News
The enduring importance of NC’s ‘Mecklenburg Declaration’
Debate continues about whether residents of one North Carolina county declared independence from Great Britain more than a year before the rest of the country.
News
NC Senate marks America’s 250th at Old Capitol
North Carolina senators walked one block south and nearly 250 years back in history Tuesday morning.
News
250 years of Independence: a Fourth of July Celebration Guide
Carolina Journal and the John Locke Foundation are tracing North Carolina’s bold and often overlooked role in America’s fight for independence — from the Edenton Tea Party to the the Mecklenburg Declaration and beyond. Through its NC 250 project, Locke brings those stories back to life. Now, the countdown gives way to the main event:...
Opinion
Another publication merits ‘Happy Birthday’
While Gibbon's "Decline and Fall" did not, of course, influence the crafting of the roughly contemporaneous Declaration of Independence, American Founders such as James Madison and John Adams soon became avid readers of the work.
Opinion
Why the Halifax Resolves matter
On April 12, a large crowd of North Carolinians will gather in the town of Halifax to commemorate the 250th anniversary of a pivotal historical event. It was on April 12, 1776, that 83 delegates representing all 35 (at the time) counties plus nine municipalities affirmed what became known as the Halifax Resolves. They instructed...
News
May 20, 1775: What was the Mecklenburg Declaration?
It’s there to commemorate the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence of 1775. According to legend (and to some historians), the declaration was made on May 20, 1775, at a meeting of county representatives in Mecklenburg, North Carolina.
Opinion
Push for liberty began in Rowan
Neither the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence nor the Halifax Resolves constitutes the first formal act by North Carolinians against British tyranny.
News
May 20, 1775: What was the Mecklenburg Declaration?
Have you ever wondered why the date May 20, 1775, is on our state flag? ’s there to commemorate the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence of 1775.
News
Legislature is mapping plans for America’s 250th anniversary celebration coming in 2026
The inaugural meeting of the North Carolina General Assembly’s Semiquincentennial Committee convened Tuesday to discuss the state’s plans for commemorating America’s 250th Anniversary on July 4, 2026.
News
First in Freedom: Halifax Resolves adopted 248 years ago today
Today marks the 248th anniversary of the Halifax Resolves, a catalyst of the Declaration of Independence.
Opinion
Situational awareness and the New Year: A perspective for North Carolinians
There is a great open pasture land before Tarheels. It is the future. As we, the people of North Carolina, stand before the uncharted terrain of another year, it is crucial to exercise situational awareness, a concept deeply ingrained in military strategy. This year is particularly significant for our state, with governor elections, crucial legislative...
News
NC State students unveil designs for new state flag
Two N.C. State University civil engineering students, Wyat Hamilton and Adam Fleischer, gave a Flag Day virtual presentation on Wednesday to unveil proposed new state flag designs. The presentation was split into three sections, first outlining the history of the current flag, the development of their own designs, and then showing the success stories of...
