First North Carolina Provincial Congress

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First North Carolina
Provincial Congress
2nd
Overview
Legislative body North Carolina Provincial Congress
Jurisdiction North Carolina ( de facto )
Meeting placeCraven Court House
TermAugust 25, 1774 August 27, 1774
Provincial Congress
Members71 deputies
Moderator Col. John Harvey
Sovereign
Monarch HM George III
Governor HE Josiah Martin

The First North Carolina Provincial Congress was a meeting of the provincial congress of the de facto provincial government of North Carolina, composed of 71 deputies from 35 counties (six not being represented) and nine towns (three not being represented). The congress convened in Newbern, on August 25, 1774, and ended on August 27, 1774, during the final two years of Josiah Martin's gubernatorial administration. Colonel John Harvey was unanimously chosen as moderator. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Contents

History

Resolutions

The deputies to the First Provincial Congress deliberated in 1774 in response to the Boston Tea Party and Intolerable Acts (Boston Port Act) by British rulers. The following resolutions were passed by this congress on August 27, 1774 and are listed below as they appear in the minutes of the sessions. [6] [7]

"We his Majesty's most dutiful and Loyal Subjects, the deputies from the several Counties and Towns, of the Province of North Carolina, impressed with the most sacred respect for the British Constitution, and resolved to maintain the succession of the House of Hanover, as by law Established, and avowing our inviolable and unshaken Fidelity to our sovereign, and entertaining a sincere regard for our fellow subjects in Great Britain viewing with the utmost abhorrence every attempt which may tend to disturb the peace and good order of this Colony, or to shake the fidelity of his Majesty's subjects resident here, but at the same time conceiving it a duty which we owe to ourselves and to posterity, in the present alarming state of British America, when our most essential rights are invaded by powers unwarrantably assumed by the Parliament of Great Britain to declare our sentiments in the most public manner, lest silence should be construed as acquiescence, and that we patiently submit to the Burdens which they have thought fit to impose upon us."

"The act of Parliament commonly called the Boston Port Act, as it tends to shut up the Port of Boston and thereby effectually destroy its Trade and deprive the Merchants and Manufacturers of a subsistance which they have hitherto procured by an honest industry, as it takes away the Wharves, Quays and other property of many individuals, by rendering it useless to them, and as the duration of this Act depends upon Circumstances founded merely in opinion, and in their nature indeterminate, and thereby may make the miseries it carries with it even perpetual,"

"That they assert our rights to all the privileges of British subjects particularly that of paying no taxes or duties but with our own consent, and that the Legislature of this province, have the exclusive power of making laws to regulate our internal Polity subject to his Majesty's disallowance."

"That should the British Parliament continue to exercise the power of levying taxes and duties on the Colonies, and making laws to bind them in all cases whatsoever; such laws must be highly unconstitutional, and oppressive to the inhabitants of British America, who have not, and from their local circumstances cannot have a fair and equal representation in the British Parliament, and that these disadvantages must be greatly enhanced by the misrepresentation of designing Men inimical to the Colonies, the influence of whose reports cannot be guarded against, by reason of the distance of America from them or as has been unhapily experienced in the case of the Town of Boston, when the ears of the administration have been shut, against every attempt to vindicate a people, who claimed only the right of being heard in their own defence."

"That therefore until we obtain an explicit declaration and acknowledgment of our rights, we agree to stop all imports, from Great Britain after the first day of January 1775, and that we will not export any of our Commodities to Great Britain after the first day of October 1775."

"That they concur with the Deputies or Delegates from the other Colonies, in such regulation, address or remonstrance, as may be deemed most probable to restore a lasting harmony, and good understanding with Great Britain, a circumstance we most sincerely and ardently desire and that they agree with a majority of them in all necessary measures, for promoting a redress of such grievances as may come under their consideration."

