N.C. As A Royal Colony
North Carolina became a royal colony in 1729. At this time, George II was king of England.
George Burrington was a governor under the Lords proprietors from 1724-1725. He was bad-tempered and violent. However, he was elected once more in 1730. While in office he made many enemies, angered many leaders, and broke up the Assembly three times.
Gabriel Johnston became governor in 1734. He was a well-educated
man. Johnston served as governor for eighteen years.
During the 1720’s, there was much controversy over taxes.
In 1739, the Assembly agreed to make a tax list and limit where the taxes
were collected. Unfortunately, the
crown would not approve the compromise because it included commodity money. Using the “power of the purse,” the Assembly tried to
force the council to do things the way they wanted.
The conflict over the “power of the purse” continued until the
American Revolution.
Politics
Nevertheless, Governor Johnston had more to worry about than
disagreements over money. For
example, there were many political issues he had to sort out.
The northern counties around Albemarle Sound had most of the political
power. Several counties in the
surrounding area had 5 delegates each in the Assembly.
The Cape Fear counties had only 2 delegates.
Therefore, the Albemarle counties easily won in the Assembly.
To make it fair, in November 1746, Johnston called the Assembly into session. They decided to move the government seats to New Bern and to limit each Albemarle county to two delegates. They Albemarle region was very angry, and in February 1747, the northern counties returned to having 5 delegates.
The Granville District
The Granville District, began at the Virginia border and extended south for seventy miles, was owned by Lord Carteret, later known as Lord Granville. Granville could grant the land, and collect an annual land tax from settlers that lived within the district. However, Granville had untrustworthy, and unorganized agents that did not know what land had been sold. One of these agents was Francis Corbin, who was kidnapped in 1759, and taken to Enfield in Halifax County where the kidnappers made him promise to stand trial for collecting illegal fees and charging to much for taxes. Granville died in 1763, and his office never reopened.
The French and Indian War
In the early 1750s, France and Britain were on the verge of war. Tensions grew, and carried over to North America where Britain wanted to conquer French colonies, as well as take over the fur trade in France. In 1754, Arthur Dobbs became Governor of North Carolina. In that same year, the French and Indian war began. In North America, the British fought alone while the Native Americans took sides with the French. Native Americans fought for the French, because they were afraid that the British would take away their land. This brutal war lasted for nine years, but it finally ended in 1759, when a British General Major General James Wolfe captured Quebec. In 1763, a peace treaty was made, which resulted in the British getting most of the land in North America that was owned by the French. However, as a result of the war, the British began to tax the settlers to pay off war debts.
Important People/Places During the French and Indian War
Arthur Dobbs: Governor during the war
Major Hugh Waddell: worked with Sergeant John Rogers. By disguising themselves as Indians, they were able to take over Fort Duquesne in November 1758.
Colonel Archibald Montgomerie: led a group of 1,600 highland Scotts to meet the Cherokee at Echoe (near present town of Franklin in Macon County), and was defeated. (June 1760)
James Grant: marched a force of over 2,000 men into Cherokee towns and defeated the Cherokee. (June 1761)
Attakullakulla: (means "Little Carpenter") a respectful Cherokee leader that had always been friendly with the British
Fort Duquesne: Indian fort; captured by Hugh Waddell
Fort Dobbs: located near modern-day Statesville; named after Governor Dobbs
