Two hundred fifty years ago, North Carolina made a decision that helped set the United States on the path to independence.

On April 12, 1776, delegates meeting in Halifax adopted what became known as the Halifax Resolves, authorizing North Carolina’s representatives to vote for independence from Great Britain. The action made North Carolina the first colony to officially empower its delegates to support a break from the Crown, months before the Declaration of Independence.

As we mark the 250th anniversary of that historic moment, state leaders, historians, and civic organizations are renewing attention on the document’s significance and its enduring place in both North Carolina and American history, helping us connect past actions with their impact today.

For modern readers, the idea of independence may seem straightforward. But at the time, the concept itself was still taking shape.

“We think of independence as an everyday word, but they did not know what that meant,” said Bob Rosser, project coordinator for North Carolina’s America250 efforts at the John Locke Foundation. “In the resolve, they called it ‘independency,’  like democracy or another form of government.”

That uncertainty made the decision all the more consequential. Colonial leaders were not simply endorsing a familiar idea — they were stepping into largely uncharted political territory, with no guarantee of success.

Rosser said North Carolina’s choice was far from inevitable and came at a moment when each colony was weighing its own path forward.

“Every colony had to make its own choice,” he said. “North Carolina could easily have stayed loyal to the Crown, while the colonies from Virginia to Massachusetts fought and won their independence. Or maybe there would have been no victory if North Carolina had not joined the fight, since the war that ensued was finally clinched with victories in South Carolina and North Carolina in 1780 and 1781.”

Evidence from the period shows that leaders in the South were already grappling with that decision in early 1776. In a letter written Feb. 12 of that year, John Penn, a member of the Second Continental Congress and future signer of the Declaration of Independence, expressed both confidence and urgency.

“The People to the Northward have Spirit and Resolution, which I doubt not will carry them victorious through this contest,” Penn wrote. “I hope we to the Southward shall act like men determined to be free….”

By April 12, North Carolina’s Provincial Congress answered Penn’s earlier call by adopting the Halifax Resolves.

The original text of the historic document reads in part:

“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.”

From battlefield to political break

The adoption of the Halifax Resolves did not emerge in isolation. Just weeks earlier, North Carolina Patriots secured a decisive victory at the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge. This battle was a turning point that helped shift momentum toward independence.

Fought on Feb. 27, 1776, near present-day Wilmington, the battle saw Patriot forces defeat a larger group of Loyalists attempting to link up with British troops. The victory disrupted British efforts to regain control of the colony and weakened Loyalist influence in the region.

Historians often point to Moore’s Creek Bridge as one of the first clear Patriot victories of the Revolutionary War in the South and a key factor in emboldening colonial leaders to take more decisive political action.

Rosser said the significance of the victory extended well beyond North Carolina.

“The victory, as word spread, gave other colonies hope and encouragement to keep fighting and keep coming together — that the revolutionary moment was real,” Rosser said.

In the weeks following the battle, that growing confidence translated into political momentum. With British authority diminished and Loyalist resistance weakened, North Carolina’s provincial leaders were in a stronger position to take the step they would formalize in Halifax, authorizing a break from Britain.

Halifax Resolves return home

As part of North Carolina’s America250 commemoration, the original Halifax Resolves have returned to the state for the first time since 1776 and are now on public display in Halifax County.

Gov. Josh Stein said the anniversary highlights the state’s early leadership in the push for independence and its lasting place in the nation’s founding story.

“North Carolina played a significant role in winning America’s independence,” Stein said. “The creation and adoption of the Halifax Resolves on April 12, 1776, was the first official action by any colony calling for independence from Great Britain, forever cementing North Carolina’s place in history as ‘First in Freedom.’”

The document is on loan from the National Archives and is believed to be the only surviving copy. It is being exhibited at the Halifax State Historic Site’s visitor center from April 10 through Oct. 6.

State officials say the return of the document offers a rare chance to connect directly with a defining moment in both state and national history.

“The opportunity to view this 250-year-old document in the place where it was created is a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said N.C. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources Secretary Pamela B. Cashwell. “The Halifax Resolves is one of the most important pieces of our state’s story — its date is emblazoned on our state flag — and we’re so excited for North Carolinians to see it in person.”

The display is part of a broader commemoration of the 250th anniversary in Halifax. The event includes the multi-day “Prelude to Revolution” event featuring reenactments, educational programs, and tours of the historic site.

Locke Foundation to host anniversary event

The John Locke Foundation will mark the 250th anniversary of the Halifax Resolves with a luncheon and lecture. The program, open to the public, highlights the document’s historical significance and its connection to North Carolina’s state identity.

The event, titled “Halifax 250: The Story of the Date on the North Carolina Flag,” will focus on the adoption of the Halifax Resolves on April 12, 1776 — the date that appears on the North Carolina flag and represents the colony’s early call for independence.

Speakers include John Locke Foundation CEO Donald Bryson and Rosser. They will discuss North Carolina’s role in the founding era and its relevance to broader America250 commemorations.