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Published by the N.C. Department of the Secretary of State Elaine F. Marshall Secretary 2011 - 2012 North Carolina Manual NORTH CAROLINA 2 SECRETARY OF STATE 3 Executive Elaine F. Marshall North Carolina Secretary of State Rodney Maddox Chief Deputy Secretary of State George Jeter Director of Communications Publications Division Liz Proctor Editor Linda Wise Editorial Assistant Cathy Moss Editorial Assistant Mailing Address NC Department of the Secretary of State PO Box 29622 Raleigh NC 27626-0622 Website Address www.sosnc.com North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State NORTH CAROLINA 4 For over a century, the North Carolina Manual has served as a thorough historical reference source for North Carolina state government and politics. In fact, I cannot think of another source for these topics as comprehensive as this one. Americans in general and North Carolinians in particular have always emphasized the importance of an informed citizenry in maintaining the health of our democracy. The North Carolina Manual informs us about what our government does and who has made the decisions that affect us. The Manual helps the state’s various executive branch agencies, universities and colleges and other institutions educate the people of North Carolina about their respective missions. In turn, I think, the Manual reminds us that state government — and the political process — is not some faceless machine, but a human creation that functions only as well as the wisdom and sound judgment of the people who lead it. The North Carolina Manual also helps put a face on North Carolina itself for the many people outside our state who may wonder what kind of place North Carolina is and what its residents are like. Our state, as all of us know, enjoys a combination of scenic beauty, diversity of natural resources and quality of living that is unmatched by any other state in the United States. It is also a place where people accomplish great things without undue or excessive public pride or boastfulness. North Carolina’s A Message from the North Carolina Secretary of State SECRETARY OF STATE 5 greatest resource throughout its four centuries of existence has been its people. Our state has provided more than its fair share of regional and national leaders in politics, journalism, science, technology, business, industry, national defense, education and the arts. Our state, in many respects, is a very humble, unpretentious giant. If this edition of the North Carolina Manual is your fi rst exposure to our state, I would like to thank you for taking an interest in North Carolina. As any of our residents can tell you, it is an interest that will repay you many times over. Enjoy! Elaine F. Marshall N.C. Secretary of State 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction A Message from the North Carolina Secretary of State..........................................4 Chapter One North Carolina’s State Symbols...........................................................................10 Chapter Two North Carolina’s Beginnings...............................................................................58 Chapter Three Our Constitutions: A Historical Perspective........................................................72 Chapter Four The Council of State and the Executive Branch................................................132 The Office of the Governor...............................................................................140 The Office of the Lieutenant Governor.............................................................159 Department of the Secretary of State.................................................................163 Office of the State Auditor................................................................................172 Department of State Treasurer..........................................................................175 Department of Public Instruction.....................................................................183 Office of Attorney General................................................................................188 Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services..........................................198 Department of Labor........................................................................................203 Department of Insurance..................................................................................208 Department of Administration..........................................................................213 Department of Commerce................................................................................218 Department of Correction.................................................................................223 Department of Crime Control and Public Safety...............................................227 Department of Cultural Resources....................................................................231 Department of Environment and Natural Resources.........................................236 Department of Health and Human Services......................................................240 Department of Public Safety.............................................................................244 TABLE OF CONTENTS 7 Department of Revenue....................................................................................248 Department of Transportation..........................................................................253 Office of the State Controller............................................................................258 State Board of Elections....................................................................................261 Office of Administrative Hearings.....................................................................264 Office of State Personnel...................................................................................266 Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention............................270 Chapter Five The State Legislature........................................................................................274 2011-2012 North Carolina Senate....................................................................281 2011-2012 North Carolina House of Representatives.......................................340 Chapter Six The Judicial Branch..........................................................................................480 N.C. Supreme Court.........................................................................................489 N.C. Court of Appeals......................................................................................499 N.C. Superior Court Judges..............................................................................507 N.C. District Court Judges................................................................................511 N.C. District Attorneys.....................................................................................519 Chapter Seven UNC System Colleges and Universities.............................................................522 Chapter Eight N.C. Community College System.....................................................................562 Chapter Nine Private Colleges and Universities......................................................................614 Chapter Ten North Carolina Political Parties.........................................................................618 Democratic Party of North Carolina Platform.............................................618 Libertarian Party of North Carolina Platform..............................................642 8 TABLE OF CONTENTS Republican Party of North Carolina Platform.............................................651 Chapter Eleven United States Government................................................................................660 Constitution of the United States......................................................................661 Amendments to the U.S. Constitution..............................................................672 President of the United States.......................................................................... 682 One Hundred and Twelfth U.S. Congress.........................................................687 United States Judiciary.....................................................................................704 United States District Court in North Carolina.................................................705 Chapter Twelve Counties and Their Governments.....................................................................706 Chapter Thirteen Elections and Voting Records............................................................................736 Chapter Fourteen North Carolina Population Data.......................................................................890 Chapter Fifteen Foreign Consuls in North Carolina...................................................................914 TABLE OF CONTENTS 9 NORTH CAROLINA STATE SYMBOLS Lords Proprietor Seal Albemarle Seal 1665-1730 North Carolina’s State Symbols Like every other state in the U.S. and nearly every country in the world, North Carolina’s state government has selected a wide array of official state symbols. Some of these symbols, such as the state seal, are historic relics that played an important legal role earlier in the state’s history. Others are symbols chosen by the N.C. General Assembly to promote important North Carolina products, natural resources and human achievements. Some symbols are literally larger than life, particularly such historic state buildings as the North Carolina Capitol, the N.C. Legislative Building and the Executive Mansion, the official residence of North Carolina’s governor. All North Carolina symbols share one important function, namely reminding North Carolinians and the rest of the world of our state’s cultural character, natural wonders and rich history. The Great Seal of the State of North Carolina The state seal is probably the oldest official state symbol. A seal for important documents was used before a state government was organized in North Carolina. During the colonial period North Carolina used four different seals in succession. Since independence, the state has used six different versions of the seal. 12 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 Provincial Seal 1730-1767 Provincial Seal 1767-1776 Shortly after King Charles II issued the Charter of 1663 to the Lords Proprietor, a seal was adopted to use in conjunction with their newly-acquired domains in America. No official description has been found of the seal but it can be seen in the British Public Record Office in London. The seal had two sides and was 3 and 3/8 inches in diameter. The impression was made by bonding two wax cakes together with tape before being impressed. The finished impression was about a quarter-inch thick. This seal was used on all official papers of the Lords Proprietor of Carolina, which at the time included all of the territory inside the current borders of both North Carolina and South Carolina. When the Government of Albemarle was organized in 1665, it adopted for a seal the reverse side of the seal of the Lords Proprietor. Between the coat of arms, the word A-L-B-E-M-A-R-L-E was fixed in capitals beginning with the letter “A” between the Craven arms and those of Lord John Berkeley. The Albemarle seal was small, only 1 and 7/16 inches in