History To-Go: Historical Documents

In 1663, King Charles II of England wrote a document called the Carolina Charter that allowed eight of his friends, called the Lords Proprietors, to settle the land that now stretches from North Carolina down to Florida. The Lords Proprietors established and helped the King govern colonies as more people from Europe came to settle, but the settlers soon grew tired of the King governing them from across the ocean without allowing them choices in matters like taxes and the creation of laws. In May 1775, a group of men in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina created a document called The Mecklenburg Resolves. These resolves said that the people in Mecklenburg County should be able to govern themselves, so they were no longer going to follow the British laws. After the publication of the Mecklenburg Resolves, a group in Cumberland County called published the Liberty Point Resolves in June of 1775. The Liberty Point Resolves said that the signers would do what was necessary to secure their freedom if Britain and the colonies could not come to an agreement about how to handle the laws being created. In April of 1776, a group of men in Halifax County created the Halifax Resolves, which stated that North Carolina would be working with other colonies to gain independence from Britain and the King and form their own laws. Today, historical documents like these are important because they help us study events from our past. Many historical documents are stored in the National Archives building that is run by the United States Government in Washington, DC. Conservators work to preserve these documents (keep them in good condition as they age).

July's "History To-Go" box features Historical Documents! You can come by the museum starting Wednesday, July 5, 2023 to pick up a box (limit 2 per family). Limited supplies, so come early!  You can select the links below to access the box contents if you cannot get to the museum to pick yours up!

Thanks to funding from the Museum of the Cape Fear Historical Complex Foundation Inc, and the Arts Council of Fayetteville we are offering FREE "History To-Go", take home craft kits. 

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