North Carolina, as a state and as a colony, has had tumultuous beginnings. From its settlement in 1653 by Virginians, the colony itself has had its fair share of trials and tribulations. Once the colony itself was established in 1663, a number of problems occurred, showing the many growing pains that would have to occur in order to create the prosperous state North Carolina became. Colonial North Carolina experienced a great deal of hardship and instability during its initial run, establishing that the life of European colonists in the New World was far from safe, presenting threats both from outside and in.
The first attempts to govern North Carolina were some of the more difficult in American history. The Earl of Shaftesbury created his unique "Grand Model" of government, or Fundamental Constitutions, in which the monarchy would be effectively transferred into the American colony. Aristocratic rule would be the norm, and the land was divided into counties that would have earls and barons who would own the majority of the land. This created a feudal-based land system that was totally without merit, and not in the spirit of the creation of the colony in America.
One of the more interesting and contentious aspects of North Carolina's history is the Roanoke colony, which was started by Sir Walter Raleigh and gradually, mysteriously disappeared, earning it the name of the "Lost Colony." Theories abound as to what exactly happened to the colonists, but no true explanation has been given - some people believe the Anglo-Spanish War played a factor, but it is nearly impossible to give a definitive account of what happened to the lost colonists. This set a strange precedent for the state of North Carolina as a colony, even after a more permanent colony was established there.
The demographic makeup of early North Carolina also led to some tensions between the peoples of the area. While the east part of the colony was made up of English and Highland Scots, the rest of the colony had plenty of Scots-Irish, Welsh and others - these two sides were divided evenly between supporting America's bid for independence and loyalty to Britain. This led to tremendous infighting among the North Carolinians during the war, the colony being torn apart by guerilla warfare. Many colonists were indentured servants when they arrived in North Carolina, blurring the line between them and the African slaves who were brought there. In fact, the state's primary trade was in tobacco culled from slave labor.
All of these things and more contributed to the unstable nature of North Carolina as a colony from its very beginning. The mysterious disappearance of the Roanoke colony helped to establish just how dangerous the area itself was. The Lord Proprietorships that were established at the beginning of the colony's existence were far too close to the original monarchies that the Europeans escaped to be comfortable. Also, the demographic shifts and the uncomfortable tensions between Europeans helped to split the state apart during the Revolutionary War. All in all, it created a tremendous set of obstacles that the North Carolinians had to struggle to overcome in order to become the state they are today.
Works Cited
Christensen, Rob. The Paradox of Tar Heel Politics. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina
Press. 2008.
Hawks; Francis L. History of North Carolina. 1857.
Lefler, Hugh Talmage, and Albert Ray Newsome, North Carolina: The History of a Southern
State .1973.
Ready, Milton. The Tar Heel State: A History of North Carolina. University of South Carolina
Press; 2005.
Sydenham, Diane. "The Origins of Instability in North Carolina." Reviews in American History,
vol 11, no2, pp. 195-198. Jun 1983.