diameter, and had only one face. The seal was usually impressed on red wax, but was occasionally imprinted on a wafer stuck to the instrument with soft wax. The government for Albemarle County was the first to use the seal. As the colony grew, it became the seal of the entire Province of North Carolina. It continued in use until just after the purchase of North Carolina by the crown. During the troublesome times of the Cary Rebellion, the Albemarle seal was not used. Instead, Cary used his family arms as a seal for official papers. William Glover used his private seal during his presidency as well. 13 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E State Seal 1779-1794 State Seal 1794 -1836 When North Carolina became a royal colony in 1729, the old “Albemarle” seal was no longer applicable. On February 3, 1730, the Board of Trade recommended that the king order a public seal for the Province of North Carolina. Later that same month, the king approved the recommendations and ordered that a new seal be prepared for the governor of North Carolina. On March 25, the Board of Trade presented the king with a draft of the proposed seal for his consideration. The king approved the proposed new seal on April 10 with one minor change: “Georgius Secundus” was to be substituted for the original “Geo. II.” The chief engraver of seals, Rollos, was ordered to “engrave a silver Seal according to said draught …” The arrival of the new seal in North Carolina was delayed; so when the council met in Edenton on March 30, 1731, the old seal of the colony was ordered to be used until the new seal arrived. The new seal arrived in late April and the messenger fetching the seal from Cape Fear was paid £10 for his journey. The impression of the new seal was made by placing two cakes or layers of wax together, then interlacing ribbon or tape with the attached seal between the wax cakes. It was customary to put a piece of paper on the outside of three cakes before they were impressed. The complete seal was 4 and 3/8 inches in diameter and from 1/2 to 5/8 inches thick and weighed about 5 and 1/2 ounces. At a meeting of the council held in New Bern on December 14, 1767, Governor Tryon produced a new great seal of the province with His Majesty’s Royal Warrant from the Court of St. James bearing the date of the 9th day of July, 1767. The old seal was returned to his Majesty’s Council office at Whitehall in England. Accompanying 14 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 State Seal 1836 - 1893 State Seal 1893 - 1971 the warrant was a description of the new seal with instructions that the seal be used to seal all patents and grants of lands and all public instruments passed in the king’s name for service within the province. It was 4 inches in diameter, 1/2 to 5/8 inches thick, and weighed 4 and 1/2 ounces. Sometimes a smaller seal than the Great Seal was used on commissions and grants, such as a small heart-shaped seal or a seal in the shape of an ellipse. These impressions were evidently made by putting the wax far enough under the edge of the Great Seal to take the impression of the crown. The royal governors also used their private seals on commissions and grants. Lord Granville, after the sale of the colony by the Lords Proprietor, retained his right to issue land grants. He used his private seal on the grants he issued. The last reference found to the colonial seal is in a letter from Governor Martin to the Earl of Hillsborough in November, 1771, in which he recounts the broken condition of the seal. He states the seal had been repaired and though “awkwardly mended… [it was] in such manner as to answer all purposes.” Following independence, Section XVII of the new constitution adopted at Halifax on December 18, 1776, provided “That there shall be a Seal of this State, which shall be kept by the Governor, and used by him as occasion may require; and shall be called the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina, and be affixed to all grants and commissions.” When a new constitution was adopted in 1868, Article III, Section 16, provided for “…a seal of the State, which shall be kept by the Governor, and used 15 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E State Seal 1971 - 1984 State Seal 1984 - present by him, as occasion may require, and shall be called The Great Seal of the State of North Carolina.” It also provided for the Secretary of State to countersign with the governor. When the people of North Carolina ratified the current state constitution in 1970, Article III, Section 10, contained provisions for “The Great Seal of the State of North Carolina.” However, the wording which authorized the Secretary of State to countersign documents was removed. On December 22, 1776, the Provincial Congress at Halifax appointed William Hooper, Joseph Hewes and Thomas Burke as commissioners to procure a seal for the state. There is no record, however, that the commission ever made a report. The congress authorized the governor to use his “private seal at arms” until a great seal for the state was procured. A bill to do just that became law on May 2, 1778. The legislation appointed William Tisdale, Esq., to cut and engrave a seal for the state. On Sunday, November 7, 1779, the Senate granted Tisdale £150 to make the seal. The seal procured under this act was used until 1794. The actual size of the seal was 3 inches in diameter and 1/4 inch thick. It was made by putting two cakes of wax together with paper wafers on the outside and pressing them between the dies, thus forming the obverse and reverse sides of the seal. An official description of this seal cannot be found, but many of the seals still in existence are in an almost perfect state of preservation. In January, 1792, the General Assembly authorized a new state seal, requiring that it be prepared with only one side. Colonel Abisha Thomas, an agent of North 16 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 Carolina commissioned by Governor Martin, was in Philadelphia to settle the state’s Revolutionary War claims against the federal government. Martin sent a design to Colonel Thomas for a new seal for the state; however, after suggestions by Dr. Hugh Williamson and Senator Samuel Johnston, this sketch was disregarded and a new one submitted. This new sketch, with some modification, was finally accepted by Governor Spaight, and Colonel Thomas had the seal made accordingly. The seal press for the old seal had proved unwieldy due to its two-sided nature and large diameter. Governor Richard Dobbs Spaight in a letter to Colonel Abisha Thomas in February, 1793, wrote: “Let the screws by which the impression is to be made be as portable as possible so as it may be adapted to our present itinerant government. The one now in use by which the Great Seal is at present made is so large and unwieldy as to be carried only in a cart or wagon and of course has become stationary at the Secretary’s office which makes it very convenient.” The seal was cut some time during the summer of 1793. Colonel Thomas brought it home with him in time for the meeting of the legislature in November, 1793, at which session it was “approbated.” The screw to the seal was 2 and 1/2 inches in diameter and was used until around 1835. In the winter of 1834-35 the legislature enacted legislation authorizing the governor to procure a new seal. The preamble to the act stated that the old seal had been used since the first day of March, 1793. A new seal, which was very similar to its predecessor, was adopted in 1835 and continued in use until 1893. In 1868, the legislature authorized the governor to procure a new replacement seal and required him to do so whenever the old one was lost or so worn or defaced that it was unfit for use. In 1883, Colonel S. McD. Tate introduced a bill that described in more detail what the seal should be like. In 1893, Jacob Battle introduced a bill to add the state motto, “Esse Quam Videri,” to the foot of the state’s coat of arms and the words “May 20, 1775,” to the top of the coat-of-arms. By the late 19th and early 20th century, the ship that appeared in the background of the early seals had disappeared. The North Carolina mountains formed the only backdrop on the seal. The 1971 General Assembly, in an effort to “provide a standard for the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina,” passed the following act amending the General Statutes provision relative to the State Seal: The Governor shall procure of the State a Seal, which shall be called the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina, and shall be two and one-quarter inches in diameter, and its design shall be a representation of the figures of Liberty and Plenty, looking toward each other, but not more than half-fronting each other and otherwise disposed as follows: Liberty, the first figure, standing, her pole with cap on it in her 17 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E left hand and a scroll with the word “Constitution” inscribed thereon in her right hand. Plenty, the second figure, sitting down, her right arm half extended toward Liberty, three heads of grain in her right hand, and in her left, the small end of her horn, the mouth of which is resting at her feet, and the contents of the horn rolling out. The background on the seal shall contain a depiction of mountains running from left to right to the middle of the seal. A side view of a three-masted ship shall be located on the ocean and to the right of Plenty. The date “May 20, 1775” shall appear within the seal and across the top of the seal and the words “esse quam videri” shall appear at the bottom around the perimeter. No other words, figures or other embellishments shall appear on the seal. It shall be the duty of the Governor to file in the office of the Secretary of State an impression of the great seal, certified to under his hand and attested to by the Secretary of State, which impression so certified the Secretary of State shall carefully preserve among the records of this Office. The late Julian R. Allsbrook, who served in the North Carolina Senate for many years, felt that the adoption date of the Halifax Resolves ought to be commemorated on the state seal as it was already on the state flag. This was to “serve as a constant reminder of the people of this state’s commitment to liberty.” Legislation adding the date “April 12, 1776” to the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina was ratified May 2, 1983, with an effective date of January 1, 1984. Chapter 257 of the 1983 Session Laws of North Carolina included provisions that would not invalidate any Great Seal of the State of North Carolina in use or on display. Instead replacement could occur as the need arose. 18 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 North Carolina State Flag Legislative records indicate that an official state flag for North Carolina was not established or recognized until 1861. The constitutional convention of 1861, which passed the ordinance of secession, adopted a state flag. On May 20, 1861, the day the secession resolution was adopted, Col. John D. Whitford, a member of the convention from Craven County, introduced an ordinance to create a state flag. The ordinance specified that the flag should contain a blue field with a white V on it and a star encircled by the words, “Surgit astrum, May 20, 1775.” Colonel Whitford chaired the committee to which this ordinance was referred. William Jarl Browne, a Raleigh artist, prepared and submitted a model to the committee and the convention approved Browne’s design on June 22, 1861. The Browne model differed significantly from the original design proposed by Colonel Whitford. The law creating the new state flag included this description: The Flag of North Carolina shall consist of a red field with a white star in the centre, and with the inscription, above the star, in a semi-circular form, of “May 20th, 1775,” and below the star, in a semi-circular form, of “May 20th, 1861.” That there shall be two bars of equal width, and the length of the field shall be equal to the bar, the width of the field being equal to both bars: the first bar shall be blue, and second shall be white: and the length of the flag shall be one-third more than its width.