the People and committing the most horrid devastations on the Country. That Governors in different Colonies have declared Protection to Slaves who should imbrue their Hands in the Blood of their Masters. That the Ships belonging to America are declared prizes of War and many of them have been violently seized and confiscated in consequence of which multitudes of the people have been destroyed or from easy Circumstances reduced to the most Lamentable distress.

And whereas the moderation hitherto manifested by the United Colonies and their sincere desire to be reconciled to the mother Country on Constitutional Principles, have procured no mitigation of the aforesaid Wrongs and usurpations and no hopes remain of obtaining redress by those Means alone which have been hitherto tried, Your Committee are of Opinion that the house should enter into the following Resolve, to wit

Resolved that the delegates for this Colony in the Continental Congress be impowered to concur with the other delegates of the other Colonies in declaring Independency, and forming foreign Alliances, resolving to this Colony the Sole, and Exclusive right of forming a Constitution and Laws for this Colony, and of appointing delegates from time to time (under the direction of a general Representation thereof to meet the delegates of the other Colonies for such purposes as shall be hereafter pointed out.

Barring the historical accuracy of the 1775 claim, there's a strong North Carolina position at the earliest stages of the American Revolution. Unambiguous opposition to British rule. So important to the state is this role that the state symbols bear no other reference to all of history but this. Indeed, as preclude to the revolution itself, within the state of North Carolina was an insurgency and the War of the Regulation from 1765 to 1771. Farmers complained of excessive taxes and corrupt officials, to which the colonial official response was rather predictable, as expressed in Rev. William Henry Foote's 1846 work Sketches of North Carolina, Historical and Biographical, Illustrative of the Principles of a Portion of Her Early Settlers that calls its second chapter BLOOD SHED ON THE ALAMANCE—THE FIRST BLOOD SHED IN THE REVOLUTION, MAY 16TH, 1771 and notes:

To these acts of rebellion, unfortunately, were added acts of personal violence that called the governor from his palace, with his armed force to revenge.

The point of drawing these connections is to put the roots of the state of North Carolina squarely in the same narrative of the American Revolution with at least some portion of state legacy claiming to be at the forefront.

I also learned that from 1861-1885 the second date on the flag was May 20th, 1861, the date the state withdrew from the Union. Obviously the need to remove that reference from the flag was done to reinforce the American Revolution forefront position by placing the date of the Halifax Resolves. While doubling down on that pre-revolution position, NC leaders failed to take the opportunity to remove both the disputed Mecklenburg 1775 document date and the failed Civil War date when adding the legitimate historically accurate 1776 date. You can imagine the great debates over not removing the first date that was refuted by Jefferson himself balanced against traditionalists opposed to taking off a 1775 date when removing the 1861 date. The compromise, like many, probably serviced none adequately. Two dates symbolizing the same idea do not avoid the uncomfortable idea that one of them is erroneous. By now the passage of time and infrequency of state flag usage put the probability of any further alterations on the same order as the probability the state redraws its borders. 130 years is a long runway for something like this to come up, which has seemingly not ever gained attention, awareness, interest, and traction to do anything about.