North Carolina Settlement

NC Early Statehood

​As a state, North Carolina grew very slowly. The state had few good roads, large cities, or schools. Many people began calling North Carolina the “Rip Van Winkle state.” Rip Van Winkle is the main character in a story about a

man who falls asleep for 20 years. After many years, North Carolina’s government began working to improve the state.

Multiple Choice

Why was North Carolina referred to as the "Rip Van Winkle" state?

• The state grew quickly

• The state grew slowly

• The state did not grow at all

• The state went away

​A New State Capital

​At first, North Carolina’s state government met in the coastal town of New Bern. However, many

lawmakers wanted to move the capital—the city in which the state government meets—to the center of the state.

​In 1788, leaders from each county met in Hillsborough to choose a new site for the capital. A county is a part of a state, usually larger than a city, that has its own government.

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​Leaders chose a site in the Piedmont region for the capital. In 1792, the state government bought 1,000 acres of land in Wake County. Soon after, construction started on the capital. The town was named Raleigh, after the founder of the Roanoke Island colony.

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Multiple Choice

Where was NC's first capital located?

• New Bern

• Raleigh

• Roanoke

• Wilmington

Multiple Choice

Why did state leaders wish to change to location of the state capital?

• the Native Americans of the area kept attacking them

• they no longer liked the area of New Bern

• they wanted the capital to be closer to the center of the state

Multiple Choice

Who did state leaders name the new capital after?

• Sir Walter Raleigh-founder of Roanoke

• Lord Granville-founder of Roanoke

• King Charles of England-founder of Roanoke

​In 1794, workers built the first state capitol in the center of Raleigh. A capitol is a building where lawmakers meet. Sometimes capitols are called statehouses. The first capitol burned down

in 1831. A larger statehouse was built in the same location in 1840. It still serves as North Carolina’s

state capitol.

Multiple Choice

What is the difference between a capital and a capitol?

• One is the president while the others is a governor

• One is the founder of place while the other is the place itself

• One is the highest point of the state while the other is the lowest point

• One is the location state leaders meet while the other is a statehouse

​State Improvements

​One of North Carolina’s early leaders was Archibald Murphey. As a state lawmaker, he worked to improve education and transportation.

Murphey also wanted lawmakers to change the state constitution to give people in western North

Carolina more representation.

​In 1835, North Carolina’s leaders changed the state constitution. The 1835 constitution allowed voters to elect the governor. This gave people a greater voice in the state government.

The state government also worked to improve education. By 1846, every county had at least one

public school. A public school is run by the government and paid for by taxes.

​Over time, many canals, railroads, and plank roads were built in North Carolina. A plank road is made by laying boards side by side across

a trail. Plank roads could be used in rainy weather, when dirt roads were too muddy to use. Travelers paid a toll, or fee, to use the plank

roads. Canals, railroads, and plank roads helped people travel and move goods more easily.

Open Ended

Name THREE positive changes made in NC after it was made a state.

​Indian Removal

​In 1829, gold was discovered on Cherokee lands in northern Georgia. Thousands of American settlers rushed to the area. They

demanded that the federal government open up more Cherokee lands for farming and mining.

Multiple Select

Name the TWO reasons settlers wanted to move into Cherokee land.

• Gold/Mining

• Larger houses

• Farming

• Cherokee natives kept attacking settlers

​In 1830, the United States government passed the Indian Removal Act. This law forced American Indians to move west of the Mississippi River.

Many Cherokee fought the Indian Removal Act in the United States courts. The courts decided that the Cherokee did not have to move.

However, government leaders ignored the decision of the courts.

​On March 27, 1838, the United States Army forced about 17,000 Cherokee in North Carolina

and other nearby states to move west to what is now Oklahoma. About 4,000 Cherokee died

along the 1,000 mile walk. This terrible journey became known as the Trail of Tears.

Open Ended

What was the Indian Removal Act?

Multiple Choice

Which of these was an effect of the Indian Removal Act and one of the reasons the move was referred to as the Trail of Tears.

• It rained a lot during the move

• 4,000 Cherokee died during the move

• The Native fought back and many died in battle

• The Native Americans were happy to leave and treated well.

​Slavery

​In the early 1800s, North Carolina and other Southern states continued to depend on slavery

to grow cash crops. Slavery is the practice of holding people and forcing them to work against

their will. By 1840, there were about 250,000 enslaved African Americans in the state.

​Some enslaved people tried to escape to Northern states, where slavery had already been ended. Some people, known as abolitionists, wanted to abolish, or end, slavery everywhere. Many abolitionists helped enslaved people escape.

Open Ended

Write a sentence describing the work of abolitionists.

​Levi Coffin was a Quaker abolitionist from Guilford County. In the 1820s, Coffin and his wife moved to Indiana. They helped set up a system of escape routes and safe houses known as the Underground Railroad. Runaway slaves found shelter at safe houses. In North Carolina, safe houses were located in towns such as Greensboro and Goldsboro.

Draw

Draw the path North Carolina slave would have followed on the Underground Railroad.