*North Carolina Sectionalism

*Sectionalism

*Sectionalism DEFINITION: Intense loyalty to one’s region

*In NC, begins with North vs. South in Tidewater

*Why did Sectionalism develop in NC?

*1. Different Background (Ethnicity, Religions)

*2. Different Wealth

*No Permanent Capitol- Capitol moves with governor

- Records moved

- Assembly always moving

*Tw

o D

istr

icts

–

Gra

nville

vs.

Cap

e

Fear

*District 1: Granville District (Albemarle, North) - was not sold back to the Crown by the Proprietors with the rest of the colony

- Taxes different

- Laws different

- Representation different

*District 2: Cape Fear District (South)

People in Cape Fear feel they are treated unfairly by government from Granville District.

- Granville: 5 Reps

- Cape Fear: 2 Reps

*The Cape Fear Region got laws passed that favored them by waiting for bad weather to prevent other representatives from attending the meeting UNFAIR

*Gov. Johnson elected from Cape Fear (1746)

*Waits for bad weather to stall reps coming from Granville

*Calls legislature to order

*Votes in all Cape Fear laws

*Albemarle/Granville rebels against laws for 7 years

*Gov. Johnson dies; Crown appoints Arthur Dobbs governor

*King makes Dobbs remove 1746 Cape Fear laws, except PERMANAENT CAPITOL WILL STAY NEW BERN

*1765 – New governor William Tryon

*1767 – Begins building a governor’s residence/capitol – “Tryon’s Palace” – home of the first capitol in North Carolina. William

Tryon

West East (Capitol: New

Bern)Newcomers Long-Time Residents

Diverse Backgrounds English

Small Farms Large Farms/Towns

Poor WEALTHY

*Sectionalism

*Granville vs. Cape Fear – More about control of government (taxes, representation).

*Backcountry (West) vs. East – Easterners wanted to hold onto wealth and political power, often at the expense of the backcountry.

*Government in the East

*Backcountry (Western Region) had little voice in government/legislature

*Representation by county, not population

*East has more counties = more representatives

*For each new Western county, East divided a county a tactic to ensure the East maintains power

*1770: 1/3 of population lives in West, but only 15/81 representative from West

*Representation, Taxes, Laws Unfair to West

*Cost of Governor’s Palace

*Land Taxes – based on acres, not population

*Poll Taxes – tax to vote

*West sends petitions to Tryon to try to change laws/taxes

*Western settlers did not like “foreign” English government

*Tryon attempts fairness, has bad advisors

*Edmund Fanning – tax collector in Orange County

* Fancy gentleman

* Acts very rude to backcountry settlers

* Collects extra taxes to make himself rich

Edmund

Fanning

*REGULATORS

*Backcountry elects Herman Husband to legislature

*Meets with governor to try to get unfair taxes repealed

*Regulators were created to protest gov’t abuses

*Wealthier colonists considered them to be a mob

*Regulators led by Herman Husband

*1768: Regulators refuse to pay taxes

*REGULATORS - CONTINUED

*One Regulator has his horse taken by Fanning’s men – “back taxes”

*Regulators go to Hillsborough & take back the horse shoot at Fanning’s house

*Husband is arrested/charged with inciting a riot

*700 Regulators threaten to storm the jail

*Tryon releases/pardons Husband

*REGULATORS - CONTINUED

*1770: Regulators break into Orange County Courthouse to protest taxes

*Remove judge

*Attack Fanning, dragged him down courthouse steps

*Ransack Fanning’s house

*Tryon calls in militia to fight Regulators

*1771: BATTLE OF ALAMANCE

*Regulators vs. Tryon’s militia

* Militia wins

* 6 Regulator leaders hanged

* Husband escapes

* Ends Regulator Movement

Task #1Create a Venn Diagram comparing eastern NC to western NC.

Task #2Imagine you are a regulator. Would you side with the Patriots or Great Britain in the struggle for independence?