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Revolution Era

Showing results: 1 to 15 out of 35

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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Timothy Bloodworth (1736-1814) Encyclopedia

Timothy Bloodworth was an influential Patriot, Anti-Federalist, and Democratic-Republican.  Without the advantages of great wealth, a prominent family, or a prestigious education, Bloodworth typified a new generation of working-class politicians during and after the American Revolution, and his ambition, ability, and likable personality made him one of North Carolina’s most durable politicians.

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William Blount (1749-1800) Encyclopedia

As businessman, Revolutionary War veteran, signer of the Constitution, territorial governor, and United States Senator, William Blount spent his lifetime looking for opportunities. No place in the late-eighteenth century United States  offered better opportunities for a person with Blount’s disposition and connections than did the trans-Appalachian frontier. Ultimately Blount’s grasp exceeded his resources, leading Blount to devise a desperate plan that failed—and led to his expulsion from the United States Senate.

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Edenton Tea Party Encyclopedia

The Edenton Tea Party was one of the earliest organized women’s political actions in United States history.  On October 25, 1774, Mrs. Penelope Barker organized, at the home of Mrs. Elizabeth King, fifty-one women in Edenton, North Carolina.  Together they formed an alliance wholeheartedly supporting the American cause against “taxation without representation.”

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Edmund Fanning (1737-1808) Encyclopedia

Friend of Royal Governor William Tryon and clerk of the Superior Court of Orange County, Edmund Fanning angered many North Carolina Regulators, who accused him of embezzlement and abuses of power.  After helping put down the Regulator Rebellion, Fanning accompanied Lord Tryon to New York, where he worked in the royal colony's administration and remained a Loyaist during the American Revolution.

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Jesse Franklin (1760-1823) Encyclopedia

A Patriot during the Revolutionary War, Jesse Franklin later served his state in the House of Commons, as a state senator, as a U.S. Representative, a U.S. Senator (president pro tempore), and finally as governor of North Carolina.  Although only governor for one term, Franklin earned a reputation for being a practical, fiscal conservative. 

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Joseph Hewes (1730-1799) Encyclopedia

lthough Joseph Hewes was a native of New Jersey, he was one of three North Carolinians to sign the Declaration of Independence.  His business experience, education and honorable character enabled the Tar Heel to serve North Carolina vigilantly in public service for thirteen years. 

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Hillsborough Confrontation (1768) Encyclopedia

After a sheriff seized a horse for delinquent payment of taxes, Piedmont farmers used traditional means of protest to call for government to perform its proper role.  In the end, however, the Hillsborough Confrontation of 1768 failed to restore the colonial government to its proper function and started a series of events that included the Hillsborough Riot of 1770 and the Battle of Alamance. 

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Hillsborough Riot (1770) Encyclopedia

During the 1760s and 1770s, the Regulators of North Carolina's Piedmont region worked to fight abuses they perceived to be rampant in the government of the time. Their methods, however, were controversial. 

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William Hooper (1742-1790) Encyclopedia

A representative of North Carolina at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, William Hooper risked death and sacrificed his personal income to secure the creation of the United States.  He later pursued a Federalist political ideology, which many North Carolinians disagreed with, and served as a federal judge until shortly before his death.

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House in the Horseshoe Encyclopedia

The story of the House in the Horseshoe, and the men who fought there during an American Revolution skirmish, reveals the nature and influence of the war in the North Carolina backcountry. One of the first “big” houses built in the frontier lands of North Carolina, the House in the Horseshoe still has bullet holes from the fighting that took place in 1781.

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Robert Howe (1732-1786) Encyclopedia

In 1732, Robert Howe was born in Brunswick County, North Carolina.  He emerged as the colonies’ highest-ranking officer during the Revolutionary War.  Althought he supported Royal Governor Tryon in the 1760s, Howe like many others soon grew disenchanted with the English crown and evinced a strong patriotism by the mid-1770s.

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Herman Husband (1724-1795) Encyclopedia

Born in Maryland in 1724, Herman Husband was a successful farmer and an influential leader during the Regulator Rebellion in pre-Revolutionary North Carolina.  Husband represented Alamance farmers' interests and protested what he considered corrupt government and exploitation.

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James Iredell, Sr. (1751-1799) Encyclopedia

James Iredell (1751-1799) was a leader of the North Carolina Federalists during the state ratification debates of the federal Constitution.  Following ratification, President George Washington appointed the North Carolinian to the U.S. Supreme Court, where he served until his death in 1799.  His best-known opinion is his dissent in Chisholm v. Georgia (1793) that provided the basis for the subsequent adoption of the Eleventh Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

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Johnston Riot Act Encyclopedia

Enacted on January 15, 1771, the Johnston Riot Act breached English Common Law and enlarged governmental power in order to intimidate Regulators from ceasing their protests.  It, however, enraged the defenders of liberty and incited more protests.  

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