North Carolina State History

Timeline

1524—Giovanni da Verrazano explores the Carolina coast for France

1585—England established a colony on Roanok Island

1711—The Tuscarora War

1729—North Carolina becomes a royal English colony

1776—Whigs defeat the Tories in the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge

1789—North Carolina becomes the 12^th state

1795—Univ. of North Carolina becomes the nation’s first state university

1861—Civil War begins; North Carolina secedes and joins the Confederacy

1868—North Carolina is readmitted to the Union

1915—The North Carolina State Highway Commission is established

1960—First sit-in by black students in Greensboro

Cherokee, Hateras, and Tuscarora Native American groups lived in North Carolina when European explorers first arrived in the early 1500s. Giovanni da Verrazano was the first to explore Cape Fear for the French in 1524. Spanish explorer Lucas Vásquez established a colony near Cape Fear two years later, but those who did not die of disease and starvation left the area.

English explorers arrived in North Carolina in 1584. They colonized Roanoke Island and appointed John White as their first governor. White left to go to England for supplies that same year, but when he returned in 1590, the colony could not be found. It later became known as the Lost Colony. England again tried to colonize the area in 1629, but all attempts failed.

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.

Several settlers moved into Carolina during the early 1700s. Bath, the first town was established near the Pamlico River. By 1710, settlements spread along the entire coast of the Neuse River. That same year New Bern was established. Native Americans grew angry as white settlers took their lands. 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).

Many conflicts were fought during the following years. The pirate Blackbeard was killed near Ocracoke Island in 1718, ending a series of pirate attacks along the eastern coast. Troops from Carolina were sent to resolve colonial wars, including the French and Indian War (1754-1763). In 1761, an important victory over the Cherokee opened much of western Carolina to settlement.

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