[Ratified the 22nd day of June, 1861] 19 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E This state flag was issued to North Carolina regiments of state troops during the summer of 1861 and borne by them throughout the war. It was the only flag, except the national and Confederate colors, used by North Carolina troops during the Civil War. This version of the flag existed until 1885, when the General Assembly adopted a new design. General Johnstone Jones introduced the bill to redesign the state flag on February 5, 1885. The measure passed its final reading one month later after little debate: An Act to Establish a State Flag It is interesting to examine the significance of the dates found on the flag. The first date, “May 20, 1775,” refers to the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, although the document’s authenticity was in question at the time (and remains so). The second date appearing on the state flag of 1861, “May 20th, 1861,” commemorated North Carolina’s secession from the Union. When a new flag was adopted in 1885, this date was replaced with “April 12th, 1776” to commemorate the Halifax Resolves, which had placed North Carolina in the very front ranks of those colonies fighting for independence from Britain. From 1885 to 1991, there was no change in our state flag. The 1991 General Assembly made minor changes to the flag, changing the length of the flag from 1/3 of its width to 1/2. It also deleted the commas before the year dates. Public use of the flag has become more common. A 1907 General Assembly act requires state flag displays at all state institutions, public buildings and court houses. 20 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 The Cardinal – State Bird The cardinal was selected by popular choice as North Carolina’s official State Bird on March 4, 1943 (Session Laws, 1943 c. 595; G.S. 145-2). Also known as the winter redbird, the cardinal is a year-round resident of North Carolina and is one of the most common birds that inhabit our state’s gardens, meadows and woodlands. The male cardinal is red all over, except for the area of its throat and the region around its bill, which is black. It is about the size of a catbird, only with a longer tail. The head is conspicuously crested and the large stout bill is red. The female cardinal is much duller in color with the red confined mostly to the crest, wings and tail. There are no seasonal changes in the cardinal’s plumage. Male and female cardinals alike are renowned as song birds. The cardinal’s nest tends to be a rather untidy affair built of weed stems, grass and similar materials in low shrubs, small trees or bunches of briars, generally not over four feet above the ground. Cardinals in North Carolina typically set three eggs each spring. Further north, cardinals tend to set four eggs in spring. Seeds are the mainstay of the cardinal’s diet, but it will also eat small fruits and insects. 21 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E The Dogwood – State Flower The General Assembly of 1941 designated the dogwood as the State Flower (Public Laws, 1941, c. 289; G.S. 145-1). The dogwood is one of the most prevalent trees in our state and can be found in all parts of the state from the mountains to the coast. Its blossoms, which appear in early spring and continue on into summer, are most often found in white, although shades of pink (red) are not uncommon. 22 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 The Honey Bee – State Insect The General Assembly of 1973 designated the industrious honey bee as the official State Insect (Session Laws, 1973, c. 55). This industrious creature is responsible for the annual production of more than $1.8 million worth of honey in the state. The North Carolina Department of Agriculture estimates that, in 2012, North Carolina had 13,000 honey-producing bee colonies maintained by apiculturists throughout the state. The department also estimates that each colony produced an average of 39 lbs. of honey that year, a statewide honey output estimated for the year at 507,000 lbs. However, the greatest value of honey bees is their role in the growing cycle as a major contributor to the pollination of North Carolina crops. According to the NC State University Department of Entomology, honey bees were found to be directly responsible for pollination of nearly 70-percent of fruit and vegetable crops in North Carolina as of 2007. 23 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E The Pine – State Tree The pine tree was officially designated as the State Tree by the General Assembly of 1963. (Session Laws, 1963, c.41) The pine is the most common tree found in North Carolina, as well as the most important one in the history of our state. During the colonial and early statehood periods, the state’s economy centered on products derived from the pines that grew throughout North Carolina. Many of the crucial naval stores — resin, turpentine and timber — needed by British and American merchant mariners and the navies of both nations came from North Carolina. North Carolina remains a major cultivator of pine trees and producer of pine tree products, particularly in the building industry. North Carolina ranks second in the nation, behind only Orgeon, in production of Christmas trees and has been chosen to provide the Christmas trees for the White House 12 times. The North Carolina Department of Agriculture estimates that the state’s commercial evergreen growers sold more than $75 million worth of Christmas trees in 2012. Most of the state’s Christmas trees are raised in Ashe, Avery, Alleghany, Watauga and Jackson counties in the North Carolina mountains. 24 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 The Gray Squirrel – State Mammal The General Assembly of 1969 designated the gray squirrel as the official State Mammal (Session Laws, 1969. c. 1207; G.S. 145-5). The gray squirrel is a common inhabitant of most areas of North Carolina from “the swanps of eastern North Carolinato the upland hardwood forests of the piedmont and western counties.: This tree-dwelling rodent thrives equally well in an “untouched wilderness” environment and in urban areas and suburbs. To the delight of hikers and park dwellers alike, this furry crature is extreamly active during the day and, like most humans, sleeps at night. In its favorite habitat - the evergreen coniferous forest - the gray squirrel is much larger than other species of squirrels, usually driving away the red squirrel (Tamiascurus) whenever the two species meet. The gray squirrel is not a pickey eater. During the fall and winter months, it survives on a diet of hardwoods, with acorns providing most of its carbgohydrates and proteins. In the spring and summer, its diet consists of “new growth and fruits” supplemented by early corn, peanuts, and the occasional insect. Many squirrels in cities supplement their natural diet with raids on bird feeders. 25 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E State Toast The following toast was officially adopted as the State Toast of North Carolina by the General Assembly of 1957 (Session Laws, 1957, c.777): Here’s to the land of the long leaf pine, The summer land where the sun doth shine, Where the weak grow strong and the strong grow great, Here’s to “Down Home,” the Old North State! Here’s to the land of the cotton bloom white, Where the scuppernong perfumes the breeze at night, Where the soft southern moss and jessamine mate, ‘Neath the murmuring pines of the Old North State! Here’s to the land where the galax grows, Where the rhododendron’s rosette glows, Where soars Mount Mitchell’s summit great, In the “Land of the Sky,” in the Old North State! Here’s to the land where maidens are fair, Where friends are true and cold hearts rare, The near land , the dear land, whatever fate The blest land, the best land, the Old North State! State Motto The General Assembly of 1893 (Chapter 145) adopted the words “Esse Quam Videri” as the state’s official motto. The legislators directed that these words, along with the date “20 May, 1775,” be placed with North Carolina’s coat of arms upon the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina. “Esse Quam Videri” means “to be rather than to seem.” Nearly every U.S. state has adopted a motto, generally in Latin. North Carolina’s motto is quoted from Cicero’s essay on friendship (Cicero, de Amnicitia, Chapter 26). Until the 1893 act, North Carolina had no motto. It was one of the few states which did not have a motto and the only one of the original thirteen without one. 26 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 The Emerald – State Precious Stone The General Assembly of 1973 designated the emerald as the official State Precious Stone (Session Laws, 1973, c. 136). A greater variety of minerals, more than 300, have been found in North Carolina than in any other state. These minerals include some of the most valuable and unique gems in the world. The largest emerald ever found in North Carolina was 1,438 carats and was found at Hiddenite, near Statesville. The Carolina Emerald, now owned by Tiffany & Company of New York, was also found at Hiddenite in 1970. When cut to 13.14 carats, the stone was valued at the time at $100,000 and became the largest and finest cut emerald on this continent. 27 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E The Channel Bass – State Salt Water Fish The General Assembly of 1971 designated the Channel Bass (Red Drum) as the official State Salt Water Fish (Session laws, 1971, c.274; G.S. 145-6). Channel bass can usually be found in large numbers along the Tar Heel coastal waters. The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries lists the current state saltwater record and world all-tackle record for a red drum as a 94-lb. specimen caught on Hatteras Island in 1984. Other channel bass taken off the North Carolina coast have weighed up to 75 pounds, although most large catches average between 30 and 40 pounds. North Carolina currently limits sport anglers to no more than one channel bass longer than 18 inches per day and none over 27 inches. The state does not permit sales of channel bass over 27 inches. Federal law currently prohibits fishing for channel bass any further out than three miles from the coast. 28 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 The Scotch Bonnet – State Shell The General Assembly of 1965 designated the Scotch Bonnet (pronounced bone-AY) as the official State Shell (Session Laws, 1965, c. 681). A colorful and beautifully-shaped shell, the Scotch Bonnet (Phalium granulatum) is abundant in North Carolina coastal waters at depths between 500 and 200 feet. The best source of live specimens is from offshore commercial fishermen. 