North Carolina And The American Revolution

North Carolina is truly a unique breed in terms of being a state. While North Carolina was one of the original thirteen colonies, a new state after the American Revolution, and a state in the antebellum south, it has always been unique in its political footing. From the beginning, North Carolina has tried to become the best version of itself, but as the old adage says, “the more things change the more they stay the same”. This is quite an appropriate quote to describe North Carolina. Writer Harry L. Watson describes North Carolina as the “Rip Van Winkle” state. Rip Van Winkle is the story of a man who wanders off to get away from his nagging wife and sleeps for twenty years. He wakes up to find that the world has changed around him. The same …show more content…
The decision to rebel against Great Britain highlighted many differences in opinion. Like many of the colonies, North Carolina’s population was a blend of colonists and Loyalists, people who were loyal to the Crown. Josiah Martin, the Royal Governor of North Carolina before the American Revolution, stated that he, “remained convinced that most people were at heart loyalists.” This statement is just one indication of the varied, and obviously divisive, political views among the colonists. What led to this blend of political views? For the supporters of the American Revolution it was the unfair treatment of the people and not getting the representation that they believed they deserved in parliament. The colonists felt that they had the right to govern themselves and not be taken advantage of by …show more content…
Like most of the antebellum south during the first half of the nineteenth century, North Carolina’s economy relied heavily on slave labor. During this time there is also a strong abolitionist movement taking place all over the country. The federal government at this time was pushing for an end to slavery, but states like North Carolina were advocating keeping slavery. While North Carolina was not a plantation state, like South Carolina and Mississippi, agriculture was the backbone of the economy. Without advancements in agriculture and transportation, the state’s reliance on slave labor became more imperative in order to keep the already weak economy effective. This was the case in many of the southern states. Although not all states had a weakening economy like North Carolina, the slave population was the work force of the time. One of the reasons that southern states felt the need to preserve slavery was the idea that if the north dictated this regulation, the south would continue to lose power and have no voice in the government. The loss of slave labor would also mean the loss of the labor force and, in turn, the loss of