Signed: JOHN HARVEY, Moderator, Richard Cogdell, Wm Thomson, Solomon Perkins, Nathan Joyner, Sam. Jarvis, Sam. Johnston, Thos. Benbury, Thos. Jones, Thos. Oldham, Thos. Hunter, Ferqd Campbell, M. Hunt, Nick Long, Benj. Williams, William Hooper, Wm Cray, Thos. Harvey, Edward Everigin, Edward Salter, Sam. Young, Joseph Spruil, Joseph Hewes, John Geddy, Sam Spencer, Wm Thomas, Roger Ormond, Thos. Respess, Jr, Wm Salter, Walter Gibson, Wm Person, Green Hill, R. Howe, John Campbell, James Coor, Sam. Smith, Willie Jones, Benj. Patten, Allen Jones, Benj. Harvey, J. Whedbee, Joseph Reading, Wm Kennon, David Jenkins, Abner Nash, Francis Clayton, Edward Smythwick, Lemuel Hatch, Thomas Rutherford, R. Caswell, Wm McKinnie, Geo. Miller, Simon Bright, Thos Gray, Thos Hicks, James Kenan, William Dickson, Thos. Person, Rothias Latham, Needham Bryan, John Ashe, Thomas Hart, Andrew Knox, Joseph Jones, John Simpson, Moses Winslow, Robert Alexander, I. Edwards, William Brown, Jeremiah Frasier

Deputies

John Baptista Ashe, New Hanover County John Baptista Ashe.jpg
John Baptista Ashe, New Hanover County
Richard Caswell, Dobbs County Richard Caswell (governor).jpg
Richard Caswell, Dobbs County
Joseph Hewes, Edenton Joseph Hewes.jpg
Joseph Hewes, Edenton
William Hooper, New Hanover County William Hooper.jpg
William Hooper, New Hanover County
Robert Howe, Brunswick County MajGenRobertHoweOval.jpg
Robert Howe, Brunswick County
Samuel Johnston, Chowan County Samuel Johnston Bust.JPG
Samuel Johnston, Chowan County
Allen Jones, Northampton County Allen Jones.jpg
Allen Jones, Northampton County
Willie Jones, Halifax County WillieJonesNC.jpg
Willie Jones, Halifax County
James Kenan, Duplin County James Kenan.jpg
James Kenan, Duplin County
Abner Nash, Newbern AbnerNash.jpg
Abner Nash, Newbern
Benjamin Williams, Johnston County NCG-BenjaminWilliams.jpg
Benjamin Williams, Johnston County

The following is a full list of deputies to the first congress by constituency. Members of provincial congress serving in the Continental Congress are also indicated.