29 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E The Eastern Box Turtle – State Reptile This terrestrial turtle is found throughout the eastern United States, and as far west as Texas. The Eastern Box Turtle’s distinctive hinged bottom shell allows it to completely “box” itself inside its shell to protect itself from predators in the wild. Its domed top shell features brightly colored patterns that can vary greatly from one turtle to the next. The Eastern Box Turtle is an important part of North Carolina’s natural heritage that, with a conscientious conservation effort, we will be able to enjoy for many years. The General Assembly of 1979 designated the Eastern Box Turtle as the official State Reptile for North Carolina. (Session Laws, 1979, c. 154). 30 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 Granite – State Rock The General Assembly of 1979 designated granite as the official State Rock (Session Laws, 1979, c.906). North Carolina has been blessed with an abundant source of “the noble rock,” granite. The largest open-face granite quarry in the world, measuring one mile long and 1,800 feet in width, lies near Mount Airy in Surry County. Granite from this quarry is unblemished, gleaming and has few interfering seams to mar its splendor. The high quality of this granite allows its widespread use as a building material, in both industrial and laboratory applications where super-smooth surfaces are necessary. North Carolina granite has been used for many magnificent edifices of government throughout the United States such as the Wright Brothers Memorial at Kitty Hawk, the gold depository at Fort Knox, the Arlington Memorial Bridge and numerous courthouses throughout the land. Granite is a symbol of strength and steadfastness, qualities characteristic of North Carolinians. 31 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E Milk – State Beverage The General Assembly of 1987 adopted milk as the official State Beverage (Session Laws, 1987, c. 347). In making milk the official state beverage, North Carolina followed many other states, including its immediate neighbor to the north, Virginia, and Wisconsin, the nation’s number one dairy state. 32 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 The Shad Boat – State Historic Boat The General Assembly of 1987 adopted the shad boat as the official State Historic Boat (Session Laws, 1987, c. 366). The shad boat, first developed on Roanoke Island, is known for its unique crafting and high maneuverability. The boat’s name is derived from the fish it was used to catch — the shad. Traditional small sailing craft were generally ill-suited to the waterways and weather conditions along the North Carolina coast. The shallow draft of the shad boat, plus its speed and easy handling, made it ideal for use in the state’s upper northeast sounds where the water was shallow and the weather changed rapidly. Shad boats were built using native trees such as cypress, juniper, and white cedar, and varied in length between twenty-two and thirty-three feet. Construction was so expensive that production of the shad boat ended in the 1930s, although they were widely used into the 1950s. The boats were so well constructed that some, nearly 100 years old, are still seen around Manteo and Hatteras. The North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort also has a shad boat in its historic boat collection. 33 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E The Plott Hound – State Dog The Plott hound was adopted as our official State Dog on August 12, 1989 (Session Laws of North Carolina, 1989 c. 773; G.S. 145-13). The Plott hound originated in the mountains of North Carolina around 1750 and is the only breed known to have originated in this state. Named for Jonathon Plott, the German immigrant who developed the breed as a wild boar hound, the Plott hound is a legendary hunting dog known as a courageous fighter and tenacious tracker. He is also a gentle and extremely loyal companion to North Carolina’s hunters. The Plott hound is very quick, has superior treeing instincts and has always been a favorite of big-game hunters. The Plott hound has a beautiful brindle-colored coat and a spine-tingling, bugle-like call. It is also only one of four breeds known to be of American origin. 34 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 The Sweet Potato – State Vegetable The General Assembly of 1995 designated the sweet potato as the official State Vegetable (Session Laws, 1995, c.521). A staple of the traditional North Carolina diet since pre-Columbian times, the sweet potato is a nutritious source of vitamins A and C, as well as being low in fat. North Carolina is the largest producer of sweet potatoes in the United States. According to the N.C. Department of Agriculture, North Carolina growers raised 12.8 million lbs. of sweet potatoes in 2012, generating $216 million in cash receipts. 35 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E State Name and Nicknames In 1629, King Charles I of England “erected into a province,” all the land from Albemarle Sound on the north to the St. John’s River on the south, which he directed should be called Carolina. The word Carolina is from the word Carolus, the Latin form of Charles. When Carolina was divided in 1710, the southern part was called South Carolina and the older northern settlement, North Carolina. From this came the nickname the “Old North State.” During its early history, North Carolina was best-known for products derived from pine trees, particularly tar pitch and turpentine, which were crucial naval supplies in the days of wooden sailing ships. A popular state legend holds that, during the First Battle of Manassas in 1861, a charge by federal troops against part of the Confederate army’s lines broke through a Virginia regiment, causing its soldiers to flee to the rear in panic. The North Carolina regiments holding the line next to the shattered Virginia regiment, however, held their ground, stemming the Union Army’s breakthrough. After the battle the North Carolinians, who had successfully fought it out alone, were greeted by the chagrined derelict regiment with the question: “Any more tar down in the Old North State, boys?” Quick as a flash came the answer: “No, not a bit, old Jeff’s bought it all up.” “Is that so? What is he going to do with it?” the Virginians asked. “He is going to put it on you-uns’ heels to make you stick better in the next fight!” R.B. Creecy claims that General Robert E. Lee, upon hearing of the incident, said: “God bless the Tar Heel boys,” and that the name stuck to all North Carolina troops serving in the Army of Northern Virginia afterwards. (Adapted from Grandfather Tales of North Carolina by R.B. Creecy and Histories of North Carolina Regiments, Vol. III, by Walter Clark). State Colors The General Assembly of 1945 declared the shades of red and blue found in the North Carolina state flag and the United States flag as the official State Colors. (Session Laws, 1945, c.878). 36 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 State Song The song known as “The Old North State” was adopted as the official song of the State of North Carolina by the General Assembly of 1927. (Public Laws, 1927, c.26; G.S. 149-1). 37 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E The Carolina Tartan -- The State Tartan North Carolina has long celebrated its historical and cultural ties to Scotland. Scots and Scots-Irish immigrants were crucial to the state’s population and development both before and after the American Revolution. Much of the state’s traditional culture, especially music, has its roots in Scottish culture. The 1991 General Assembly designated the Carolina Tartan as the Official Tartan of North Carolina. 38 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 The Colonial Spanish Mustang -- The State Horse Believed to be descendants of the Colonial Spanish Mustangs brought to the Americas by Spanish explorers dating back to the 16th century, wild horses have roamed North Carolina’s Outer Banks for hundreds of years. Following numerous requests from the students of Shawboro Elementary School in Currituck County, as well as the Corolla Wild Horse Fund, the General Assembly designated the Spanish Colonial Mustang as the Official Horse of the State of North Carolina in 2010 to honor the role they have played in the history and culture of the Outer Banks. 39 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E The Scuppernong Grape -- The State Fruit Plump and full of juice, the scuppernong grape is a North Carolina favorite and is grown in many parts of the state. The 2001 General Assembly designated the scuppernong grape as the Official Fruit of North Carolina. 40 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 Gold – State Mineral The General Assembly in 2011 designated gold as North Carolina’s official State Mineral. North Carolina became the home of the nation’s first gold rush in the early 1800s. It all started when 12-year-old Conrad Reed found a 17 pound gold nugget. From 1804 to 1828 North Carolina was the source of all domestic gold coined by the U.S. Mint. North Carolina’s gold industry declined after the first discovery of gold in California in 1849, but gold will always have an important role in North Carolina’s history. 41 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail – State Butterfly The General Assembly designated the Eastern tiger swallowtail as North Carolina’s official State butterfly in 2012. Native to North America, the Eastern tiger swallowtail is broadly believed to have first been drawn by artist and cartographer John White. White was also the governor of the Roanoke Island colony now famously known as the “Lost Colony.” 42 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 The Blueberry -- The State Blue Berry 43 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E The Strawberry -- The State Red Berry The blueberry and the strawberry are common visitors to dinner tables all across North Carolina. The 2001 General Assembly designated the blueberry as the Official State Blue Berry and the strawberry as the Official State Red Berry. 44 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 The Carolina Lily -- The State Wildfl ower The Carolina Lily (Lilium michauxii) grows wild all the way from the North Carolina mountains to coastal swamps. The lily typically blooms here in July and August. Its blooms are orange-red and curled so far back that they often touch or overlap. The 2003 General Assembly designated the Carolina Lilly as the Offi cial State Wildfl ower. 45 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E The Venus Flytrap -- The State Carnivorous Plant The Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) grows wild in swamps in southeastern North Carolina, within a 75-mile radius of Wilmington. The plant developed its ability to trap and digest flies and other small insects to offset the nitrogen-poor soil in which it typically grows. It uses nitrogen gained from its prey to form proteins necessary for it to live. The 2005 General Assembly designated the Venus Flytrap as the Official State Carnivorous Plant. 46 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 Seagrove -- The State Birthplace of Traditional Pottery North Carolina has a long tradition of pottery-making. The Seagrove area of Randolph, Chatham, Lee, Moore and Montgomery counties is renowned for the quality of its pottery. The 2005 General Assembly designated Seagrove as the Official State Birthplace of Traditional Pottery. 