It’s been a fascinating year as the nation celebrates America’s independence. An important part of that celebration has been learning about North Carolina’s often-neglected role in both the decision to declare independence and in the American Revolution itself.
But it can be confusing.
Which came first? The Battle at Moores Creek or the Battle of Guilford Courthouse? Did the Halifax Revolves precede or follow the Mecklenburg Resolves? When was the Edenton Tea Party? And what on earth are the Liberty Point Resolves?
To help cut down on the confusion, the John Locke Foundation’s North Carolina History Project has put together a timeline that spells out the process, complete with live links that let you expand or limit what you read. Bob Rosser wrote the timeline and Brenée Goforth Swanzy designed the page.
Perhaps surprisingly, the timeline begins as far back as 1689. In that year, the English philosopher John Locke issued his famed “Two Treatises of Government.”They established basic ideas that underlie both the Declaration and our modern understanding of the role of government. Locke’s principles included the recognition that people have natural rights, that government exists only by the consent of the governed, and that rebellion is sometimes justified.
The American part of the timeline begins in 1765. The British Parliament passed the Stamp Act, arousing protests in North Carolina, most dramatically in Wilmington. There were protests throughout the colonies — and this was 10 years before the American Revolution began!
Soon after that, North Carolina had its own rebellion, called the Regulator Rebellion. Colonists in the Piedmont (which was at that time “western” North Carolina) fought against both royal and provincial oppression, opposing unfair fees, taxes, and corrupt county officials. That rebellion ended with their loss at the Battle of Alamance — but it revealed that North Carolinians were zealous about freedom and justice and did not intend to be squelched.
With all this happening, we still haven’t arrived at the start of the Revolution. That’s usually pegged at April 1775, with the battles of Lexington and Concord in Massachusetts. But North Carolina had already experienced the Edenton Tea Party, and in 1775 several counties drew up plans (“Resolves”) preparing for war if it became necessary. In February 1776, North Carolina Patriots won the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge. That victory showed that the British could not count on thousands of Loyalists to rise up and support them in the South.
And the timeline continues — from the Halifax Resolves, which called for independence before the nation as a whole did, to the long years of war. In 1781, North Carolina experienced the “Race to the Dan,” which pitted Lt. Gen. Nathanael Greene against Gen. Charles Cornwallis. Greene’s knowledge of the landscape and his brilliant hit-and-run strategies severely weakened the British army. The race culminated in the Battle of Guilford Courthouse on March 15, 1781. The British nominally won — casualties on both sides were severe — but it was a Pyrrhic victory. Cornwallis could not fully recover from the loss of his men. On Oct. 19, 1781, Cornwallis surrendered his army to George Washington after the battle of Yorktown, Virginia.
There’s much more in the timeline and its links, and for residents of the North State there’s a lot to be proud of. So take a glance.
