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A centuries-old secret document might unravel the origin story of America and reveal the intellectual crime of the millennia in this epic dive into our country’s history to discover the first, true Declaration of Independence.

In 1819 John Adams came across a stunning story in his hometown Essex Register that he breathlessly described to his political frenemy Thomas Jefferson as “one of the greatest curiosities and one of the deepest mysteries that ever occurred to me…entitled the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. The genuine sense of America at that moment was never so well expressed before, nor since.” The story claimed that a full 14 months before Jefferson crafted his own Declaration of Independence, a misfit band of zealous Scots-Irish patriots, whiskey-loving Princeton scholars and a fanatical frontier preacher in a remote corner of North Carolina had become the first Americans to formally declare themselves “free and independent” from England.

Composed during a clandestine all-night session inside the Charlotte courthouse, the Mecklenburg Declaration was signed on May 20, 1775—a date that’s still featured on the state flag of North Carolina. A year later, in 1776, Jefferson is believed to have plagiarized the MecDec while composing his own, slightly more famous Declaration and then, as he was wont to do, covered the whole thing up. Which is exactly why Adams always insisted the MecDec needed to be “thoroughly investigated” and “more universally made known to the present and future generation.” Eleven U.S. Presidents and many of today’s most respected historical scholars agree.

Now, with Who’s Your Founding Father?, David Fleming picks up where Adams left off, leaving no archive, no cemetery, no bizarre clue or wild character (and definitely no Dunkin’ Donuts) unexplored while traveling the globe to bring to life one of the most fantastic, important—and controversial—stories in American history.In 1819 John Adams came across a stunning story in his hometown Essex Register. He breathlessly described it to his political frenemy Thomas Jefferson as “one of the greatest curiosities and one of the deepest mysteries that ever occurred to me…entitled the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. The genuine sense of America at that moment was never so well expressed before, nor since.” The story claimed that a full 14 months before Jefferson crafted his own Declaration of Independence, a misfit band of zealous Scots-Irish patriots, whiskey-loving Princeton scholars, and a fanatical frontier preacher had joined forces in a remote corner of North Carolina to become the first Americans to formally declare themselves “free and independent” from England.

Composed during a clandestine all-night session inside the Charlotte courthouse, the Mecklenburg Declaration, aka the MecDec, was signed on May 20, 1775—a date that’s still featured on the state flag of North Carolina. About a year later, in 1776, Jefferson is believed to have plagiarized the MecDec while composing his own, slightly more famous Declaration, and then, as he was wont to do, covered the whole thing up. Which is why Adams always insisted the MecDec needed to be “thoroughly investigated” and “more universally made known to the present and future generation.” Eleven U.S. Presidents and many of today’s most respected historical scholars agree. Now, with Who’s Your Founding Father?, David Fleming picks up where Adams’ investigation left off. Fleming leaves no archive, cemetery, bizarre clue, conspiracy theory, or wild character unexplored as he travels the globe and shines new light on one of the most fantastic, important—and controversial—stories in American history.

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“David Fleming can write about anything, literally anything, and it will be wonderful. But give him an enduring 250-year-old mystery about the founding of America, a spectacular cast of characters and a lot of caffeine (and donuts), and you get something hilarious, thought-provoking, and utterly unforgettable.”
Joe Posnanski, #1 New York Times bestselling author of six books, including The Baseball 100, Paterno, and The Secret of Golf
"In this hugely entertaining page-turner of a book, David Fleming proves beyond reasonable doubt that Thomas Jefferson plagiarized the Declaration of Independence, and then sought to cover it up. This is historical detective work at its best."
Andrew Roberts, author of Napoleon, Churchill, and The Last King of America
“David Fleming is a modern master of the gonzo dive into a rabbit hole and he has done that bit of magic once again. You don't really know any of the things you know about the Declaration of Independence, which means you don't really know all the things you know about America. Dave’s book will fix that.”
Wright Thompson, ESPN senior writer and New York Times bestselling author of Pappyland
“If David Fleming was our professor, we'd all have been history majors. In the first few pages on our way to John Adams' birthplace and back into deep colonial history, we stop at the original Dunkin' Donuts in Quincy, MA, then go from there. As we look for a Declaration of Independence that predates the Declaration of Independence, we learn why the Charlotte Hornets are the Charlotte Hornets, spend a nice weekend in England, and develop a strong dislike for Mr. Thomas Jefferson. A grand trip, it is. A whole lot of fun. Five out of five stars.”
Leigh Montville, New York Times bestselling author of Ted Williams and The Big Bam
"This is Columbo meets National Treasure meets gonzo journalism. Who's Your Founding Father? is the title. But the questions it poses most urgently are 1) Can we handle the truth? And 2) Do we need David Fleming on that wall? I say yes and oh, yes. If extreme obsessiveness in the pursuit of the actual facts surrounding the birth of the republic is a virtue, what Fleming gives us is a story unsurpassed in its virtuousness. I loved it.”
Jeremy Schaap, Emmy and Edward R. Murrow Award-winning ESPN anchor and New York Times bestselling author of Cinderella Man

On Sale: May 16, 2023
Publisher: Hachette Audio
ISBN-13: 9781668626825

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David Fleming

About the Author

David Fleming is a senior writer at ESPN. During the last three decades at Sports Illustrated, ESPN The Magazine and ESPN he has been one of the industry’s most prolific, versatile, and imaginative longform writers, traveling the globe while penning more than 35 cover stories and numerous groundbreaking pieces on everything from the Super Bowl and Steph Curry to the Musical Chairs World Championship and the NFL’s obsession with glutes. Fleming’s unique work has earned numerous national awards as well as a handwritten note from the White House. He is also the author of two books, Breaker Boys: The NFL’s Greatest Team and the Stolen 1925 Championship and Noah’s Rainbow: A Father’s Emotional Journey from the Death of his Son to the Birth of his Daughter. A native of Detroit, Fleming and his wife, Kim, live in North Carolina with their daughters.

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David Fleming

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