47 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E Some Other Official North Carolina State Symbols Oak Ridge Military Academy -- State Military Academy (1991) Hertford County Watermelon Festival -- Northeastern North Carolina Watermelon Festival (1993) Fair Bluff Watermelon Festival -- Southeastern North Carolina Watermelon Festival (1993) Folkmoot USA -- State International Festival (2003) Ashboro Municipal Airport -- North Carolina Aviation Hall of Fame and the North Carolina Aviation Museum (2003) Wilmington International Airport -- North Carolina Museum of Aviation (2003) Clogging -- State Folk Dance (2005) Shagging -- State Popular Dance (2005) Fraser fir (Abies fraseri) -- State Christmas Tree (2005) Southern Appalachian brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) -- State Freshwater Trout (2005) Ayden Collard Festival -- State Collard Festival (2007) 48 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 State Capitol The North Carolina State Capitol is one of the finest and best-preserved examples of Greek Revival architecture incorporated in a civic building. Prior to 1792, North Carolina legislators met in various towns throughout the state, gathering most frequently in Halifax, Hillsborough and New Bern. Meetings were held in local plantation houses, courthouses and even churches. When Raleigh was founded as the permanent seat of North Carolina’s state government in 1792, a two-story brick State House was built on Union Square and opened in 1796. The State House was enlarged between 1820 and 1824 by state architect William Nichols. The project added a third floor, eastern and western wings and a domed rotunda at the building’s center. The rotunda housed a statue of President George Washington by sculptor Antonio Canova, acquired by the state in 1821. When the State House burned down on June 21, 1831, the statue was damaged beyond repair. The General Assembly of 1832-33 ordered that a new Capitol be built as an enlarged version of the old State House. The new Capitol would be a cross-shaped building with a central, domed rotunda. The assembly appropriated $50,000 for construction and appointed a building committee to manage the project. 49 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E The commission first hired William Nichols, Jr,. to draft plans for the building. In August of 1833, however, the committee replaced Nichols with distinguished New York architects Ithiel Town and Alexander Jackson Davis. Town and Davis altered the earlier design dramatically and developed a plan that gave the Capitol its present appearance. David Paton (1802-1882), an architect born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and former associate of the noted English architect Sir John Soane, was hired in September, 1834, to supervise construction of the Capitol. Paton replaced Town and Davis as the project architect in early 1835. The Capitol was completed under Paton’s direction, except for the exterior stone walls, which were largely in place when he arrived in Raleigh. Paton made several modifications to the Town and Davis plans for the interior. Among the changes were the cantilevered gallery at the second floor level of the rotunda, the groined masonry vaulting of the first floor offices and corridor ceilings, and the interior arrangement of the east and west porticoes. The new Capitol’s cornerstone was set in place on July 4, 1833. After the initial foundation was laid, however, work on the project progressed slowly. The original appropriation for construction was soon exhausted. The next session of the General Assembly authorized an additional appropriation of $75,000 to continue work on the new Capitol. This phase of the project employed a large number of skilled artisans from Scotland. Most of the Capitol’s architectural details, including the columns, mouldings, ornamental plasterwork and ornamental honeysuckle atop the dome, were carefully patterned after features of Greek temples. Its Doric exterior columns are modeled after those of the Parthenon. The House of Representatives chamber imitates the semi-circular plan of a Greek amphitheater and its architectural ornamentation is Corinthian (Order of the Tower of the Winds). The Senate chamber follows the Ionic Order of the Erechtheum. The only non-classical parts of the building are two large rooms on the third floor which were finished in the Gothic style that was just beginning to gain popularity in American architectural circles. The ornamental ironwork, plasterwork, chandeliers, hardware and marble mantels of the Capitol came from Philadelphia. Raleigh cabinetmaker William Thompson crafted the desks and chairs in the House and Senate chambers. The Capitol was completed in 1840 at a total cost (including furnishings) of $532,682.34 — an equivalent of more than three times the state’s yearly general revenues at the time. The Capitol housed all of state government until the late 1880s. Today the building’s only official occupants are the governor and the lieutenant governor. The N.C. Supreme Court moved to its own building in 1888 and in 1963, the General Assembly moved into the newly-constructed Legislative Building. 50 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 A thorough renovation of the Capitol in 1971 replaced the leaky copper roof, cleaned and sealed the exterior stone and repainted the rotunda. More recent preservation efforts have focused on repairing plasterwork damaged by roof leaks, replacing obsolete wiring and plumbing, installing new, less conspicuous heating and cooling systems in the upper floors, replacing worn carpets and draperies and repainting the rest of the interior. In 1970 the state acquired a duplicate of the original marble statue of Washington by Canova, which is located in the rotunda of the Capitol. In niches around the rotunda are busts of three North Carolina governors — John M. Morehead, William A. Graham, and Samuel Johnston — and United States Senator Matthew W. Ransom. During late 1988 and early 1989, extensive landscaping and grounds renovations were undertaken to enhance the beauty of the Capitol and to improve its visibility. Memorials to North Carolinians who served in World War II and the Vietnam War were also added in the 1980s and 1990s. In an effort to make the Capitol more accessible to the people of North Carolina, the building has been opened to the public on weekends with guided tours available. The Capitol continues to play a vital role in the next chapters of our nation’s history as the site of North Carolina’s Electoral College. By statute, North Carolina electors must meet in the Capitol’s old Hall of the House of Representatives following each presidential election to vote on behalf of North Carolina for President and Vice President of the United States. 51 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E Legislative Building In 1959, the General Assembly appropriated funds for the construction of a new legislative building. The new facility was needed to accommodate a growing legislative branch and provide adequate quarters for legislators and staff. The act created a building commission of seven people: two who had served in the N.C. Senate and were appointed by the president of the Senate; two who had served in the N.C. House of Representatives and were appointed by the speaker of the House; and three appointed by the governor. The commission chose Edward Durell Stone of New York and John S. Holloway and Ralph B. Reeves, Jr., of Raleigh as architectural consultants for the project. After a thorough study, the commission selected a 5.5-acre site one block north of the Capitol for the new building. This site, which encompasses two city blocks, is bounded by Jones, Salisbury, Lane and Wilmington streets. A section of Halifax Street between Jones and Lane was closed to tie the two blocks together. Bids on the new building were received in December, 1960, and construction began in early 1961. 52 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 The 1961 General Assembly appropriated an additional one million dollars for furnishings and equipment, bringing the total appropriation for the new Legislative Building to $5.5 million — $1.24 for each citizen of North Carolina based on 1960 census figures. The consulting architects provided this detailed description of the new building: The State Legislative Building, though not an imitation of historic classical styles, is classical in character. Rising from a 340-foot wide podium of North Carolina granite, the building proper is 242 feet square. The walls and the columns are of Vermont marble, the latter forming a colonnade encompassing the building and reaching 24 feet from the podium to the roof of the second floor. Inset in the south podium floor, at the main entrance, is a 28 foot diameter terrazzo mosaic of the Great Seal of the State. From the first floor main entrance (on Jones Street) the carpeted 22-foot wide main stair extends directly to the third floor and the public galleries of the Senate and House, the auditorium, the display area, and the roof gardens. The four garden courts are located at the corners of the building. These courts contain tropical plants and three have pools, fountains and hanging planters. The main floor areas of the courts are located on the first floor and galleries overlook the courts from the mezzanine floor. The skylights, which provide natural lighting, are located within the roof gardens overhead. The courts provide access to committee rooms in the first floor, the legislative chambers in the second floor and to members’ offices in both floors. The Senate and House chambers, each 5,180 square feet in area, occupy the east and west wings of the second floor. Following the traditional relationship of the two chambers in the Capitol, the two spaces are divided by the rotunda; and when the main brass doors are open, the two presiding officers face one another. Each pair of brass doors weighs 1,500 pounds. The five pyramidal roofs covering the Senate and House chambers, the auditorium, the main stair, and the rotunda are sheathed with copper, as is the Capitol. The pyramidal shapes of the roofs are visible in the pointed ceilings inside. The structural ribs form a coffered ceiling; and inside the coffered patterns are concentric patterns outlined in gold. In each chamber, the distance from the floor to the peak of the ceiling is 45 feet. Chandeliers in the chambers and the main stair are 8 feet in diameter and weigh 625 pounds each. The 12-foot diameter chandelier of the rotunda, like the others, is of brass, but its weight is 750 pounds. Because of the interior climate, the garden courts and rotunda have tropical plants and trees. Outside, however, the shrubs and trees are of an indigenous type. 53 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E Among the trees on the grounds and on the roof areas are sugar maples, dogwoods, crabapples, magnolias, crepe myrtles and pines. Throughout the building, the same color scheme is maintained: walnut, accented with white, gold and red, as well as green foliage. In general, all wood is American walnut, metal is brass or similar material, carpets are red and upholstery is gold or black. The enclosed area consists of 206,000 square feet of floor area with a volume of 3,210,000 cubic feet. Heating equipment provides over 7,000,000 B.T.U.s per hour; the cooling equipment has a capacity of 620 tons. For lighting, motors and other electrical equipment, the building has a connected service load of over 2,000,000 watts. Renovations to the Legislative Building in the 1980s created more office space and expanded the meeting room facilities to meet the needs of the General Assembly’s various committees. The Legislative Office Building opened across Jones Street from the Legislative Building in 1982. Nearly half of the members of each house moved to new offices in the building, as well as several of the support divisions of Legislative Services. The area around the Legislative Building has changed dramatically since it opened in the 1960s. The west side of the building now opens onto a majestic plaza several blocks long and ringed by government office buildings constructed in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. The east side of the building now faces the North Carolina Museum of History and the North Carolina Museum of Natural History, which opened in April, 1999. 