The Halifax Resolves
Halifax, Halifax County, North Carolina
Marker Inscription
Independence. The "Halifax Resolves," first formal sanction of American Independence, adopted in this town, April 12, 1776.
Erected by North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources
The Story
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.
Why it matters
The Halifax Resolves were the first formal, colony-wide sanction of American independence, a decisive milestone on the road to the Declaration.
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Related events
- · Halifax Resolves
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Washington's Southern Tour
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Willie Jones
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North Carolina Constitution of 1776
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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.