Who Was the Author of the Declaration of Independence?

The article discusses a "Declaration of Independence" dated more than a year before July 4, 1776. The author explains that this document is known as the "Mecklenburg Resolution" signed on May 31, 1775 in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. The authenticity of the document is also discussed. The article cites American politicians John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and scholar William Bentley. Another Declaration of Independence from 1773, signed in Massachusetts, is mentioned. Subjects of the article also include a letter from the Committee of Correspondence in Boston, Massachusetts, the similarities of the 1773 and 1776 declaration, and the importance of statesman Samuel Adams in creating them both.