ConstituencyName
Anson County Samuel Spencer
Anson County William Thomas
Beaufort County Roger Ormond
Beaufort County Thomas Respess Jr.
Bertie County John Campbell [8]
Bladen County William Salter
Bladen County Walter Gibson
Brunswick County Robert Howe
Bute County Green Hill [9]
Bute County William Person
Carteret County William Thompson
Carteret County Solomon Shepard
Chatham County not represented
Chowan County Thomas Benbury
Chowan County Thomas Hunter [10]
Chowan County Samuel Johnston [Note 1] [Note 2]
Chowan County Thomas Jones [11]
Chowan County Thomas Oldham
Craven County Richard Cogdell [12]
Craven County James Coor
Craven County Lemuel Hatch
Craven County Joseph Leech [13]
Cumberland County Farquard Campbell [14]
Cumberland County Thomas Rutherford
Currituck County Samuel Jarvis
Currituck County Solomon Perkins
Currituck County Nathan Joyner [Note 3]
Dobbs County Richard Caswell [Note 4] [Note 1]
Dobbs County William McKinnie
Dobbs County George Miller
Dobbs County Simon Bright [15]
Duplin County William Dickson [16]
Duplin County Thomas Gray
Duplin County Thomas Hicks
Duplin County James Kenan
Edgecombe County not represented
Granville County Memucan Hunt
Granville County Thomas Person
Guilford County not represented
Halifax County Willie Jones [Note 1]
Halifax County Nicholas Long
Hertford County not represented
Hyde County Rotheas Latham
Hyde County Samuel Smith
Johnston County Needham Bryan
Johnston County Benjamin Williams
Martin County Edmund Smithwick
Mecklenburg County Benjamin Patten
New Hanover County John Baptista Ashe [Note 2]
New Hanover County William Hooper [Note 4] [Note 1]
Northampton County Allen Jones [Note 1]
Onslow County William Cray
Orange County Thomas Hart
Pasquotank County Joseph Jones
Pasquotank County Edward Everagin
Pasquotank County Joseph Reading
Perquimans County Benjamin Harvey
Perquimans County John Harvey
Perquimans County Thomas Harvey
Perquimans County Andrew Knox [17]
Perquimans County John Whedbee Jr.
Pitt County Edward Salter
Pitt County John Simpson [18]
Rowan County Moses Winslow
Rowan County Samuel Young
Surry County not represented
Tryon County David Jenkins
Tryon County Robert Alexander
Tyrrell County Joseph Spruill
Tyrrell County Jeremiah Frazier
Wake County not represented
Newbern Abner Nash [Note 2]
Newbern Isaac Edwards [19]
Edenton Joseph Hewes [Note 4] [Note 1]
Wilmington Francis Clayton
Bath William Brown [20]
Halifax John Geddy
Hillsborough not represented
Salisbury William Kennon [21]
Brunswick not represented
Campbelton [Note 5] not represented

References

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Representative to the Second Continental Congress
  2. 1 2 3 Representative to the Congress of the Confederation
  3. Nathan Joyner was sometimes recorded as Nathan Poyner
  4. 1 2 3 Representative to the First Continental Congress
  5. Campbelton became part of Fayetteville, North Carolina, in 1783.

Citations

  1. Butler, Lindley (2006). Powell, William Stevens (ed.). Encyclopedia of North Carolina, Provincial Congresses. University of North Carolina Press. pp. 917–918. ISBN   0807830712.
  2. "State Library of North Carolina. Information page for Tryon Palace". Archived from the original on May 3, 2008.
  3. Lewis, J.D. "1st Provincial Congress". Carolina.com. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  4. Connor, Robert Diggs Wimberly, ed. (1913). A Manual of North Carolina Issued by the North Carolina Historical Commission for the Use of Members of the General Assembly Session 1913 . Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  5. Cheney, John L. Jr. (1974). North Carolina Government, 1585–1974.
  6. "First Provincial Congress". ncpedia.org. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  7. North Carolina Provincial Congress. Minutes of the Provincial Congress of North Carolina. Vol. 9. pp. 1041–1049., August 25, 1774 – August 27, 1774
  8. Parramore, Thomas C. Parramore (1979). "John Campbell". NCPEDIA. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  9. Malone, E. T. Jr. (1988). "Green Hill, Jr". NCPEDIA. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  10. Smith, Claiborne T. Jr. (1988). "Thomas Hunter". NCPEDIA. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  11. Powell, William S. (1988). "Thomas Jones". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  12. Watson, Alan D. (1979). "Richard Cogdell". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  13. Carraway, Gertrude S. (1991). "Joseph Leech". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  14. Fields, William C. (1979). "Farquhard Campbell". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  15. Holloman, Charles R. (1979). "Simon Bright, Jr". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  16. Ingram, Charles M. (1986). "William Dickson". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  17. Johnson, Elmer D. (1988). "Andrew Knox" . Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  18. Maupin, Armistead J. (1994). "John Simpson". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  19. Engstrom, Mary Claire (1986). "Isaac Edwards". NCPEDIA. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  20. Lewis, J.D. "William Brown". Carolana.com. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  21. King, Victor C. (1956). Lives and Times of the 27 Signers of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence of May 20, 1775. Charlotte, NC. Retrieved October 31, 2019.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)