Maxville Williams

First for Freedom Maxville Williams

FIRST FOR FREEDOM is an historical account of the people and events surrounding the Halifax Resolves. The first official act of independence by any colony is recognized as one of the most important documents of the American Revolutionary period. The date is considered by many to be the most important date in the history of North Carolina. It is one of the two dates that appears on the North Carolina state flag. It is also the date found on our state seal. Nestled in the flat land of Eastern North Carolina along the Roanoke River, the colonial town of Halifax was one of many in which the ferment of revolution for freedom was taking place. Men and women of like and unlike minds knew the shadow of war with the mother country was lengthening. They knew the likely repercussions if they asserted their independence. FIRST FOR FREEDOM vividly recounts the exciting events leading up to the adoption of the Halifax Resolves at the meeting of the Fourth Provincial Congress in April of 1776. The novel parallels the hardships and triumphs of a developing nation with the maturing of a fictional character, young Sam Pickett, who loves and eventually wins Josie Hamilton, daughter of an aristocratic Tory in Halifax. The novel deals with the importance of North Carolina's role in the American Revolution. The novel ends with news of Cornwallis' surrender at Yorktown. It is a moving love story rich in the history of the Revolutionary Period.