North Carolina History Project : All Entries

"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.

"Normal" People Made History Commentary

Why would I want to study peasants, when I can study kings?”, asked a fellow historian. “Kings,” he continued, “made history.” He was reacting to my comment that it’s important to study “normal” people. My friend thought I trumpeted the usual, social history mantra. But I meant something different.

A Campus Transformed: UNC During the Second World War Commentary

In 1940, Americans still hoped that the United States might remain neutral in the ongoing struggle being fought in Europe and Asia. In the event that the United States did enter the conflict, however, University of North Carolina President Frank Porter Graham had determined that the institution should support the war effort. A former officer in the Marine Corps during World War I, Graham announced even before the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 that the University would offer “all its resources to the nation for the defense of the freedom and democracy it was founded to serve.” Following Pearl Harbor, students and faculty emulated Graham’s patriotism, and the Chapel Hill campus was transformed into a military resource furthering the war effort.

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

A New Light "Infestation": Charles Woodmason on Colonial Piedmont Religion Commentary

North Carolinians do not think of the present-day and economically thriving Piedmont as an ignorant backcountry that undermines social order. But in the eastern part of the Province of North Carolina during the Pre-Revolutionary Period (1750-1775) many believed it was exactly that.

Act Concerning Marriages (1669) Encyclopedia

Settlers wishing to marry soon experienced a problem: only ministers of the Church of England were entitled to perform the rite of marriage and few visited or settled in Carolina. As a result, the Assembly of Albemarle in 1669 discussed the need to authorize civil officers to perform marriage ceremonies.

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.

American Revenue Act Encyclopedia

After the French and Indian War (also known as The Seven Years War) ended in 1763, Great Britain essentially stopped the period of salutary neglect by increasing regulation over the American colonies. The passage of the American Revenue Act demonstrates how the empire tightened its regulatory grip on the American economic activities.

Anne Atkins Encyclopedia

Despite being widowed at a young age and paying increased property taxes, Anne Atkins improved her family’s financial situation during the late 1800s.

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.

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.

Apex, Town of. Encyclopedia

Originally named “Apex” because it was the highest point on the Chatham Railroad line between Richmond, Virginia and Jacksonville, Florida, the town of Apex still exemplifies its motto: “Peak of Good Living.” Although a little over 30,000 people reside there, and many industries have moved to the area, Apex remains a quaint place to live.

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.

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.

Averasboro, Battle of (Day One) Encyclopedia

The Battle of Averasboro (also called Averysborough, Smith’s Mill and Black River) was the first deliberate, tactical resistance to the infamous march on federal forces through Georgia and the Carolinas. The battle was fought on the plantation lands of the John Smith family four miles south of the Cape Fear River village of Averasboro.

Averasboro, Battle of (Day Two) Encyclopedia

The Battle of Averasboro (also called Averysborough, Smith’s Mill and Black River) was the first deliberate, tactical resistance to the infamous march on federal forces through Georgia and the Carolinas. The battle was fought on the plantation lands of the John Smith family four miles south of the Cape Fear River village of Averasboro.

Averasboro, Battle of (Prelude) Encyclopedia

The Battle of Averasboro (also called Averysborough, Smith’s Mill and Black River) was the first deliberate, tactical resistance to the infamous march on federal forces through Georgia and the Carolinas. The battle was fought on the plantation lands of the John Smith family four miles south of the Cape Fear River village of Averasboro.

Ayllon, Lucas Vasques de (1475-1526) Encyclopedia

A lawyer and nobleman from Spain, Lucas Vasques de Ayllon sponsored the first Spanish explorations (three total) of what became North Carolina. He also discovered Chesapeake Bay and established San Miguel de Guandape, a settlement near what would be Jamestown. The wild horses of Shackleford Banks (near Beaufort) are reminders of Ayllon's explorations and failed attempts to settle in the land.

Babb, James G. (1932- ) Encyclopedia

A native North Carolinian, James G. Babb was born January 1, 1932. He graduated from Belmont Abbey College in 1959 with a degree in business and later achieved success in the communications industry.

Backcountry Piedmont Lesson Plan

During the mid-1700s, the North Carolina backcountry (now known as the Piedmont) was much different than Eastern North Carolina. Anglican itinerant Charles Woodmason of Charleston, South Carolina, “a missionary of English civilization,” went to the backcountry to convert Piedmont farmers and bring stability and order to a region where religious dissidents lived. This lesson plan includes four selections from Woodmason's sermons and reports, a reading worksheet, and discussion questions for advanced students.