North Carolina Battle Flag – Cotton 3 x 5 ft.

The left part of this flag represents certain historic events in North Carolina. On May 20, 1861, North Carolina seceded, and a committee was formed to create a new state flag. This committee consulted an artist from Raleigh, William Jarl Browne, who prepared a model for a state flag. This was approved by the North Carolina Convention on June 22, 1861.

The design was described as having on the left side, in semi-circular form, the date May 20, 1775 representing the “Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence,” claimed by some to be the first declaration of independence made in the Thirteen Colonies during the American Revolution. Below this date was May 20, 1861 representing the date of North Carolina’s secession from the union.

After the Boston Tea Party, Britain closed the Port of Boston. On May 19th, 1775, the elected representatives of Mecklenburg County met at the courthouse in Charlotte and began discussing what to do regarding what had happened. On the same day an express rider arrived with news of the battles of Lexington and Concord. After hearing that British soldiers had killed and wounded fellow British citizens, the discussions swiftly became more intense, resulting in five resolutions that make up the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. It was not called a declaration at the time, but was a resolution of the citizens of Mecklenburg County. It was to be sent to the North Carolina representatives at the Continental Congress, declaring the fact that they had separated themselves from Britain.

The citizens of Mecklenburg stated that Great Britain had “wantonly trampled on our rights and liberties and inhumanly shed the innocent blood of American patriots at Lexington” and that we “dissolve the political bands which have connected us to the Mother country” and declare ourselves “a free and independent people.”