North Carolina
State History
Native Americans
Before Europeans arrived on the shores of North Carolina, the land was inhabited by Native American tribes including the Cherokee, the Catawba, the Tuscarora, and the Croatan. The largest of these tribes was the Cherokee who lived in the mountains to the west. They lived in permanent wattle and daub homes made from tree logs covered with mud and grass. For food they farmed corn, beans and squash. They also hunted game including turkey, rabbits, and deer.
Blue Ridge Mountains by Ken Thomas
Europeans Arrive
The first Europeans to arrive in North Carolina were the Spanish. First, explorer Giovanni da Verrazano mapped out the coastline in 1524. Later explorers included Juan Pardo, who founded Fort San Juan in western North Carolina in 1567, and Hernando de Soto, who came searching for gold.
The Disappearing Colony
In 1584, the English established the Roanoke Colony on Roanoke Island in North Carolina. It was the first European colony in North America. The colony was sponsored by Sir Walter Raleigh and led by John White. At one point, White returned to England to gather more supplies. However, when he returned to Roanoke the colony had disappeared. What happened to this original colony is still a mystery to historians. The only clue left was a carving on a tree that said "Croatoan."
Early Settlers
Throughout the late 1600s and early 1700s more English began to move into North Carolina. The first permanent town was established in Bath in 1705. As more people moved into the land, the Native Americans were being pushed out. The Tuscarora began to fight back in 1711 resulting in the Tuscarora War. By 1713, the Tuscarora were defeated.
Charlotte, NC by Daritto7117
An English Colony
Originally, Carolina was ruled by a number of friends of King Charles called the Lords Proprietor. In 1712, North Carolina split from South Carolina. It became an official English Royal Colony in 1729.
Revolutionary War
In the mid-1700s the American Colonies became angry with Great Britain over taxes such as the Stamp Act and the Townshend Acts. North Carolina joined in with the other colonies and signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776. A number of battles took place in North Carolina including the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge, the Battle of King's Mountain, and the Battle of Guilford Courthouse.
After the war, North Carolina waited until the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution before agreeing to ratify it. On November 21, 1789, North Carolina ratified the Constitution and joined the United States as the 12th state.
Civil War
In the 1800s, North Carolina was a rural state of mostly farms and plantations. It was also a slave state where around one third of the state's population was slaves. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, North Carolina joined the Confederacy of the South and seceded from the Union. Many North Carolina soldiers joined the Confederate Army and died in battle. The largest battle fought in North Carolina was the Battle of Bentonville where the largely outnumbered Confederate army of the South, led by Joseph E. Johnston, was defeated by the Union Army, led by General William T. Sherman. After losing the war, North Carolina rejoined the United States in 1868.
First Flight by John T. Daniels
Timeline
- 1567 - Spanish explorer Juan Pardo builds Fort San Juan.
- 1584 - The Roanoke Colony is established on Roanoke Island.
- 1705 - The first permanent city is founded at Bath.
- 1711 - The Tuscarora War occurs.
- 1712 - North Carolina and South Carolina split.
- 1718 - The famous pirate Blackbeard is killed by the Royal Navy.
- 1729 - North Carolina becomes a Royal British Colony.
- 1781 - The Battle of Guilford Courthouse takes place.
- 1789 - North Carolina becomes the 12th state.
- 1828 - Andrew Jackson becomes the 7th president of the United States.
- 1830 - The Cherokee Indians are forced from their lands in what will be known as the "Trail of Tears."
- 1861 - North Carolina secedes from the Union and the Civil War begins.
- 1868 - The state is readmitted to the Union.
- 1903 - The Wright Brothers make the first powered airplane flight at Kitty Hawk.
- 1918 - Fort Bragg is established near Fayetteville.
- 1959 - Research Triangle Park is created near Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill.
- 1989 - Hurricane Hugo hits North Carolina doing damage all the way inland to Charlotte.
Works Cited
History >> US Geography >> US State History
