Declaration of resistance to British colonial policies
What is known today as the Tryon Resolves (entitled at the time the Tryon Declaration of Rights and Independence from British Tyranny)[1] was a brief declaration adopted and signed by "subscribers" to the Tryon County Association that was formed in
Tryon County,
North Carolina in the early days of the
American Revolution. In the Resolves—a modern name for the Association's charter document—the county representatives vowed resistance to the increasingly coercive actions being enacted by the government of
Great Britain against its
North American colonies. The document was signed on August 14, 1775, but—like other similar declarations of the time—stopped short of calling for total independence from Britain.
Background
The "
Tryon Association" was formed with the signing of the Tryon Declaration of Rights and Independence from British Tyranny. (This document only became known as "The Tryon Resolves" in the 20th-century.)[1] The Association was formed in response to the April 19, 1775,
Battle of Lexington. The Resolves was among the earliest of many local colonial declarations against the
coercive policies that the British government had instituted in the colonies that were considered oppressive by the colonists. Other similar associations with signed "declarations" from the same period included the
Mecklenburg Resolves (adopted in nearby
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina) and the
Suffolk Resolves (adopted in
Suffolk County, Massachusetts). The Tryon Resolves predated the
United States Declaration of Independence by almost 11 months, but stopped short of proscribing independence from Britain, instead supporting armed resistance until a resolution with England could be made.[1]
As tensions between the North American colonies and the British government continued to increase, county residents began forming
Committees of Safety to prepare militia companies for a potential war. On September 14, 1775, many of the signers of the Tryon Resolves formed the
Tryon County Militia in preparation for British retaliation against American revolutionaries.[2]
Text summary and effect
Wikisource has original text related to this article:
The county residents refer to "the painful necessity of having recourse to arms in defense of our National freedom and constitutional rights, against all invasions;
Vow to take up arms and risk our lives and our fortunes in maintaining the freedom of our country..."
The colonists declare they will continue to follow the Continental Congress or Provincial Conventions in defiance of British declarations that these were illegal;
The signers warn that force will be met with force until such a time as a "reconciliation" can be made between the colonies and Britain.
Signers
The "subscribers" (signatories) to the Tryon Association were:[1]
^The original document suffers from several transcription errors. Most notably affected is the signature of "Robert Hazelip," (aged 16 at the time), transcribed as "Hulclip." A transcription error due to an ink stain early-on has caused this name to be mis-read through history. The misprint was carried over to the original
D.A.R. plaque and has been repeatedly copied since.)[1]
^Sullivan, Kathy Gunter; "Tryon County Documents, 1769-1779"; Genealogical Society of Old Tyron County, NC; (2000); via "Proceedings of the Committee of Safety, 1775-1776;" Secretary of State Papers; S.S. 305; pp. 184–186
External links
Journeys Through Time: Nixon's History of Lincoln County: The Revolutionary War Period.
[1]