North Carolina is a state with a rich and storied history. It was established as a proprietary colony in 1663 by King Charles II of England, and was granted all the land between latitudes 31° and 36° north, extending west to the South Seas (Pacific Ocean).
Mattie Erma Edwards Parker
and Redora Powell are credited with delivering the Carolina Letter of 1663, which marked the beginning of North Carolina's history. North Carolina played an important role in the Revolutionary War, constantly harassing British forces and keeping them occupied in the South.Quakers held a number of public offices, including one who was appointed governor of North Carolina in 1695. The state worked through political means to get pro-revolution politicians into local offices, and gradually gained control of the government of the larger colony. North Carolina quickly joined efforts to form a new country, with three of its citizens signing the Declaration of Independence. Today, North Carolina's economy is dominated by research in fields such as biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and banking. The state also played a key role in the War of Independence, harassing British forces and securing military victories with the Continental Army and guerrilla units.
In 1776, North Carolina voted to give its delegates to the Second Continental Congress the power to vote for independence. Unlike other southern states that relied on slaves for cotton harvesting, North Carolina used slaves to collect and process tobacco. Between 1712 and 1729, North Carolina was governed by a deputy sent from Charleston, who had become the center of proprietary government. During this period, life in North Carolina was characterized by plantation settlements and a desire to move west.
The first letter that included North Carolina was delivered by Charles I to Robert Heath, the king's attorney general in 1629. The first European to be credited with landing in North Carolina was Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1524. In 1690, Seth Sothel appeared in the province and was allowed to take over the government despite his corrupt conduct. Technically speaking, North Carolina only became a royal colony in 1729 after the British government bought out the original owners. The flag of the state of North Carolina contains two dates that establish it as the first state to declare independence.
