Second North Carolina Provincial Congress


The Second North Carolina Provincial Congress was a meeting of the provincial congress of the de facto provincial government of North Carolina, composed of 107 delegates from 33 counties and nine towns. The congress convened in Newbern, on April 3, 1775, and ended on April 7, 1775, during the final two years of Josiah Martin's gubernatorial administration. Colonel John Harvey was unanimously chosen as moderator.

History

The Second Provincial Congress met at Newbern, from April 3 to 7, 1775. John Harvey served as moderator. The congress met at the same place and almost the same time as the North Carolina provincial assembly and had almost exactly the same membership. This infuriated Governor Josiah Martin, who prorogued the House of Burgesses on April 8, 1775, and never called another.

Resolutions

The Second Provincial Congress approved the Continental Association, an economic boycott of Great Britain authorized by the First Continental Congress. Just after the congress met, news reached North Carolina about the Battle of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. On May 24, 1775, British governor Josiah Martin fled the Governor's Palace at Newbern, ending sixty-three continuous years of colonial rule. The first military action of the American Revolutionary War within North Carolina took place on July 18, 1775, when the provincial militia burned Fort Johnston, North Carolina, where Governor Martin had previously transferred his headquarters.

Delegates

The following is a full list of delegates to the second congress by constituency.
ConstituencyNameMember of General Assembly
Anson CountySamuel Spencer
Anson CountyWilliam Thomas
Beaufort CountyRoger OrmondYes
Beaufort CountyThomas Respess Jr.Yes
Beaufort CountyWilliam Salter
Bertie CountyJohn CampbellYes
Bertie CountyJohn JohnstonYes
Bertie CountyDavid StanleyYes
Bladen CountyWilliam SaltarYes
Bladen CountyJames WhiteYes
Brunswick CountyRobert HoweYes
Brunswick CountyJohn RowanYes
Bute CountyThomas Eaton
Bute CountyGreen HillYes
Bute CountyWilliam PersonYes
Bute CountyJames Ransom
Carteret CountySolomon ShepardYes
Carteret CountyWilliam ThompsonYes
Chatham CountyNot represented
Chowan CountyThomas BenburyYes
Chowan CountyThomas HunterYes
Chowan CountySamuel JohnstonYes
Chowan CountyThomas JonesYes
Chowan CountyThomas OldhamYes
CravenWilliam Bryan
Craven CountyRichard Cogdell
Craven CountyJacob Blount
Craven CountyJames CoorYes
Craven CountyJoseph Leech
Craven CountyLemuel HatchYes
Cumberland CountyFarquard CampbellYes
Cumberland CountyThomas RutherfordYes
Currituck CountySamuel JarvisYes
Currituck CountyNathan JoynerYes
Currituck CountyThomas McKnightYes
Currituck CountySolomon PerkinsYes
Currituck CountyFrancis WilliamsonYes
Dobbs CountyRichard CaswellYes
Dobbs CountyWilliam McKinnieYes
Dobbs CountyGeorge Miller
Dobbs CountySimon Bright
Duplin CountyWilliam Dickson
Duplin CountyThomas Gray
Duplin CountyThomas Hicks
Duplin CountyJames Kenan
Edgecombe CountyNot represented
Granville CountyMemucan Hunt
Granville CountyRobert Montfort
Granville CountyRobert Williams
Granville CountyJohn Paine
Granville CountyThomas PersonYes
Guilford CountyAlexander Martin
Halifax CountyWillie Jones
Halifax CountyNicholas LongYes
Halifax CountyBenjamin McCullochYes
Hertford CountyJoseph Worth
Hertford CountyGeorge WynnsYes
Hyde CountyRotheas Latham
Hyde CountySamuel Smith
Johnston CountyNeedham BryanYes
Johnston CountyBenjamin WilliamsYes
Martin CountyEdmund Smithwick
Mecklenburg CountyBenjamin Patten
New Hanover CountyJohn Baptista AsheYes
New Hanover CountyWilliam HooperYes
Northampton CountyJeptha AthertonYes
Northampton CountyAllen JonesYes
Onslow CountyWilliam CrayYes
Onslow CountyHenry RhodesYes
Onslow CountyEdward Starkey
Orange CountyThomas Burke
Orange CountyThomas HartYes
Orange CountyJohn Kinchen
Pasquotank CountyEdward EveraginYes
Pasquotank CountyJonathan HerringYes
Pasquotank CountyJoseph JonesYes
Pasquotank CountyIsaac GregoryYes
Pasquotank CountyJoseph ReadingYes
Perquimans CountyJohn HarveyYes
Perquimans CountyThomas HarveyYes
Perquimans CountyAndrew KnoxYes
Perquimans CountyJohn WhedbeeYes
Perquimans CountyBenjamin Harvey
Pitt CountyJames Gorham
Pitt CountyJames Lanier
Pitt CountyWilliam Robeson
Pitt CountyEdward SalterYes
Pitt CountyJohn SimpsonYes
Rowan CountyGriffith Rutherford
Rowan CountyWilliam Sharpe
Surry CountyNot represented
Tryon CountyDavid Jenkins
Tryon CountyRobert Alexander
Tyrrell CountyJeremiah FrazierYes
Tyrrell CountyBenjamin SpruillYes
Tyrrell CountyJoseph SpruillYes
Wake CountyJohn Hinton
Wake CountyTignal Jones
Wake CountyMichael Rogers
Newbern TownAbner Nash
Newbern TownJames Davis
EdentonJoseph HewesYes
WilmingtonCornelius HarnettYes
BathWilliam BrownYes
Halifax TownJohn Webb
Halifax TownJoseph Montfort
HillsboroughFrancis NashYes
SalisburyWilliam Kennon
Brunswick TownParker QuinceYes
CampbeltonRobert RowanYes