Excerpt from History of North Carolina, Vol. 2: The Federal Period, 1783 1860 In the present volume the effort has been to emphasize movements rather than events, ideals rather than men, or derly development rather than phenomena of antiquarian in terest. Such an undertaking has required a constant refer ence to contemporary records and the exposition of many movements which have been hitherto neglected or slightly treated. Consequently the volume may leave the impression of a series of monographic studies rather than a conventional narrative history. That perhaps is necessarily the character of the treatment of any subject in which social and economic forces are emphasized. The year 1836 is the first dividing line in the history of the stat-e after the Revolution. Prior to that date political con ceptions and ideals of social and economic duty bore the stamp of British heritage; thereafter the spirit of American democ racy made rapid progress. The constitutional convention of 1835, the rise of the whig and democratic parties, the estab lishment of a public school system, the foundation of asylum-s, the building of railways through state aid, and reform of the law - these matters, treated in considerable detail, are evi dence of a new order. It has also been my effort to outline the regime they displaced; to the antiquarian it has the greater interest, whereas to him who prefers life in action the epoch after 1836 will always make a stronger appeal. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Writing North Carolina History is the first book to assess fully the historical literature of North Carolina. It combines the talents and insights of eight noted scholars of state and southern history: William S. Powell, Alan D. Watson, Robert M. Calhoon, Harry L. Watson, Sarah M. Lemmon, and H. G. Jones. Their essays are arranged in chronological order from the founding of the first English colony in North America in 1585 to the present. Traditionally North Carolina has not received the same scholarly attention as Virginia and South Carolina, despite the excellent resources available on Tar Heel history. This study, derived from a symposium sponsored by the North Carolina Division of Archives and History in 1977, asks questions and describes methodologies needed to redress past neglect. Besides providing a comprehensive evaluation of what has been written about North Carolina, the essayists offer perspectives on how historians have interpreted the state's history and what directions future historians need to take. Particularly important, the book provides a bibliography and suggests opportunities for future historical investigation by discussing topics, themes, and source materials that remain untapped or underused. North Carolina's unique and colorful culture, folklore, geography, politics, and growth demand new and creative historical analysis. Collectively the authors and editors of Writing North Carolina History offer a welcome, necessary guide to the study of Tar Heel history. Originally published in 1979. A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.