Well, from rebuilding lives to revisiting our roots as America approaches, its 250th anniversary, we're looking back at how our region helped shape the revolution that started it all.

While just about everyone knows the date, July 4th, 1776, there's a good chance you're not aware of a date just 14 months prior, May 20th, 1775.

Carolina Impact's Jason Terzis tells us why that date, at least in North Carolina is just as important.

- Well, it's one of these classic, how did I not know this type of stories?

Personally, I've been living in the Carolinas for 13 years and until earlier this year had never heard about something called the Meck Dec.

What is it and why is it so important to our Carolina roots?

If you don't know, you're about to find out.

(bomb exploding) (pleasant music) (canon fires) 250 years ago, from 1775 to 1783, the Revolutionary War was the catalyst for American independence.

Reminders of this monumental event can be seen all over in places like Charleston's Historic District, Boston's Freedom Trail, and Philadelphia's Independence Hall.

Cities where history is everywhere.

But in Charlotte, a gleaning light of the new South with its banking industry and glass and steel skyscrapers, history is not quite as visible.

- In the name of progress, we've forgotten the very sort of origin story that makes us unique and special and probably the envy of every town in America.

- Charlotte, all its historic for the most part, monuments and homes and so forth are gone.

So you have to sort of imagine what it looked like in 1775 or 1780 when the British marched through town.

- [Jason] Charlotte's ties to the revolution run deeper than most people may be aware.

Here, you just have to look around a little bit to find it.

- And it's hiding in plain sight if you live in Charlotte, in Mecklenburg.

But so few people have heard of it.

- This is the cradle of American independence whether people wanna acknowledge that or not.

- [Jason] There's Independent Square where Trade meets Tryon in the heart of uptown, various plaques, signs, and historical markers around uptown, the spirit of Mecklenburg statue on the outskirts of uptown, Independence Expressway, Freedom Park, and the State's First in Freedom license plate.

- So When you tell people or you learn about all of these connotations in Charlotte history, Freedom Park, Independence Square, the date on the state flag, and you think, how come no one's told me this?

- It's so important for all of us as North Carolinians to know a little bit about our history.

The top yellow ribbon on the state flag May 20th, 1775.

What is that?

What does it stand for?

(uplifting music) - [Jason] The Carolina Piedmont region was first developed by a migration wave of Scott's Irish Presbyterians.

They named it Charlottetown in honor of the wife of Great Britain's King George, Queen Charlotte from the Mecklenburg region of Germany.

- Our city's story began in 1755.

- We were established at the crossroads of two first people's trading pets.

- They built a town and named it for a queen hoping to maintain peace with the king.

- We were taxed without representation, British soldiers were killing our fellow colonists without cause.

- Imagine Charlottetown as it was then a frontier village restless with tension and uncertainty, ordinary people going about their daily lives in the town square, unaware that word of bloodshed between British soldiers and colonial farmers in Massachusetts is about to arrive.

And with it everything changes.

(upbeat music) - [Jason] On the evening of May 19th, 1775, town leaders gathered at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse at the corner of Trade and Tryon.

- 26 militia leaders, Scots-Irish Presbyterians are meeting in the log courthouse in uptown Charlotte.

When those men on the 19th heard from the rider from the north that King George had done the unthinkable, sent his soldiers to kill his citizens, how would they react?

- And they go ballistic and they get very agitated.

And over a series of 24 hours, they debate a series of resolutions, which we now call the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, in which they say that the county of Mecklenburg is "Free and independent" of Great Britain.

- It was this unique, perfect storm of people, religion, context, what was going on with the king.

- [Jason] On May 20th, 1775, the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence was read aloud by Thomas Polk from the top of the courthouse steps.

- Our intent to declare our freedom.

- Because they were feisty Scots-Irish Presbyterians, They were like, "Let's just put it in writing and get to fighting."

- And here by absolve ourselves from all allegiance to the British rule.

(crowd shouting) - It is the first formal declaration of independence in America.

- [Group] Hurray!

- Hip, hip.

- [Group] Hurray!

- Hip, hip.

- [Group] Hurray!

(uplifting music) - [Jason] That day, May 20th, 1775 is now emblazoned in a yellow ribbon across the top part of the North Carolina state flag.

And it came more than a full year before the National Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776.

- How have I not heard of the story?

This incredible wrinkle of American history.

It's just insane.

- We are free.

- To North Carolina and freedom.

- [Group] Hurray!

- [Jason] After the Meck Dec was signed, local tavern owner, Captain James Jack rode by horseback some 500 miles delivering it to the second continental Congress in Philadelphia.

- What brought me to Charlotte was my great-great-great-great grandfather, Captain James Jack.

His tavern was one block down the Trade Street.

He had been born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, so he knew the way back to Pennsylvania.

- And he does this, he delivers this Meck Dec and they say, "This is premature.

We're debating something called the Olive Branch Petition to avoid a civil war with Great Britain."

And they sent him home.

And at that point, the story more or less would've been done, but for the original papers are lost later in a fire in 1800.

And you get in a whole debate between Jefferson and Adams in the 19th centuries about whether the story's true or not, but because the original papers are gone and will never be found, the entire story relies on eyewitness testimony and other collateral, circumstantial evidence that it happened.

- [Jason] Fact or fiction, whether the Meck Dec actually happened or not has been debated for decades.

But what is undeniable is that within a few short years, the American colonies were at war with the mother country paving the way for American independence and the birth of a new nation.