54 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 Executive Mansion North Carolina has not always provided an official home for its governors and their families. Prior to 1770, the governor lived wherever he chose at his own expense. It was not until 1767 that the General Assembly authorized the construction of the first permanent official residence. Designed by English architect John Hawks and built between 1767 and 1770, Tryon Palace in New Bern, named for Royal Governor William Tryon, became one of the most admired public structures in North America. Tryon Palace, however, served as a formal gubernatorial residence for only a short time. Abandoned by Tryon when the Revolution erupted, the palace was adopted as the new state’s capitol. A fire in 1798 leveled the entire structure except for the west wing. The present structure, a popular historic attraction in its own right, is largely a reconstruction based on Hawks’ original plans, as well as archaeological research. Shortly after Raleigh was selected as the permanent seat of state government in 1792, the legislature enacted a law requiring the governor to reside there. Samuel Ashe of New Hanover County, elected in 1794, was the first governor to come under this law. The General Assembly took steps to provide a suitable dwelling for the state’s chief executive. It instructed the state treasurer to purchase or lease a house. In 1797, a plain, 55 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E two-story frame building painted white and an office for the governor were erected on Lot 131, the southwest corner of Fayetteville and Hargett Streets. The house proved hopelessly inadequate. In an 1810 letter, Governor Benjamin Smith grumbled that the structure was “in such order that it is agreed by all who view it, not to be fit for the family of a decent tradesman, and certainly none could be satisfied; even if safe in it...” To remedy this situation, the General Assembly of 1813 appointed a committee to provide better facilities. The committee members selected a site at the foot of Fayetteville Street facing the old State House. An elaborate brick structure with white-columned porticoes was completed in 1816 and Governor William Miller became the first occupant of the Governor’s Palace. Twenty succeeding governors resided in the “Palace,” as it came to be cynically termed. Many of the state’s most notable historical events took place there. General Lafayette was an overnight guest in 1825. Several sessions of the General Assembly were held in the building following the burning of the State House in 1831. Zebulon Baird Vance was the last governor to occupy the structure, abandoning it at the close of the Civil War to avoid capture by the Union Army. General William T. Sherman and his staff were quartered in the palace during the spring of 1865. Governor Vance was re-elected to office in 1877. In 1879, a commission appointed two years earlier by the General Assembly to investigate the possibilities of providing a new suitable residence for North Carolina’s governors issued a report of its findings. Proceeds from the sales of unused state lands in the Raleigh area were earmarked for construction of a house and outbuildings suitable for the governor. The General Assembly finally approved the decision to build the present Executive Mansion in 1883, thanks to the efforts and perseverance of Governor Thomas J. Jarvis (1879-1885). The legislature authorized construction of a house on Burke Square, provided some furnishings and required the governor to occupy it upon its completion. The assembly directed the governor to use convict labor and building materials “manufactured or prepared, either in whole or in part” at the penitentiary whenever feasible. 56 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 David Paton, who had supervised the completion of the state capitol nearly half a century earlier, was initially recommended as the project’s architect. Because of the architect’s advanced age, however, he was passed over for the assignment. The N.C. Council of State selected Samuel Sloan of Philadelphia and his assistant, Gustavus Adolphus Bauer, as project architects. Sloan delivered his proposed designs to the committee personally when he arrived in Raleigh on April 28, 1883. The plans called for a three-story, Queen Anne-style building. On May 7, the committee accepted Sloan’s designs with minor modifications. The mansion was finished in late 1890, but Governor Daniel Fowle (1889- 1891) did not move in until early January, 1891. He was particularly anxious to occupy the house in view of earlier attempts to abandon it as a residence for the governor. Fowle brought his own furniture to the mansion, setting a precedent followed for many years before the house was adequately furnished. Much of the money originally set aside to furnish the mansion had been siphoned off to cover mounting construction costs. As preparations were made for Governor Angus W. McLean’s residence in the mansion (1925-1929), previous renovations were pronounced inadequate. Sentiment for removing the house and landscaping Burke Square as a public park was once again aroused. Secretary of State W. N. Everett halted the movement. He had made his own examination and reported that major repairs were needed to provide the governor with a comfortable dwelling. Everett suggested a sum of $50,000 for repairs and new furnishings. Although this action was taken without McLean’s knowledge, upon learning of it, he soon became active in seeking the appropriation. Their case was strengthened by a State Board of Health inspection report tued in February, 1925, shortly after McLean’s inauguration. The inspection report was startling, noting that the management of a hotel receiving such a bad rating would be subject to criminal indictment. The principal deductions in scoring were for uncleanliness. Dust pervaded the mansion, covering the woodwork, filming the furniture and stifling the air. Governor Fowle’s contemporaries had described clouds of dust billowing up from the floor with every footstep. The first floor walls and The first floor walls and floors were unsound and the ornate plasterwork was disintegrating in some areas. The upstairs floors, composed of uneven, shoddy boards, had half-inch cracks. The architectural firm of Atwood and Nash carried out extensive renovations to the mansion. Their work vastly improved the mansion, saving it from further deterioration and correcting many of the defects caused by the use of prison labor and materials in the original construction. A newspaper account, lauding Governor McLean’s accomplishments, claimed that renovating a building considered eligible for demolition had saved the state more than a third of a million dollars. 57 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E Later administrations made further improvements to the mansion. An elevator was installed, air conditioning units were placed in some rooms and a bomb shelter was added during Governor Luther H. Hodges’ tenure (1954-1961). Mrs. Terry Sanford added many antique furnishings during her husband’s term of office (1961-1965). In May, 1973, the General Assembly ordered another round of repairs. This renovation was the most extensive in the history of the Executive Mansion. The General Assemblies of 1973 and 1975 appropriated $845,000 to complete the project. Governor James E. Holshouser, Jr., and his family moved out of the mansion to a temporary home in the Foxcroft subdivision of Raleigh for eight months while interior renovations were carried out by F. Carter Williams, a local architectural firm. Today, North Carolina’s Executive Mansion draws tens of thousands of visitors each year. Original state symbols art work by Angela Davis. NORTH CAROLINA’S BEGINNINGS North Carolina’s Beginnings North Carolina’s history began thousands of years ago as Native American tribes settled throughout the state. Pre-Columbian Native American history in North Carolina was, of course, unwritten. But the state’s first inhabitants left behind tangible signs of their existence, including sites as large and impressively engineered as the Town Creek Mound in Montgomery County. North Carolina was an important boundary area between different Native American cultural areas, tribes and language stocks. The Algonquian-speaking tribes of northeastern North Carolina’s Albemarle Sound region constituted the southern extremity of Eastern Woodlands culture. Further inland, Iroquoian and Siouan-speaking tribes such as the Tuscarora and the Catawba were more oriented toward the Southeastern cultural tradition. North Carolina’s mountains were the homeland of the Cherokee tribe, Iroquoian speakers who would be driven from North Carolina, save for a small remnant, during the winter of 1838-39 by federal troops. Those Cherokee who survived the “Trail of Tears” settled in what later became Oklahoma. The descendents of those Cherokee who managed to avoid capture and relocation still live today in their mountain homeland and are known as the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation. First European Contacts The first known European exploration of North Carolina occurred during the summer of 1524. A Florentine navigator named Giovanni da Verrazano, in the service of France, explored the coastal area of North Carolina between the Cape Fear River area and Kitty Hawk. A report of his findings was sent to Francis I, and published in Richard Hakluyt’s Divers Voyages touching the Discoverie of America. No attempt was made to colonize the area. Between 1540 and 1570 several Spanish explorers from the Florida Gulf region explored portions of North Carolina, but again no permanent settlements were established. Coastal North Carolina was the scene of the first attempt by English-speaking people to colonize North America. Two colonies were begun in the 1580s under a charter granted by Queen Elizabeth to Sir Walter Raleigh. The first colony, established in 1585 under the leadership of Ralph Lane, ended in failure. A second expedition under the leadership of John White began in the spring of 1587 when 110 settlers, including seventeen women and nine children, set sail for the new world. The White Colony arrived near Hatteras in June, 1587, and went on to Roanoke Island, where they N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 60 found the houses built by Ralph Lane’s expedition still standing. Two significant events occurred shortly after the colonists’ arrival — two friendly Indians were baptized and a child was born. Virginia Dare was the first child born to English-speaking parents in the new world. The