With characteristic zeal, George Will opened his Fourth of July column with a stirring account of America's first declaration of independence -- the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence is a proud reminder that the people of Charlotte were ready to sever ties with the British crown more than a year before the July 1776 convention in Philadelphia.

Unfortunately, the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, the document from which Will claims to be quoting, does not exist. What does exist, what Will is quoting from, is a facsimile written years later from memory after the original was lost in a fire. The "lives, fortunes, and our most sacred honor" passage is therefore an echo of the 1776 declaration, not, as Will seems to believe, the other way around. In fact, the similarity of wording here has long been a chief weapon for those who would cast doubt on our "MeckDec."

Happy to say, none of this cast doubt on our Fourth of July celebration here in Chatham County; indeed a minor literary blunder on the part of George Will only added to the fun.

Doug Berg

Pittsboro

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