The Declaration of Independence, 1776 By issuing the Declaration of Independence, adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, the 13 American colonies severed their political connections to Great Britain. The Declaration summarized the colonists’ motivations for seeking independence. By declaring themselves an independent nation, the American colonists were able to confirm an North Carolina once again held fast to its principles and asserted it was the rightful owner and would not pay for stolen property. It later came to light that the unnamed person was Connecticut antiques dealer Wayne Pratt, who had appeared on the popular PBS television series Antiques Roadshow. One central figure is Wayne Pratt, a theatrical antiques dealer who regularly appraised treasures on Antiques Roadshow. Following years of negotiations that sometimes winked at legality, Pratt finally bought the Bill of Rights after driving down the asking price. He hoped to sell it for $5 million. Even as the State of North Carolina demanded the return of the Bill of Rights, the document remained, unbeknownst to nearly everybody, in the Shotwell family until 2000, when a regular on the PBS series Antiques Roadshow, Wayne Pratt, bought it from a Shotwell heir. Wayne Pratt, an antique collector and salty New Englander with a thick Boston accent was the next to acquire the North Carolina Bill of Rights. Pratt has already sued, claiming there's no conclusive evidence that it belongs to North Carolina. "I would not think this would be a slam-dunk case for North Carolina," says New York See also: Pre-revolutionary Resolves; Mecklenburg Resolves Souvenir depiction of the legendary Mecklenburg Declaration. Image from The Mecklenburg declaration of independence : a study of evidence showing that the alleged early declaration of independence by Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, on May 20th, 1775, is spurious. The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence is the name given to a – Wayne Pratt, one of the nation’s leading antiques dealers, who was caught up in the events surrounding ownership of an original copy of the Bill of Rights, has been cleared of any charges of wrong-doing by the US Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina. The Declaration of Independence, passed on July 4, 1776, reflected widespread dissatisfaction in the 13 North American colonies with increased British control. Colonists especially opposed a series of unpopular laws and taxes enacted by Britain beginning in 1764, including the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act, and the so-called Intolerable Acts. View Wayne Pratt results in North Carolina (NC) including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. Once again North Carolina held to principal and refused to buy what was rightfully the property of the state. It was later discovered that Richardson’s unnamed client was antiques dealer Wayne Pratt, a frequent guest on the PBS television series, “Antiques Roadshow.” OSHKOSH (WLUK) – DNA testing has solved the 1963 murder of Wayne Pratt, but full details aren’t being released yet. At a meeting last week of the Judiciary & Public Safety Committee, Winnebago Text of the Declaration of Independence Note: The source for this transcription is the first printing of the Declaration of Independence, the broadside produced by John Dunlap on the night of July 4, 1776. SUMMARY On July 4, 1776, the United States officially declared its independence from the British Empire when the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration was authored by a “Committee of Five”—John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman—with Jefferson as the main drafter. But Jefferson himself later Supposedly signed on May 20, 1775, in Charlotte, North Carolina, by a committee of Mecklenburg County citizens, the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence is reputed by some to be the first declaration of independence made in the Thirteen Colonies during the American Revolution. Shotwell’s granddaughters ultimately sold the Bill of Rights copy in 2000 for $200,000 to an antiques dealer named Wayne Pratt — who frequently appeared on the PBS series “Antiques Roadshow,” the WOODBURY, CONN. — Wayne Pratt, well-known antiques dealer with shops on both Main Street in Woodbury and Nantucket, says that he is “prepared to participate in an open, public civil proceeding to determine the provenance and ownership of a long-lost copy of the Bill of Rights that North Carolina claims belongs to it.” The flag of North Carolina has two dates on it. One date, April 12, 1776, is the date of the Halifax Resolves, a meeting where North Carolina colonists discussed their discontent with royal policies and hinted at independence. The other date, May 20, 1775, is more controversial. For over a century, many North Carolinians believed that May 20, 1775 marked the date of the Mecklenburg Declaration With no opposing votes, the Declaration of Independence was drafted and ready for all delegates to sign on the Fourth of July 1776. While many think the Declaration was to tell the King that they were becoming independent, its true purpose was to be a formal explanation of why the Congress voted together to declare their independence from Britain. The Declaration of Independence The Want, Will, and Hopes of the People Declaration text | Rough Draft | Congress's Draft | Compare | Dunlap Broadside | Image | Scan
Articles and news, personal stories, interviews with experts.
Photos from events, contest for the best costume, videos from master classes.
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | ![]() |
![]() | |
![]() | ![]() |