Early America
North Carolina Ratification Conventions: Five Quotes You Need To Know
1776-1835
Many North Carolinians expressed Antifederalist sympathies and were skeptical of giving the national government more authority, especially without a Bill of Rights added to the Constitution. There might be problems with the Articles of Confederation, sure, but did Americans, many Tar Heels questioned, need to hurriedly give the national government more power?
Segregation Did Not Stifle Self-Help Efforts in Black Communities
Self-help efforts are fascinating and laudable stories. A particularly interesting one is how, in an age of de jure segregation, charitable and creative African-Americans were agents of change in their communities and were able to alleviate various economic and social problems.
Constitution Day: Tar Heels Take Center Stage in Famous Painting
On September 17, 1787, thirty-nine delegates signed the U.S. Constitution and then submitted it to the various state ratification conventions to approve. What was accomplished on that day was nothing less than remarkable: delegates had agreed on the final draft of the first written national constitution that still remains in effect. Today is Constitution Day, and we as Americans remember the signers’ actions and the document’s importance to ensuring the rule of law, even in our modern world.
1960s Novel Easily Could Describe Political Debates of Today
Fiction is more than entertainment. It informs readers about the times in which it was written. An Inch of Snow (1964) is such a novel. It was written by William E. Cobb, a Burke County Republican, who served as a minority leader in the North Carolina Senate and served as the North Carolina Republican Chairman.
North Carolina Ratification Conventions: Five Quotes You Need To Know
Many North Carolinians expressed Antifederalist sympathies and were skeptical of giving the national government more authority, especially without a Bill of Rights added to the Constitution. There might be problems with the Articles of Confederation, sure, but did Americans, many Tar Heels questioned, need to hurriedly give the national government more power?
It’s the Small Lessons in Life That Often Are The Most Important
“Paint with the grain, son!,” my father reminded me for what seemed to be the umpteenth time. I had been assigned the task of painting the picnic table and benches.
Guy Owen’s Fiction Transcends Its Rural North Carolina Settings
North Carolina native Guy Owen uses his personal experiences growing up to shape his fictional works. Owen's work is particularly regional, and in many ways local to North Carolina. But in his fiction, he transcends the rural North Carolina setting and addresses broader and more universal themes.
Echoes From the Past
A recent history column briefly described An Inch of Snow (1964), an out-of-print novel depicting a state legislative race in North Carolina. It was more than entertainment depicting small-town North Carolina life. The novel’s fictitious speeches by Democratic and Republican candidates reflect the actual economic concerns of North Carolinians in the 1960s. The arguments offered are often repeated nowadays in print and on air and behind debate podiums and at dinner tables across the state.
Success of Postwar Freedmen A Worthy Study for Historians
There is a deficiency in many recent histories that ignores how more than a few African-Americans found a way to prosper even during difficult times. African-Americans often were agents of change, even within a repressive environment. It is important to recognize how black entrepreneurs and property holders found niches of liberty within an oppressive system, and to examine the lessons we can learn from their experiences.
Inglis Fletcher’s Novels Offered Entertaining Perspective Of Early N.C. History
Maybe more so than any other novelist below the Mason-Dixon line, including the 19th-century William Gilmore Simms of South Carolina, Inglis Fletcher of North Carolina painted the most comprehensive, historical portrait of the land on which she lived.
Antifederalists Would Be Proud of Rand Paul’s Filibuster
When U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., filibustered in March, the old-fashioned way, talking for approximately 13 hours and questioning whether the president had the constitutional authority to use unmanned drones to kill American noncombatants on U.S. soil, he unnerved many politicians and talking heads.
Names of Streets and Parks in Raleigh Loaded With History
Street signs can be much more than guideposts. They often can provide interesting clues into an area’s history.
Frederick Douglass Re-emerging As American Icon
During the past 30 to 40 years, historians have revived for Americans the legacy of Frederick Douglass (1818–95). Before then, his accomplishments largely had been swept up, dropped into the dustbin of history, and left out of view.