North Carolina Century: Tar Heels Who Made a Difference, 1900-2000

One of the largest and fastest-growing cities in the South, Charlotte, North Carolina, came of age in the New South decades of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, transforming itself from a rural courthouse village to the trading and financial hub of America's premier textile manufacturing region. In this book, Thomas W. Hanchett traces the city's spatial evolution over the course of a century, exploring the interplay of national trends and local forces that shaped Charlotte and, by extension, other New South urban centers. Hanchett argues that racial and economic segregation are not age-old givens but products of a decades-long process. Well after the Civil War, Charlotte's whites and blacks, workers and business owners, lived in intermingled neighborhoods. The rise of large manufacturing enterprises in the 1880s and 1890s brought social and political upheaval, however, and the city began to sort out into a "checkerboard" of distinct neighborhoods segregated by both race and class. When urban renewal and other federal funds became available in the mid-twentieth century, local leaders used the money to complete the sorting-out process, creating a "sector" pattern in which wealthy whites increasingly lived on one side of town and blacks on the other. A new preface by the author confronts the contemporary implications of Charlotte's resegregation and prospects for its reversal.

Richly illustrated with archival photos, this comprehensive study of the American department store industry traces the changing economic and political contexts that brought about the decline of downtown shopping districts and the rise of big-box stores and suburban malls.

A comprehensive, illustrated history of North Carolina spanning from the colonial period to the twenty-first century. When first released in 2005, The Tar Heel State was celebrated as a comprehensive contribution to North Carolina’s historical record. In this revised edition, historian Milton Ready brings the text up to date, sharpens his narrative on the periods surrounding the American Revolution and the Civil War, and offers new chapters on the 1920s; World War II and the 1950s; and the confrontation between Jim Hunt, North Carolina’s longest-serving governor, and Jesse Helms, a transformational, if controversial, political presence in the state for more than thirty years. Ready’s distinctive view of the state’s history integrates tales of famous pioneers, statesmen, soldiers, farmers, and captains of industry; as well as community leaders with often-marginalized voices, including those of African Americans, women, and the LGBTQ+ community that have roiled North Carolina for decades. This beautifully illustrated volume gives readers a view of North Carolina that encompasses perspectives from the coast, the Tobacco Road region, the Piedmont, and the mountains. From the civil rights struggle to the building of research triangles, triads, and parks, Ready recounts the people, events, and dramatic demographic shifts since the 1990s, as well as the state’s role in the rise of modern political conservatism and subsequent emergence as a modern megastate. In a concluding chapter Ready assesses the current state of North Carolina, noting the conflicting legacies of progressivism and conservatism that continue to influence the state’s political, social, and cultural identities. “Ready provides a skillful and well-written addition to the state’s historical literature.” —Jeffrey Crow, author of New Voyages to Carolina: Reinterpreting North Carolina History” “An eminently readable, fast-paced, and thorough survey of North Carolina’s past.” —Alan D. Watson, University of North Carolina at Wilmington “A scholarly and compelling story of the divergent experiences of the state’s masses—full of interesting facts and details that are often absent in other studies on the same subject.” —Joyce Blackwell, president, The Institute for Educational Research, Development and Training “It is essential reading for anyone who seeks to understand the history of North Carolina and will be of immense benefit to those interested in the roles African Americans have played throughout the history of the state.” —Olen Cole Jr., North Carolina A&T State University

Sanford was an important public figures of postwar South. First as North Carolina's governor and later as president of Duke University, he demonstrated a dynamic style of leadership marked by creativity, helping transform Southern life. 87 photos.

An informative compendium, the Encyclopedia of North Carolina is abundantly illustrated with nearly 400 photographs and maps."--BOOK JACKET.

At the outset of World War II, North Carolina was one of the poorest states in the Union. More than half of the land was rural. Over one-third of the farms had no electricity; only one in eight had a telephone. Illiteracy and a lack of education resulted in the highest rate of draft rejections of any state. The citizens desperately wanted higher living standards, and the war would soon awaken the Rip Van Winkle state to its fullest potential. Home Front traces the evolution of the people, customs, traditions, and attitudes, arguing that World War II was the most significant event in the history of modern North Carolina. Using oral history interviews, newspaper accounts, and other primary sources, historian Julian Pleasants explores the triumphs, hardships, and emotions of North Carolinians during this critical period. The Training and Selective Service Act of 1940 created over fifty new military bases in the state to train two million troops. Citizens witnessed German submarines sinking merchant vessels off the coast, struggled to understand and cope with rationing regulations, and used 10,000 German POWs as farm and factory laborers. The massive influx of newcomers reinvigorated markets--the timber, mineral, textile, tobacco, and shipbuilding industries boomed, and farmers and other manufacturing firms achieved economic success. Although racial and gender discrimination remained, World War II provided social and economic opportunities for black North Carolinians and for women to fill jobs once limited to men, helping to pave the way for the civil and women's rights movements that followed. The conclusion of World War II found North Carolina drastically different. Families had lost sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, and brothers and sisters. Despite all the sacrifices and dislocations, the once provincial state looked forward to a modern, diversified, and highly industrialized future.