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Timeline: 1776-1835
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"Is Anything Free?: Debates Regarding Internal Improvements in Antebellum North Carolina" Commentary
Some things never change. The particulars may do so, yet the essence remains. Modern-day political ideas in North Carolina, for example, are rooted in the state’s past. One example is public-funded roads.
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A Duel to End All Duels: Richard Dobbs Spaight Vs. John Stanly Commentary
Political debate often brings out the worst in people. Thankfully dueling is now outlawed, but the personal pettiness that saturates the political process makes me long for the spirit of the good ol’ days to be placed in a modern-day boxing ring, where the disgruntled can find satisfaction and then get on with the business of genuine debate
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An Address to the Freemen of North Carolina (Publicola) Encyclopedia
During the ratification debates, many Federalists and Antifederalists assumed pseudonyms when writing essays supporting or opposing the U.S. Constitution’s adoption. Under the penname
Publicola (meaning friend of the people), Archibald Maclaine of Wilmington, a Federalist, printed a reply to George Mason’s objections to the Constitution. It appeared in installments in the
New Bern State Gazette on March 20 and March 27, 1789.
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Affirmations Encyclopedia
Affirmations are statements made in lieu of oaths by people who have conscientious scruples against taking oaths. Under modern North Carolina law, this means saying “solemnly affirm” instead of “solemnly swear,” and avoiding any invocation of God in support of one’s statement (North Carolina General Statues 11-1 and 11-4). Starting its colonial history with a
de facto freedom to affirm instead of swear, North Carolina returned to a more restrictive position based on English law, then extended affirmation privileges to certain Protestant groups, and ultimately made affirmations available to anyone with objections to oaths.
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Nathaniel Alexander (1756-1808) Encyclopedia
A surgeon and Revolutionary War Patriot, Alexander was a Jeffersonian who incorporated Federalist policy into his politics. He championed internal improvements and played an instrumental role in the repeal of the Court Act of 1806, thereby allowing each county to have a court. Charlotte Motor Speedway sits on what was his homestead.
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Philip Alston Encyclopedia
Philip Alston, the original owner of the
House in the Horseshoe, led a life surrounded by controversy and later mystery. Alston’s attempts at political advancement plunged him into a bitter rivalry that marred his reputation.
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Willis Alston (1769-1837) Encyclopedia
Born in an area that many of North Carolina’s early republic and antebellum statesmen called home—
Warren,
Halifax, and
Edgecombe counties—Willis Alston entered into the political arena with established familial and political connections. He served as a state legislator and senator, and as a U.S. Congressman for 21 years. Although he was
Nathaniel Macon’s nephew, Willis Alston disagreed with his influential uncle on various political issues during Thomas Jefferson’s administration (1801-1809)
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An Overlooked Jeffersonian Argument: Thomas H. Hall and Internal Improvement Legislation Commentary
“My present purpose . . . is to present a figure seldom heard of nowadays but one deserving a lasting place in the history of North Carolina.” In 1911, journalist Louis D. Wilson so described
Thomas H. Hall, a Congressman from Edgecombe County, North Carolina. Almost 100 years later, Wilson’s statement still rings loudly.
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Anti-Federalism Encyclopedia
Anti-Federal was the name given to the men and the movement opposing the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Ironically, Anti-Federals wanted a more federal government than the Federals; the term resulted from a Federal political strategy to present Anti-Federals as opponents of limited government. Before they ratified (approved) the Constitution, Anti-Federals wanted a Bill of Rights to be included.
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The Antifederalists: North Carolina's Other Founders Commentary
It is tempting to dismiss the Anti-Federalists, for the U.S. Constitution that they opposed is practically a sacred document to most modern Americans. Under that Constitution, the United States increased in population, wealth, and territory to become, by the late twentieth century, the world’s only superpower. The Anti-Federalists contributed to what now seems to be a preordained drama. Their story, however, suggests that history might have taken another, and not unthinkable, path.
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Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World Encyclopedia
Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World was “the most powerful piece of [anti-slavery] propaganda written by a black.” It was published in three installments in 1829. In it, Wilmington native David Walker encouraged slaves to revolt against their masters. In 1830, North Carolina’s legislature banned the pamphlet from being distributed within the state.
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Ashe County (1799) Encyclopedia
A northwestern corner county in the mountains of North Carolina, Ashe was formed from sections of Wilkes County in 1799, and its seat of government is Jefferson. From 1784 to 1788 Ashe and several other counties formed an independent state known as Franklin. However, the state lasted only a short time due to continual attacks by surrounding Native Americans and the indifference of the national government.
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Samuel Ashe (1725-1813) Encyclopedia
The Judge presiding over the landmark case Bayard v. Singleton (1785), Ashe served three one-year terms as Governor and was an ardent Federalist at the beginning of his term. He soon supported state’s rights and Jeffersonian ideals.
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Asheborough Female Academy Encyclopedia
Much scholarly attention has been given to Alexander Murphy’s visions for public education in antebellum North Carolina and to the common school system in mid-nineteenth-century North Carolina; however, private schools existed in the period, too. One such school was the Asheborough Female Academy.
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Averasboro (Town of) Encyclopedia
On the Cape Fear River during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, only
Fayetteville's and Wilmington’s populations outnumbered Averasboro’s. Yet population and commercial growth were not inevitable. Only a cemetery surrounded by a grove and a
Civil War museum remind anyone that the port town once existed.
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