Research Catalog
The first American Declaration of Independence? : the disputed history of the Mecklenburg Declaration of May 20, 1775
- Title
- The first American Declaration of Independence? : the disputed history of the Mecklenburg Declaration of May 20, 1775 / Scott Syfert.
- Author
- Syfert, Scott.
- Publication
- Jefferson, North Carolina : McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, [2014]
- ©2014
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| Status | Format | Access | Call Number | Item Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Schwarzman Building to submit a request in person. | Text | Use in library | IGA 14-128 | Schwarzman Building - Milstein Division Room 121 |
Details
- Description
- x, 247 pages : illustrations; 26 cm
- Summary
- "This is a comprehensive history of one of the greatest mysteries in American history--did Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, declare independence from Great Britain more than a year before anyone else? This book sets out all of the evidence, pro and con"--
- Subjects
- Bibliography (note)
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 237-240) and index.
- Contents
- Prologue: "One of the deepest mysteries" -- Part I. Life in the Carolina backcountry (1663-1775) -- "Always insolent to their governors" : the rule of the Lords Proprietors -- "People of desperate fortune" : the Scots-Irish settle Mecklenburg County -- "Highly injured and aggrieved" : Alexander Craighead and the Presbyterians -- "Brutal sons of bitches" : Thomas Polk and the Sugar Creek War -- Part II. High treason (1775-1781) -- "General frenzy" : Polk summons a meeting -- "Fury and revenge" : May 19, 1775 -- "There was not a dissenting voice" : the Mecklenburg Declaration is made -- "A rash act" : treason and second thoughts -- "I set out the following month, say June" : the ride of Captain James Jack -- The empire strikes back : "A most treasonable publication...in Mecklenburg" -- Part III. Opening arguments (1817-1829) -- From beyond the grave : the "copy in an unknown hand" -- "He has copied the spirit, the sense, and the expressions of it verbatim" : John Adams accuses Thomas Jefferson of plagiarism -- "I believe it spurious" : Thomas Jefferson, original Mecklenburg Declaration skeptic -- Part IV. The Mecklenburg controversy (1829-2012) -- "Solemn proof" : John McKnitt Alexander's version of the story -- "Independence lang before any body else" : eyewitnesses and local legends -- "All former laws are now wholly suspended" : the Mecklenburg Resolves confuse everybody -- Tampering with the evidence : Charles Phillips and the Davie copy -- Death by a thousand cuts : the case against the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence -- "The faithful disperse" : the controversy fizzles out -- Part V. Clues and explanations -- Red herrings, forgery and the case against Jefferson -- "Frey u. independent von England" : the Moravian explanation -- Occam's razor : summing up the case for the Mecklenburg Declaration.
- Call Number
- IGA 14-128
- ISBN
- 9780786475599 (softcover : alkaline paper)
- 0786475595 (softcover : alkaline paper)
- LCCN
- 2013046128
- OCLC
- 863383513
- Author
- Syfert, Scott.
- Title
- The first American Declaration of Independence? : the disputed history of the Mecklenburg Declaration of May 20, 1775 / Scott Syfert.
- Publisher
- Jefferson, North Carolina : McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, [2014]
- Copyright Date
- ©2014
- Type of Content
- text
- Type of Medium
- unmediated
- Type of Carrier
- volume
- Bibliography
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 237-240) and index.
- Research Call Number
- IGA 14-128