The Mecklenburg Resolves were a radical set of resolutions which denied the authority of British Parliament over the colonies and invested that power in the Provincial Congress. Thomas Polk let the committee that adopted these resolutions on May 21, 1775. The resolves were published in the North Carolina Gazette on June 16, 1775, and received wide circulation which led to the creation of the Halifax Resolves making North Carolina the first colony to call for total independence.