North Carolina History Guide

When European explorers first arrived in the early 1500s, Cherokee, Hateras, and Tuscarora Native American groups lived in North Carolina. The first early settlements in the area were made by the Spanish. Recent archeological finds attest to Spanish settlement at Fort San Juan in 1567-1568. Records of Hernando de Soto attested to his meeting with them in 1540.

English colonists, sent by Sir Walter Raleigh, unsuccessfully attempted to settle Roanoke Island in 1585 and 1587. Virginia Dare, born there in 1587, was the first child of English parentage born in America. It took the English more than two years to return, and once back on the island, all that remained of his colony was the word "CROATOAN" carved on a nearby tree. All men, women and children were gone without a trace, and the fate of that "Lost Colony," has never been determined.

The first permanent white settlers of North Carolina were farmers from Virginia. They arrived during the 1650s. Later, European settlers arrived. From 1663 to 1691 the colony of Carolina was divided into three counties with separate governors. After several governors were driven from Albemarle County, in a revolt known as Culpeper's Rebellion, one governor was appointed for the entire Carolina colony. In 1712, the North Carolina region became a separate colony. In Sept. 1711, Tuscarora Indians massacred hundreds of settlers, destroying most of the settlements along the Neuse River. This marked the beginning of the Tuscarora War (1711-1713). To make matters worse for the new residents, pirates struck coastal settlements with impunity, facing little organized resistance. Finally, in 1718, Blackbeard the Pirate was killed, and for all practical purposes pirate attacks in the Carolina's were over.

By the early 18th century European settlements stretched from the Abermarle Sound, south to what is now Charleston, South Carolina. Native Americans were being squeezed off of their long-held lands, and they soon fought back; settlers were killed by the hundreds and their churches and homes burnt to the ground. Indian uprisings continued for many additional years, but their understandable efforts proved futile.

Colonists in North Carolina were divided during the Revolutionary War. Tories remained loyal to Britain and those who opposed Britain were called Whigs. The Whigs won the first battle in North Carolina at Moore's Creek Bridge in 1776. Although much of the fighting left North Carolina, its soldiers continued fighting for both sides in Virginia, Georgia, and South Carolina.

The United States Constitution drafted in 1787 was controversial in North Carolina. Delegates meetings at Hillsboro in July 1788 initially voted to reject it for anti-federalist reasons. They were persuaded to change their minds partly by the strenuous efforts of James Iredell and William Davies and partly by the prospect of a Bill of Rights. Meanwhile, residents in the wealthy northeastern part of the state, who generally supported the proposed Constitution, threatened to secede if the rest of the state did not fall into line. A second ratifying convention was held in Fayetteville in November 1789, and on November 21, North Carolina became the twelfth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. In 1794, Raleigh was declared the capital.

North Carolina adopted a new state constitution in 1835. One of the major changes was the introduction of direct election of the governor, for a term of two years; prior to 1835, the legislature elected the governor for a term of one year. North Carolina's current capitol building was completed in 1840.

Though North Carolina had few slaves when compared to others, it followed South Carolina, seceded from the union on May 20, 1861, and joined the Confederacy. America's Civil War soon followed, a war that would eventually all but destroy the southern states.

Significant battles occurred in North Carolina, and it reportedly supplied more men and more materials to the Confederate cause than any other state. In the end this once peaceful and prosperous place was in ruins, and in the end, it sadly suffered more dead than any other southern state. At the end of the war, most of the state lay in ruins. Reconstruction began. North Carolina was under military rule until a new constitution outlawing slavery was ratified. North Carolina was readmitted to the Union on June 25, 1868.

After the war, huge plantations were divided and sold to tenant farmers. Tobacco manufacturing grew rapidly in Durham while the furniture industry built factories in High Point. Textile mills flourished along the rivers. By the end of the 1920s, North Carolina led the nation in production of cotton textiles, wooden furniture, and tobacco products. State leaders improved education and created the State Highway Commission to expand roadways.

In the 1930's, much-needed government social programs, new dams and roads, and dramatically reduced taxes brought spurts of growth. World War II continued that spark as war-related industries built new plants in North Carolina, and high unemployment levels began to fall, for blacks and whites alike.

During the 1890s, laws were passed that required racial segregation of schools, restaurants, and public facilities. In 1960, four black students in Greensboro held the nation's first sit-in, by refusing to leave a restricted lunch counter. In 1964, the Civil Rights Act banned the segregation of public facilities. During the 1970s, schools also became integrated.

North Carolina is the nation's largest furniture, tobacco, brick, and textile producer. Metalworking, chemicals, and paper are also important industries. The major agricultural products are tobacco, corn, cotton, hay, peanuts, and vegetable crops. The state is the country's leading producer of mica and lithium.

Tourism is also important, with visitors spending more than $1 billion annually. Sports include year-round golfing, skiing at mountain resorts, both fresh- and salt-water fishing, and hunting.

North Carolina Famous People

• Caleb Bradham (1867 - 1934) Pharmacist from New Bern, North Carolina, created the first Pepsi-Cola for dyspepsia, or indigestion.  In 1902 Bradham began bottling the soft drink in the back room of his drugstore.
• John Coltrane (1926-1967) - Tenor and soprano saxophonist, bandleader, and composer; Born in Hamlet.
• Elizabeth Hanford Dole (1936 - ) Secretary of Transportation (1983 - 87) and Labor (1989 - 90) and president of the American Red Cross (1990 - ); born in Salisbury.
• Ava Gardner (1922 - 1990) Became a Hollywood star and acted in more than 20 films by the age of 28; born in Smithfield.
• Andy Griffith (1926 - ) Actor made famous in television shows such as The Andy Griffith Show and Matlock; born in Mt. Airy.
• Pleasant Hanes (1845-1925) Founder of the Hanes Corporation; born in Winston-Salem.
• Andrew Jackson (1767 - 1845) Seventh President of the United States, was born in the Waxsaws area on the border of North and South Carolina.
• Andrew Johnson (1808 - 1875) Started his career as a tailor's apprentice in Raleigh, North Carolina and rose to lead in the reuniting of the nation as the seventeenth President of the United States.
• Michael Jordan (1963 - ) Basketball superstar who led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles; grew up in Wilmington.
• Herman Lay (1909 - 1982) Owner of the company Frito-Lay, Inc.; born in Charlotte.
• Sugar Ray Leonard (1956 - ) Olympic boxing champion; born in Wilmington.
• Arnold Palmer (1929 - ) Recognized as the player whose aggressive play and winning personality raised golf to national attention, honed his skills on the championship golf team of Wake Forest University.
• James K. Polk (1795 - 1849) Eleventh President of the United States; born in Mecklenburg County.
• William Sydney Porter (1862 - 1910) Writer who used the pen name O. Henry; raised in Greensboro.
• Hiram Rhoades Revels (1822 - 1901) First African-American member of the United States Congress; born in Fayetteville.
• Susan B. Anthony (1820 - 1906) One of the leaders in the fight for women?s right to vote; lived in Rochester.