colonists faced many problems. With supplies running short, White was pressured to return to England for provisions. Once in England, White was unable to immediately return to Roanoke because of the impending attack by the Spanish Armada. When he was finally able to return in 1590, he found only the abandoned remnants of what was once a thriving settlement. There were no signs of life, only the word “CROATAN” carved on a nearby tree. Much speculation has been made about the fate of the “Lost Colony,” but no one has successfully explained the disappearance of the colony and its settlers. Permanent Settlement The first permanent English settlers in North Carolina emigrated from the Tidewater area of southeastern Virginia. The first of these “overflow” settlers moved into the area of the Albemarle Sound in northeast North Carolina around 1650. In 1663, Charles II granted a charter to eight English noblemen who had helped him regain the throne of England. The charter document contains the following description of the territory which the eight Lords Proprietor were granted title to: “All that Territory or tract of ground, situate, lying, and being within our Dominions in America, extending from the North end of the Island called Luck Island, which lies in the Southern Virginia Seas and within six and Thirty degrees of the Northern Latitude, and to the West as far as the South Seas; and so Southerly as far as the River Saint Mathias, which borders upon the Coast of Florida, and within one and Thirty degrees of Northern Latitude, and West in a direct line as far as the South Seas aforesaid; Together with all and singular Ports, Harbours, Bays, Rivers, Isles, and Islets belonging Into the Country aforesaid; And also, all the Soil, Lands, Fields, Woods, Mountains, Farms, Lakes, Rivers, Bays, and Islets situate or being within the Bounds or Limits aforesaid; with the Fishing of all sorts of Fish, Whales, Sturgeons, and all other Royal Fishes in the Sea, Bays, Islets, and Rivers within the premises, and the Fish therein taken; And moreover, all Veins, Mines, and Quarries, as well discovered as not discovered, of Gold, Silver, Gems, and precious Stones, and all other, whatsoever be it, of Stones, Metals, or any other thing whatsoever found or to be found within the Country, Isles, and Limits ....” The territory was to be called “Carolina” in honor of Charles I. In 1665, a second charter was granted in order to clarify territorial questions not answered in the first charter. This charter extended the boundary lines of Carolina to include: “All that Province, Territory, or Tract of ground, situate, lying, and being within our Dominions of America aforesaid, extending North and Eastward as N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S B E G I N N I N G S C H A P T E R TWO 61 far as the North end of Carahtuke River or Gullet; upon a straight Westerly line to Wyonoake Creek, which lies within or about the degrees of thirty six and thirty Minutes, Northern latitude, and so West in a direct line as far as the South Seas; and South and Westward as far as the degrees of twenty nine, inclusive, northern latitude; and so West in a direct line as far as the South Seas.” Between 1663 and 1729, North Carolina was under the near-absolute control of the Lords Proprietor and their descendants. The small group commissioned colonial officials and authorized the governor and his council to grant lands in the name of the Lords Proprietor. In 1669, philosopher John Locke wrote the Fundamental Constitutions as a model for the government of Carolina. Albemarle County was divided into local governmental units called precincts. Initially there were three precincts — Berkley, Carteret, and Shaftesbury — but as the colony expanded to the south and west, new precincts were created. By 1729, there were a total of eleven precincts — six in Albemarle County and five in Bath County, which had been created in 1696. Although the Albemarle Region was the first permanent settlement in the Carolina area, another populated region soon developed around present-day Charleston, South Carolina. Because of the natural harbor and easier access to trade with the West Indies, more attention was given to developing the Charleston area than her northern counterparts. For a twenty-year period, 1692-1712, the colonies of North and South Carolina existed as one unit of government. Although North Carolina still had her own assembly and council, the governor of Carolina resided in Charleston and a deputy governor was appointed for North Carolina. Royal Colony In 1729, seven of the Lords Proprietor sold their interest in North Carolina to the crown and North Carolina became a royal colony. The eighth proprietor, Lord Granville, retained economic interest and continued granting land in the northern half of North Carolina. The crown supervised all political and administrative functions in the colony until 1775. Colonial government in North Carolina changed little between the proprietary and royal periods, the only major difference being who appointed colonial officials. There were two primary units of government — the governor and his council and a colonial assembly whose representatives were elected by the qualified voters of the county. Colonial courts, unlike today’s courts, rarely involved themselves in formulating governmental policy. All colonial officials were appointed by either the Lords Proprietor prior to 1729 or by the crown afterwards. Members of the colonial assembly were elected from the various precincts (counties) and from certain towns which had been granted representation. The term “precinct” as a geographical unit ceased to exist after 1735. These areas became known as “counties” and about the same time “Albemarle County” and “Bath County” ceased to exist as governmental units. The governor was an appointed official, as were the colonial secretary, attorney N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 62 general, surveyor general and the receiver general. All officials served at the pleasure of the Lords Proprietor or the crown. The council served as an advisory group to the governor during the proprietary and royal periods, in addition to serving as the upper house of the legislature when the assembly was in session. When vacancies occurred in colonial offices or on the council, the governor was authorized to carry out all mandates of the proprietors and could make a temporary appointment until the vacancy was filled by proprietary or royal commission. One member of the council was chosen as president of the group and many council members were also colonial officials. If a governor or deputy governor was unable to carry on as chief executive because of illness, death, resignation or absence from the colony, the president of the council became the chief executive and exercised all powers of the governor until the governor returned or a new governor was commissioned. The colonial assembly was made up of men elected from each precinct and town where representation had been granted. Not all counties were entitled to the same number of representatives. Many of the older counties had five representatives each, while those formed after 1696 were each allowed only two. Each town granted representation was allowed one representative. The presiding officer of the colonial assembly was called the speaker and was elected from the entire membership of the house. When a vacancy occurred, a new election was ordered by the speaker to fill it. On the final day of each session, bills passed by the legislature were signed by both the speaker and the president of the council. The colonial assembly could meet only when it was called into session by the governor. Since the assembly was the only body authorized to grant the governor his salary and spend tax monies raised in the colony, it met on a regular basis until just before the Revolutionary War. There was, however, a constant struggle for authority between the governor and his council on the one hand and the general assembly on the other. Two of the most explosive issues involved fiscal control of the colony’s revenues and the election of treasurers. Both were privileges of the assembly. The question of who had the authority to create new counties also simmered throughout the colonial period. On more than one occasion, elected representatives from counties created by the governor and council without consulting the lower house were refused seats until the matter was resolved. These conflicts between the executive and legislative bodies were to have a profound effect on the organization of state government after independence. The Struggle for Independence On April 12, 1776, North Carolina authorized its delegates to the Continental Congress to vote for independence. This was the first official call for independence from any of the colonies. The 83 delegates present in Halifax at the Fourth Provincial Congress unanimously adopted the Halifax Resolves, which indicted the colony’s royalist government in blunt fashion: N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S B E G I N N I N G S C H A P T E R TWO 63 The Select Committee, taking into Consideration the usurpations and violence attempted and committed by the King and Parliament of Britain against America, and the further measures to be taken for frustrating the same, and for the better defense of this province reported as follows, to wit, It appears to your Committee that pursuant to the Plan concerted by the British Ministry for subjugating America, the King and Parliament of Great Britain have usurped a Power over the Persons and Property of the People unlimited and uncontrolled and disregarding their humble Petitions for Peace, Liberty and Safety, have made divers Legislative Acts, denouncing War, Famine and every Species of Calamity daily employed in destroying the People and committing the most horrid devastation on the Country. That Governors in different Colonies have declared Protection to slaves who should imbrue their Hands in the Blood of their Masters. That the Ships belonging to America are declared prizes of War and many of them have been violently seized and confiscated in consequence of which multitudes of the people have been destroyed or from easy Circumstances reduced to the most Lamentable distress. And whereas the moderation hitherto manifested by the United States and their sincere desire to be reconciled to the mother Country on Constitutional Principles, have procured no mitigation of the aforesaid wrongs and usurpations and no hopes remain of obtaining redress by those Means alone which have been hitherto tried, Your Committee are of the Opinion that the house should enter into the following Resolve, to wit, Resolved that the delegates for this Colony in the Continental Congress be empowered to concur with the other delegates of the other colonies in declaring Independence, and forming foreign Alliances, resolving to this Colony the Sole, and Exclusive right of forming a Constitution and Laws for this Colony, and of appointing delegates from time to time under the direction of a General Representation thereof to meet the delegates of the other Colonies for such purposed as shall be hereafter pointed out... The Halifax Resolves were important because they were the first official action calling for independence from Britain and they were directed at all of the colonies that had taken up arms against the crown. Virginia followed with her own recommendations soon after the adoption of the Halifax