Interviewees:
-
Sally Bloom
- Curator of Distance Education, North Carolina Museum of History
After learning of the Continental Congress's vote, North Carolina's Provincial Council of Safety resolved on July 22, 1776, that the Declaration be "proclaimed in the most public manner" by committees of safety statewide. On July 27, it scheduled a public reading in Halifax for August 1, and on August 6 appointed two militia colonels to read the Declaration in Cumberland County, home to many Highland Scots Loyalists, with specific instructions to convey Congress's treason resolves. On August 9 the Council formally recognized North Carolina as an independent state. It is worth noting the Patriot victory at Moores Creek Bridge in February of 1776 was a crucial moment in building solidarity in North Carolina around the prospect of state and national independence.
