Free. Tuesday, May 19, 2pm. “First in Freedom” presentation at Polk County History Museum, Columbus. Robert Williamson of the House of Flags Museum will explore North Carolina’s history, which defined our position as “First in Freedom” while also demonstrating our State Motto, “Esse quam Videri” (To be, rather than to seem). North Carolina’s “First in Freedom” – An American Legacy Fifty years after being proclaimed a Royal Colony by the King of England, North Carolina pushed back against the British Parliament. Well before the onset of the Revolutionary War tensions with the British Crown and Parliament boiled over. The Battle of Lexington and Concord in April 1775 set the stage for full-blown colonial rebellion. Not long after the British troops’ actions in Massachusetts, over 800 miles to the north, the leaders of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina took action that others seemed to be avoiding. While other colonies and North Carolina counties decried British rule, they remained loyal to King George III. Mecklenburg County declared their independence in writing, dissolving their bonds with the British Parliament in May 1775. North Carolina colonial legislators took another bold step in April 1776 with the Halifax Resolves that started the ball rolling for the 13 British American Colonies’ Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776. The state flag of North Carolina memorializes these two pivotal dates in our nation’s history. This program, presented by Robert Williamson of the House of Flags Museum, will explore North Carolina’s history which defined our position as “First on Freedom” while also demonstrating our State Motto “Esse quam videri” (To be, rather than to seem)....