States
North Carolina
1789

The first European exploration of North Carolina can be attributed to Verrazano, an Italian working for France, who visited Cape Fear in 1524. The French did not pursue a settlement, but some Spaniards did two years later. Their colony failed soon thereafter. No further colonization was attempted until the English under Walter Raleigh in 1585. That colony was abandoned in 1586, but another was established in 1587. John White was named governor and after setting up the colony, he returned to England. Coming back three years later in 1590, he found no trace of the 100 settlers, who came to be known as the Lost Colony.

The first permanent settlers came to Albermarle Sound from Virginia around 1650. King Charles II granted Carolina to a group of nobles who were known as the lords proprietors of the colony. Representatives of the lords proprietors became much disliked by the population and in 1678, a revolt known as Culpeper's Rebellion temporarily overthrew them. New and more acceptable governors were later appointed. In 1712, North Carolina and South Carolina became separate colonies.

In 1729, the lords proprietors sold Carolina back to the King. As a royal colony, North Carolina began to prosper, with its population growing about 10 times in the next half century. During the War for Independence, the citizens of North Carolina generally supported the Patriot cause, but few battles were actually fought on its territory. Afterwards, North Carolina was reluctant to accept the Constitution, which it viewed as creating too strong a national government. The addition of the Bill of Rights made it more palatable, and North Carolina finally ratified it in late 1789.

During the Civil War, North Carolina was the scene of a number of major battles, including the battle of Bentonville in March 1865. The Union's General Sherman defeated the Confederacy's General Johnston in a bloody battle over three days. Following the war, North Carolina was readmitted in 1868. Reconstruction continued until 1877.

The economy of North Carolina recovered fairly quickly after the war. Tobacco and cotton were the principal crops. Furniture making also became a major industry. In the second half of the 20th century, North Carolina also emerged as a center of research, through the joint efforts of the University of North Carolina, North Carolina State University, and Duke University.

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