North Carolina was the first colony to authorize its Continental Congress delegates to vote for independence in 1776.
The authorization came through the Halifax Resolves, adopted by North Carolina’s Fourth Provincial Congress on April 12, 1776. The resolves instructed the colony’s delegates to concur with other colonies in declaring independence if Congress considered such a measure.
This action preceded the Lee Resolution of July 2 and the Declaration of Independence of July 4. It did not itself declare national independence; instead, it gave North Carolina’s representatives permission to support that step in the Continental Congress.
The Halifax Resolves were named for Halifax, North Carolina, where the provincial congress met. They are an important example of how colonial legislatures and conventions directed their congressional delegations during the final months before independence.