North Carolina played a critical, often overlooked, role in our nation’s founding. We at the North Carolina History Project have put together this timeline of our state’s contributions to the American Revolution. The following timeline chronologically lays out some of the most important events in North Carolina’s revolutionary history and links out to our more...
To academic historians and amateur (or avocational) historians: We explored the North Carolina Historical Review to find articles about the American Revolution. I hope these summaries (written by a person, not AI) will whet your appetite for the longer versions. (A link to each article on JSTOR is provided for each.) Did North Carolina’s Revolution...
The North Carolina Historical Review includes a rich collection of articles about the American Revolution. This list was compiled by Kathryn McKee and Jane Shaw Stroup.
Pyle’s Defeat occurred in February 1781 near the end of the Revolution. It was a savage blow to British hopes, as Lt. Gen. Charles, Lord Cornwallis attempted to stop the Patriots’ momentum.
The subject of Scottish folklore and myth, Flora MacDonald assisted Prince Charles Stuart in his escape from King George II. In 1774, she moved to North Carolina, where her Loyalist husband and son fought in the Battle of Moores Creek.
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.”
Highland Games
North Carolina was once the largest settlement area for Highland Scots who brought the Highland Games with them upon settling in the state. The Highland Games are Scottish sporting events, including tossing heavy objects and bagpipe playing, rooted in Celtic tradition. North Carolina’s largest Highland Games event occurs each July at MacRae Meadows at Grandfather Mountain.
Riverside Cemetery
As a prevalent burial place for prominent North Carolinians, Riverside Cemetery continues to keeps the stories of Zebulon B. Vance, Thomas Wolfe, and O. Henry accessible to onlookers and history enthusiasts. Riverside Cemetery, an 87 acre burial plot, overshadows the French Broad River, attracting numerous tourists to its serene landscape. The cemetery was founded in 1885 and it has since remained an important cultural and historic venue in Buncombe County.
Matt W. Ransom (1826 – 1904)
On October 8, 1826, Matt Whitaker Ransom was born in Warren County. After graduating from the University of North Carolina and studying law, Ransom started to practice law in his hometown. Ransom served as a general during the Civil War, after which he served in the Senate for over twenty years, becoming the president pro tempore in the 53rd Congress.
Peace College (William Peace University)
Located in Wake County near the State Capitol building, Peace College was founded in 1857. Today it is a co-ed university named William Peace University.
Willie P. Mangum (1792 – 1861)
Willie Mangum, born in 1792 in Durham County, served as a North Carolina senator for nearly 20 years. Mangum studied at the University of North Carolina in 1815, and was admitted to the state bar in 1817. In 1823, Mangum was elected to the national House of Representatives, and in 1830 he became a North Carolina Senator. During President John Tyler's tenure, Mangum served as the Senate president pro tempore.
Pilot Mountain
Known as Jomeokee, “Great Guide” or “Pilot,” to the Saura who once inhabited the region, Pilot Mountain remains a towering landmark in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. Northern settlers used the mountain as a guide on their journey down the Great Wagon Road. In 1968, Pilot Mountain became the fourteenth state park of North Carolina.
Fort York
A little known Confederate fort that was built in anticipation of Union General George Stoneman’s Raid into Piedmont North Carolina and to protect the North Carolina Railroad Bridge, Fort York is now located adjacent to I-85 in Davidson County and across the Yadkin River from Rowan County.
Pinehurst Resort
Located in the Sandhills of Moore County, North Carolina, Pinehurst Resort hosts many prestigious golf tournaments including the North and South Open, PGA Tour and the U.S. Open. According to Golf Magazine and Conde Nast Traveler, Pinehurst is often referred to as one of the world’s top golf destinations.
Asa Biggs (1811 – 1878)
Born in Martin County in 1811, Asa Biggs grew up in the area to become a lawyer in the Williamson region. Biggs was admitted to the bar in 1831 and a high point of his career occurred when he helped codify North Carolina’s law in 1854. As both a judge and U.S. senator, Biggs remained a Democrat that supported state rights and slavery.
Fayetteville State University
The first normal school for African Americans in North Carolina, Fayetteville State University (FSU) was established in 1867 as the Howard School. Although FSU was once a school strictly for the education of teachers, the school grew in the 1950s as new programs were added to the institution’s curricula. Today, over 6,300 students currently attend FSU and the institution offers a Freshman Year Initiative program to incoming students.
Duke University
Formally known as Trinity College during the mid-nineteenth century with support from the Methodist Church, Duke University has become one of the leading private research universities in the world. The school moved to Durham in 1887.
Meredith College
Recognized as the largest women’s private college in the southeastern United States, Meredith College was created at the behest of Thomas Meredith, founder of the Biblical Recorder, in the late 1800s. Ten female students graduated as the first class in 1902, and in 1909 the college became known as Meredith College in honor of its original founder.