Notable Tar Heels

Notable Tar Heels

North Carolina Presidents

Many North Carolinians have served in the federal government. Three men born in North Carolina have served as Presidents of the United States. They were Andrew Jackson, James Knox Polk, and Andrew Johnson.

Multiple Choice

Who was the third North Carolinian to become president?

• Andrew Jackson

• Abraham Lincoln

• James Knox Polk

• Andrew Johnson

Andrew Jackson

Jackson was born in 1767, near Waxhaw, in North Carolina’s backcountry. He was the son of Scotch-Irish immigrants. Because his home was close to the border between North Carolina and South Carolina, both states claim him.

As a young man, Jackson studied law in Salisbury. He became known for his bravery in the War of 1812. Jackson’s troops called him Old Hickory. Wood from hickory trees is very hard.

Jackson became the seventh President in 1829. He served two terms. His supporters saw him as a man who helped poor farmers. Many people, however, did not agree with his policies toward American Indians.

Multiple Choice

When did Andrew Jackson become president?

• 1775

• 1885

• 1829

• Never

James Knox Polk

The second North Carolinian to become President was James Knox Polk. He was born near Pineville in 1795. He served seven terms in the United States House of Representatives.

In 1845, Polk became the eleventh President. While he was President, the country’s western border was pushed to the Pacific Ocean.

Andrew Johnson

The third North Carolinian to become President was Andrew Johnson. He was born in Raleigh in 1808. He served as Vice President under President Abraham Lincoln. When Lincoln was killed in 1865, Johnson became the nation’s seventeenth President.

Open Ended

How did Andrew Johnson become president?

Johnson often fought with Northern lawmakers about how the South should be treated after the Civil War. He was the first President to be impeached by Congress. To impeach is to accuse an official of wrongdoing. At his trial by the Senate, he was found not guilty by one vote.

Multiple Choice

What does it mean to impeach an official?

• accuse of a wrongdoing

• to convict of a serious crime

• to sentence to death

• to fire from position

Government Leaders

North Carolinians have been leaders in all branches and on all levels of government. Many have held several different offices.

Sam J. Ervin of Morganton served on North Carolina’s supreme court and in the General Assembly. He later served in the United States House of Representatives. In 1954, he was elected as a United States senator and served for the next 20 years.

Jesse Helms served in the United States Senate for 30 years. He was the head of the Senate committee on world affairs.

Eva Clayton was the first woman from North Carolina to serve in Congress. She was elected in 1992 and served for ten years.

Elizabeth Dole of Salisbury has served on the Federal Trade Commission, as secretary of transportation, and as secretary of labor. In 1991, she became president of the American Red Cross. In 1999, she ran as a candidate for President. In 2002, she was elected as a United States senator.

Open Ended

List one famous government leader and how they positively impacted NC.

Educators

Many North Carolinians have contributed to education. They have helped educate people in the state, the country, and the world.

William Luther Moore worked to educate American Indians in North Carolina. In 1887, he helped start a school for the Lumbee in Robeson County. The school was called the Croatan Indian Normal School. Fifteen students attended the school when it first opened. In 1972, the school became part of the state’s university system. Today, it is the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

Charlotte Hawkins Brown was born in 1883 in Henderson. As a child, she went to school in Massachusetts. She returned to North Carolina in 1901 to teach. In 1902, she started a school for African Americans, the Alice Freeman Palmer Memorial Institute, in Sedalia. The school stayed open until 1971. Brown served as president of the school for 50 years. In 1987, it was reopened as a museum and a state historic site.

Open Ended

How did William Luther Moore and Charlotte Hawkins Brown affect education in North Carolina?

Artists and Performers

Many well-known artists and performers are North Carolinians. They have entertained and educated people with their works.

Writers from North Carolina include Thomas Wolfe. He was born in Asheville in 1900. He wrote stories and plays, but he is best known for his novels. Maya Angelou is a well-known poet. Angelou is also a professor, or teacher, at Wake Forest University. In 1993, she read her poetry at the presidential inauguration—the ceremony held when a President takes office. She passed away on May 28, 2014.

Other North Carolinians have shared their music with the world. John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk have shared their jazz music. Earl Scruggs, a bluegrass musician, developed a new way to play the banjo. Arthel “Doc” Watson plays a wide variety of music, including folk, blues, country, and gospel.

Multiple Choice

Which artist read poetry at a presidential inauguration?

• John Coltrane

• Maya Angelou

• Elizabeth Dole

• Thomas Wolfe

Scientists

North Carolinians have also contributed to science and research. Research is the careful study or investigation of information.

William Anlyan was born in Egypt. After moving to Durham in 1949, he helped make Duke University Hospital into a leading research hospital. Today, scientists and doctors come from around the world to study and practice at Duke University Hospital.

Gertrude B. Elion moved to North Carolina in 1970. She worked to develop chemicals and medicines to help people with diseases. In 1988, she won a Nobel Prize in medicine for her work. The Nobel Prize is a world-famous award.

Frank E. Guthrie and Stanley Stephens used science to help farmers. Guthrie helped make sure plants and people were safe from chemicals used on crops. Stephens helped cotton growers by developing a new type of cotton plant. The new cotton plant could not be eaten by boll weevils. Boll weevils are insects that can destroy entire cotton crops.

Open Ended

Write a question about an NC scientist that can be answered from the text.

Open Ended

List three notable North Carolinians and the contributions they have made.