These Truths Blog

In 2010, I submitted the concept for a book on the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence to a prominent university publisher. They responded that although they were “really intrigued,” they had reservations about the subject matter. “The history establishment of the state seems to be fairly solid in its skepticism of the MecDec,” was the response. They were reluctant to proceed “given the strongly held positions of the opposing sides.”

As their response indicated, even 237 years later the story of whether Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, made the first declaration of independence in the American colonies (known locally as the “MecDec”) continues to arouse strong passions. Most of the academic historical community dismisses the story as (at best) a myth or (at worse) a ridiculous hoax. The widely-held view is that the Mecklenburg Declaration is a fairy-tale, but an irritating one that refuses to go away. Even in Charlotte, where the story begins, raising the topic can elicit a visceral, negative response from many.

PEGGY SHIPPEN may be the most intriguing, most overlooked young woman in American history. Born in 1760, Peggy, youngest child in a slave-owning, prominent Philadelphia family, was 14 when the Revolution began. By the time she was 17, the British occupied Philadelphia. Ever the party girl, she befriended a handsome British officer, JOHN ANDRE.

When she was 18, the British evacuated Philadelphia, restoring it to Patriot control. At 19, she married the Patriot hero, Gen. BENEDICT ARNOLD, 38, a widower with three boys. Crippled from wounds in battle and personally attacked by rivals for political power, he had become seriously discontented.

To initiate the treason, Arnold (and, we conclude, Peggy) covertly contacted her British friend, Andre. Their final plan was to capture (and maybe hang) George Washington on a visit to a fort commanded by Arnold. However, in a last-minute fluke, foiling the scheme, Patriots captured Andre and, a few drama-filled days later, hanged him as a spy. Alerted right away to the Andre capture, with Washington himself minutes from arrival at Arnold’s home, Arnold fled to safety behind British lines, leaving Peggy, 20, (and the baby) alone there to deal with Washington. She feared that he, mortified by discovery of the defection, might think her guilty of treasonous involvement in the plan.

In a letter to his wife, Abigail on July 2, 1776, John Adams wrote of the plans for the signing of the Declaration of Independence, “It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more. You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration and support and defend these States. Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all of the Means. And, that Posterity will triumph in that Days Transaction.”

Adams would be elated to know that 236 years later, Independence Day is the most celebrated secular holiday in America.

Those of us who are hard at work bringing The Museum of the American Revolution to life at 3rd and Chestnut Streets in Philadelphia are committed to helping others not only remember but also understand why this day should be commemorated with joy.

It is our job here to tell the very real and personal stories of a very long and hard war. A war courageously undertaken by America’s original greatest generation.