The Halifax Resolves was a name later given to the resolution adopted by the

North Carolina Provincial Congress The Provincial Congress of North Carolina was an extralegal representative assembly patterned after the colonial lower house that existed in North Carolina from 1774 to 1776. It led the transition from British provincial to U.S. state govern ...

on April 12, 1776. The adoption of the resolution was the first official action in the American Colonies calling for independence from

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

during the

American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...

. The Halifax Resolves helped pave the way for the presentation to Congress of the

United States Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence, formally The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen States of America in the original printing, is the founding document of the United States. On July 4, 1776, it was adopted unanimously by the Second Continen ...

less than three months later.

Background

The creation and ratification of the resolves was the result of a strong movement in the colonies advocating separation from

. These separatists, or " American Whigs" (later, "Patriots"), sought to mobilize public support for a much discussed and all encompassing declaration of independence. The primary impediment to an outright declaration of independence from Great Britain was that none of the delegates to the

Second Continental Congress The Second Continental Congress (1775–1781) was the meetings of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that united in support of the American Revolution and American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War, which established American independence ...

were authorized by their home governments to take any action that would lead to such a declaration. Advocates of independence therefore sought to revise the instructions to each congressional delegation and remove any restrictions regarding a declaration of independence.

History

The resolution of April 12, 1776, became known as the Halifax Resolves because the Fourth Provincial Congress of North Carolina adopted them while meeting in the town of Halifax, North Carolina. The 83 delegates present unanimously adopted the resolves, which encouraged delegates to the Continental Congress from all the colonies to finally push for independence. The adoption of the Halifax Resolves was the first official action in the colonies calling for independence from Great Britain., from ''North Carolina Manual'', 2012; Kelly Agan, Government & Heritage Library, 2017

Drive to independence

The Halifax Resolves only empowered North Carolina's three delegates to the

( Joseph Hewes, William Hooper, and John Penn) to join with those from other colonies to declare independence from Great Britain's rule. With the passage of the resolves, North Carolina became the first colony to explicitly permit their delegates to vote in favor of independence.''NC History''
article at "Learn NC" online; retrieved December 15, 2012 The Halifax Resolves, however, stopped short of instructing North Carolina's delegates to introduce a resolution of independence to Congress, a step which was taken by

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

in June with the adoption of the

Lee Resolution The Lee Resolution, also known as "The Resolution for Independence", was the formal assertion passed by the Second Continental Congress on July 2, 1776, resolving that the Thirteen Colonies (then referred to as the United Colonies) were "free a ...

The

issued the

the following month, in July.

Legacy

Every year, on April 12, the Halifax Historic District, a historic site operated by the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, celebrates Halifax Day. Interpreters in period costumes provide guided tours of historic buildings, demonstrate historic crafts and teach about colonial activities. Occasionally, reenactors portray revolutionary-era soldiers and demonstrate the use of historic weapons during the Halifax Day events.''Halifax Day''
; "North Carolina Historic Sites" online; retrieved April 2013

References

External links

Historic Halifax
{{Authority control 1776 in the United States Documents of the American Revolution Halifax County, North Carolina North Carolina in the American Revolution United States documents