North Carolina

Lore & Background

North Carolina was inhabited for at least 10,000 years by succeeding prehistoric Indigenous cultures, with the Hardaway Site showing major periods of occupation dating to approximately 10,000 years ago (c. 8000 BCE). Before 200 AD, people were building earthwork platform mounds for ceremonial and religious purposes. The Mississippian culture established by 1000 AD in the Piedmont and mountain region continued this practice. Historically documented tribes include the Algonquian peoples such as the Chowanoc, Roanoke, Pamlico and Machapunga; Iroquoian peoples such as the Meherrin, Cherokee, and Tuscarora; and others such as the Cheraw, Coree, Waxhaw, Saponi, Waccamaw, Cape Fear Indians, Yuchi and Catawba. The first documented European exploration of the coast was by Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1524, sailing for the French Crown. In 1567, Captain Juan Pardo led a Spanish expedition that built Fort San Juan at Joara, the first European attempt at colonization of the interior of what became the United States.

Reader's Guide

North Carolina's significance stems from its early role in American independence and its contributions to aviation. The Halifax Resolves of April 12, 1776, were the first formal call for independence from Great Britain among the American Colonies during the American Revolution. The state later became the 12th to ratify the U.S. Constitution on November 21, 1789. During the Civil War, North Carolina seceded on May 20, 1861, joining the Confederacy, and was restored to the Union on July 4, 1868. The Wright brothers' successful flight at Kitty Hawk on December 17, 1903, is commemorated with the slogan 'First in Flight' on state license plates. The state also uses the slogan 'First in Freedom' in reference to the Mecklenburg Declaration and Halifax Resolves. Economically, the Charlotte metropolitan area is the largest banking center in the nation after New York City, and the Research Triangle is home to the largest research park in the United States, Research Triangle Park. The state's geography ranges from the Appalachian Mountains to the Piedmont and Atlantic coastal plain, with Mount Mitchell being the highest point in North America east of the Black Hills.

Did You Know?

• The Hardaway Site in North Carolina shows human occupation dating back approximately 10,000 years (c. 8000 BCE).
• Orville and Wilbur Wright piloted the world's first controlled, sustained flight of a powered, heavier-than-air aircraft at Kitty Hawk on December 17, 1903.