North Carolina Constitution of 1776
Halifax County, Halifax County, North Carolina
Marker Inscription
North Carolina Constitution. The first constitution of the independent state was adopted in Halifax on December 18, 1776.
Erected by North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
The Story
On December 18, 1776, months after the Declaration of Independence, delegates meeting at Halifax adopted the first constitution of the independent state of North Carolina, together with a declaration of rights. It established the framework of state government for the newly sovereign state. Halifax was already a hotbed of Revolutionary sentiment, having earlier produced the Halifax Resolves calling for independence.
Why it matters
North Carolina's first constitution was part of the wave of state-building that turned the Revolution's ideals into working self-government.
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Related events
- · Adoption of the N.C. Constitution (December 18, 1776)
- · Halifax Resolves (1776)
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Masonic Lodge
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Chartered in 1767, this Halifax Masonic lodge erected its building in 1769, making it one of the oldest in North Carolina. Buried there is Joseph Montfort, appointed "Grand Master of America" — a title of unusual reach across the colonies. The lodge stood at the center of colonial Halifax's civic life on the eve of the Revolution.
The Halifax Resolves
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On April 12, 1776, North Carolina's Provincial Congress meeting at Halifax authorized its delegates to the Continental Congress to vote for independence — the first official action by an entire colony calling for a break with Britain. Adopted nearly three months before the Declaration of Independence, the Halifax Resolves put North Carolina at the leading edge of the independence movement. The date still appears on the state flag and seal.
Washington's Southern Tour
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In the spring of 1791, President George Washington undertook a grand tour of the Southern states to strengthen unity in the young nation, and on April 16-17 he stopped in the historic town of Halifax. Crowds turned out to greet the president, who recorded his travels in his diary. The visit tied this Roanoke River town to the nation's first chief executive.
Hutchins G. Burton
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