The first officially recorded exploration of the coast of North Carolina was led by Giovanni da Verrazano, who was in the service of France, in 1524 although there is evidence that other explorers, especially Spanish, had visited the region earlier. No colonization took place in the region until the 1580's when Sir Walter Raleigh of England attempted unsuccessfully to establish two separate settlements on Roanoke Island. The first one succumbed to starvation and attacks by Native Americans (probably the Powhatan). The second colony, which is now known as the "lost Colony," simply disappeared. Raleigh deposited the colonists on the island in 1587 and then went back to England for more supplies. When he return less than a year later the entire group had completely vanished leaving only a cryptic message which read "gone to Roanoke. No trace, or remains, of the colony or the colonists has ever been found elsewhere, and their disappearance has never been explained. Although these colonies only lasted for about as long as the many temporary exploration and fur trapping posts which had been established by the French and Spanish over the years, they are regarded as the first colonies in North America.
Unlike the other American colonies which were settled originally by immigrants from Europe, North Carolina gained its first permanent white population from neighboring states. In the mid-1600's the region, which was then loosely referred to as Albemarle County, Virginia, was settled successfully for the first time by planters from Virginia who were in search of more land. The region remained sparsely populated however, and when a war broke out between the colonists and the Tuscarora Indians in 1711 there were still less than 5,000 people, and only three towns, in North Carolina. In 1712 North Carolina officially became its own colony. Thid created tension between the region and Virginia which established tariffs to prevent any North Carolina tobacco from passing through its ports. This tension raged until the 1720's when King George II bought all but one of the shares of land in North Carolina and established the region as a royal province.
After its establishment as a royal province immigrants from Ireland, Germany, and Scotland began to flow into North Carolina and for the next several decades the territory's population grew rapidly. These colonists soon began to resent heavy British taxation however, and by the second half of the eighteenth century public meetings about the issue were frequently being held. In April of 1776, became the first colony to declare its total independence from the King. North Carolina sent troops to General Washington's army in the North, and several important battles of the Revolution were fought on its soil, most notably Cornwalis' Carolina Campaign of 1780-81. After the war the North Carolinians, who were very independent people, were not in favor of a strong central government, and the state did not ratify the Constitution until 1789, after the adoption of the Bill of Rights had been planned.
Between the Revolution and the Civil War, North Carolina thrived. In the early 1800's most of the Native Americans were forced out of the state and soon the great plantations began to prosper. The state did not have as many slaves as its southern neighbors until almost the middle of the eighteenth century when they were almost forced to adopt the institution in order to remain competitive in cotton production. During this period the state not only developed economically but socially as well, and by 1846 every county in North Carolina had at least one public school. All of these developments fell apart however, with the outbreak of the war between the states. Ironically, North Carolina lost more men in the Civil War than any other state in the Confederacy despite the fact that its citizens had openly opposed secession and did not secede itself until after all the states around it had done so.
When the war was over the state's once great agricultural and social institutions were completely destroyed. Reconstruction brought a whole new economy to the state however, as power began to be harnessed from many of the state's rivers and various manufacturing plants began to spring up. In 1900 the state government adopted a bold plan for public education once again, this time with the intention of educating both black and white children. Racial discrimination continued in the state however well into this century.
In the twentieth century, North Carolina again began to prosper greatly. The flight if the first airplane by the Wright Brothers at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina in 1903 offered an interesting hint of was what to come, as the state's economy took off soon after the airplane. Federal government work programs which were brought on by the Great Depression led to the development of a modern highway system which enabled the state to become more actively, and profitably involved in America's interstate commerce. The World Wars also aided the state's economic development, and by the end of World war II North Carolina had become a leading Southern manufacturing state. The Cotton industry was eventually surpassed by the tobacco industry, and today many of the largest tobacco corporations in the world are headquartered in the state. In the 1960's a Woolworth's in Greensboro was the site of a famous civil rights protest when several African American students sat at an all-white lunch counter, and since that time the state's government has taken many impressive measures to ensure greater freedom for all of its residents.
Visiting the State
Alamance Battleground
The Appalachians contain the Blue Ridge, Great Smoky, and Black Mountains. At 6,684 feet Mt. Mitchell is the highest point east of the Mississippi.
Asheville features old time coppersmiths, silversmiths, and weavers and has a renowned artists colony.
Biltmore House of George Vanderbilt, one of largest private homes in world.
The Black Mountains have excellent hiking, and a yearly folk festival featuring indigenous folk bands and folk dancing.
Boone County features historical tributes to Daniel Boone. The town of Boone has an outdoor amphitheater known as Horn in the West, the Hickory Ridge Homestead, and the Daniel Boone Native Gardens.
Cherokee County pays tribute to the Cherokee Indians and also has "The World's Largest Bingo Game."
Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout national seashores feature long stretches of beach, sand dunes, marshes, and woodlands.
College towns: University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill is now the 5th largest university system; Duke University is in Durham; and North Carolina State University is in Raleigh, the capital.
Fort Raleigh National Historic Site
The Gourd Museum, in Angier, sports a gourd xylophone, pseudo-Faberge eggs made of gourds, and gourd lamps. The museum was founded in 1965 by a family that had too many gourds lying around the house.
The magnificent Great Smoky Mountains National Park offers visitors everything from hiking and camping to fishing and skiing.
Greensboro Historical Museum features relics from 7 wars; Greensboro birthplace of Dolly Madison, O Henry, and tobacco pioneer Washington Duke.
Jockey's Ridge State Park features the largest sand dunes on the East Coast.
Museum of the Cherokee and Oconaluftee features a preserved Indian village.
In Blowing Rock, a magnetic spot called Mystery Hill allows cars left in neutral to slowly creep UP the hill.
Raleigh, the capital of the state, is a beautiful historic city which features the capitol building, the Museum of Art, the North Carolina Museum of History, and the Museum of Natural Sciences.
Historical pageantry regarding "The Lost Colony" takes place on Roanoke Island
Tourist cities: Beaufort, Halifax, Asheville, and Dare.
North Carolina's other unexplained phenomena include the Brown Mountain Lights on Brown Mountain, which look like rising blobs.
Wright Brothers National Memorial, in Kitty Hawk.
Famous North Carolinans
Joseph G. Cannon (1836-1926) U.S. Congressman who represented North Carolina from 1873-1923, except for two terms. He was Speaker of the House at turn of the century.
Levi Coffin (1789-1877) Abolitionist leader, known as "president of the Underground Railroad." Born New Garden, North Carolina.
John Coltrane (1926-1967) Jazz saxophonist. Born Hamlet, North Carolina.
James B. Duke (1856-1925) Tobacco industrialist. Financier of North Carolna's Duke University.
Billy Graham (b. 1918) Protestant evangelist. Born Charlotte, North Carolina.
Andrew Johnson (1808-1875) 17th president of the United States.Born Raliegh, North Carolina.
Dolley Madison (1768-1849) Wife of President James Madison and War of 1812 hero. Born Guilford County, North Carolina.
Thelonius Monk (1920-82) Pianist, composer and arranger. He pplayed a very important role in the development of modern jazz. Born Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
James K. Polk (1795-1849) 11th president of the United States. Born Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
William Sydney Porter (1862-1910) Short story writer known by the name "O Henry." Born Greensboro, North Carolina.
Fascinating Fact
North Carolina 's most prosperous crop is not tobacco, but marijuana.
North Carolina adopted its state flag in 1885. The national colors, a star for statehood, and the initials of the state are included on the design, along with the dates for the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence (May 20, 1775) and the Halifax Resolves (April 12, 1776).