Resolves and on July 4, delegates at the Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia signed the final draft of the Declaration of Independence, North Carolinians William Hooper, Joseph Hewes and John Penn among them. In early December, 1776, delegates to the Fifth Provincial Congress adopted the first constitution for North Carolina. On December 21, 1776, Richard Caswell became the first governor of North Carolina under the new constitution. N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 64 Early Statehood On November 21, 1789, the state adopted the United States Constitution, becoming the twelfth state to enter the federal union. In 1788, North Carolina had rejected the Constitution because it lacked the necessary amendments to ensure freedom of the people. The Bill of Rights satisfied the concerns of antifederalists enough to ensure the state’s adoption of the Constitution a year later. State Constitution of 1835 The convention opened on June 4, 1835, in Raleigh. The new constitution provided for popular election of the governor, as well as fixing the governor’s term in office to two years per term and no more than two consecutive terms. It established a more equitable method of representation in the General Assembly. The new constitution fixed the terms of several offices in the Council of State, equalized the poll tax, banned the legislature from considering private bills, established new legislative procedures for divorce and other matters of civil law and created a new structure for impeaching public officials. The new state constitution also created a mechanism that would allow successive General Assembly sessions to propose constitutional amendments for popular ratification. The Constitution of 1835 passed when submitted to a popular referendum. The Drift Toward War North Carolina was not a leader in talk of Southern secession as the mid-1800s came to a close. A popular referendum held in February, 1861, on whether to call a convention on secession was defeated by a very slim margin. Many of North Carolina’s political leaders looked for ways to mediate between the Union and the emerging Confederacy, to settle the secession question peacefully. But news that Confederate troops had seized Ft. Sumter in Charleston Harbor and President Lincoln’s call for militia troops from North Carolina to assist in putting down the incipient rebellion ended most North Carolinians’ reluctance to choose sides in the conflict. The state seceded from the Union in May, 1861. Once a member of the Confederacy, however, North Carolina provided more than its fair share of manpower and other resources to the war effort. One out of every four Confederate battle casualties was a North Carolinian. Union forces seized much of the Outer Banks and northeastern North Carolina in 1862, leading to constant, small-scale warfare in that region until the end of the conflict. One of the last major battles of the war occurred in March, 1865, at Bentonville, where Confederate troops under the command of Joseph E. Johnston tried to smash the left wing of Union Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman’s army. Instead, Johnston’s troops hammered at the Union lines for nearly three days in some of the worst combat of the war. Unable to break the Union Army, Johnston retreated through Raleigh and surrendered his remaining troops near Durham on April 18. N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S B E G I N N I N G S C H A P T E R TWO 65 Engulfed by a war not of its making or choosing, North Carolina suffered terribly. At the end of the war, property damage throughout the state was immense. The loss of lives on battlefields in Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania left many families grieving. Constitution of 1868 The Constitution of 1868 provided for universal male suffrage. State and county officials would henceforth be elected by popular vote and the terms for governor and lieutenant governor were extended to four years. Most of the state’s judges would likewise be elected by popular vote to eight-year terms. The new state constitution created extensive public services for North Carolinians with disabilities, provided for public orphanages and improved public access to higher education. North Carolinians could no longer be imprisoned for debt under the new state constitution and women, while still not given full citizenship rights, gained considerable new property rights. The constitution also ended the archaic network of county justices, replacing them instead with county commissions and establishing townships in each county for administrative purposes. The Progressive Era The dawn of the 20th Century brought changes to North Carolina’s economy and society. The state benefited from strong, progressive political leadership from governors such as Charles Brantley Aycock (inaugurated in 1901). Aycock persuaded the General Assembly to undertake the most sweeping expansion of the state’s public education system in nearly a century. Many North Carolina counties gained access to local public education for the first time ever between 1900 and 1920. Governor Aycock also convinced the General Assembly to make school funding and maintenance, including hiring and paying teachers, a state function. North Carolina’s state government made other progressive changes during the first two decades of the new century. The state’s park system was founded in 1915 with the opening of Mount Mitchell State Park. Led by Governor Cameron Morrison (1921-25) the state finally addressed its abysmal transportation network through the creation of a state highway commission and funding of new road construction through a series of statewide bond referenda. Morrison also coaxed the General Assembly into spending more money on public health throughout the state and funding vast improvements in the state’s public schools and public universities and colleges. Morrison’s successor, Angus McLean (1925-29), continued the pattern of expanding the administrative scope and expertise of state government and funding badly-needed improvements in public infrastructure. McLean promoted the expansion and diversification of the state economy, both in the industrial and agricultural sectors. Under McLean’s guidance, the state also began systematic efforts to attract new capital investment to North Carolina. N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 66 War and Sacrifice The Japanese Navy’s attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, launched a new period of sacrifice for many North Carolina families. Coastal residents, particularly on the Outer Banks, had an uncomfortably close view of the horrors of modern war throughout 1942 and 1943 as German submarines torpedoed and sank ships, sometimes within sight of land. Many North Carolina civilians risked their lives to rescue sailors from these sinkings and hospitals along the coast treated many injured and burned survivors. More poignantly, the state’s coastal residents collected the bodies of dead sailors that washed ashore and buried them next to generations of their own kin in local cemeteries. North Carolina played a significant role in the American war effort. Fort Bragg, which dated back to World War I, swelled in size, while Cherry Point Marine Air Station and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base were founded to train pilots for both the European and Pacific theaters. By the end of the war, military bases scattered throughout North Carolina had trained more men for combat than any other state in the Union. Over 360,000 North Carolinians served in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II. More than 4,000 of them died in combat. Hundreds of thousands of other North Carolinians who remained in the state during the war worked long hours and often went hungry to support the war effort. The Humble Giant The living standards of most state residents improved steadily following 1960 as North Carolina’s investment in public higher education, unrivaled by nearly any state south of the Mason-Dixon Line, produced large numbers of skilled workers and professionals. By 1990, for the first time in its history, almost half of the state’s residents lived in urban areas. Economic diversification, a better-educated work force and shrewd public sector investments such as the Research Triangle Park in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area led to mushrooming population growth in the state’s cities. North Carolina, by 1980, had become one of the ten most populous states in the United States. The Mecklenburg Declaration of 1775 * Officers Abraham Alexander, Chair John McKnitt Alexander Delegates Col. Thomas Polk Ezra Alexander Waightstill Avery Ephraim Brevard William Graham Benjamin Patton N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S B E G I N N I N G S C H A P T E R TWO 67 Hezekiah J. Balch John Quary Mathew McClure John Phifer Abraham Alexander Neil Morrison James Harris John McKnitt Alexander Robert Irwin William Kennon Hezekiah Alexander John Flenniken John Ford Adam Alexander David Reese Richard Barry Charles Alexander Richard Harris, Sen. Henry Downs Zacheus Wilson, Sen. The following resolutions were presented: 1. Resolved. That whosoever directly or indirectly abetted or in any way form or manner countenanced the uncharted and dangerous invasion of our rights as claimed by Great Britain is an enemy to this country, to America, and to the inherent and inalienable rights of man. 2. Resolved. That we the citizens of Mecklenburg County, do hereby dissolve the political bonds which have connected us to the mother country and hereby absolve ourselves from all allegiance to the British Crown and abjure all political connections contract or association with that nation who have wantonly trampled on our rights and liberties and inhumanely shed the blood of American patriots at Lexington. 3. Resolved. That we do hereby declare ourselves a free and independent people, are, and of right ought to be a sovereign and self-governing association under the control of no power other than that of our God and the General Government of the Congress to the maintenance of which independence we solemnly pledge to each other our mutual cooperation, our lives, our fortunes, and our most sacred honor. 4. Resolved. That as we now acknowledge the existence and control of no law or legal officer, civil or military within this County, we do hereby ordain and adopt as a rule of life all, each and every of our former laws - wherein nevertheless the Crown of Great Britain never can be considered as holding rights, privileges, immunities, or authority therein. 5. Resolved. That it is further decreed that all, each and every Military Officer in this County is hereby reinstated in his former command and authority, he acting comformably to these regulations. And that every member present of this delegation shall henceforth be a civil officer, viz., a justice of the peace, in the character of a “committee man” to issue process, hear and determine all matters of controversy according to said adopted laws and to preserve peace, union and harmony in said county, and to use every exertion to spread the love of Country and fire of freedom throughout America, until a more general and organized government be established in this Province. * The Mecklenburg Declaration was reportedly adopted on May 20, 1775. This N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 68 document is found in Vol. IX, pages 1263-65 of the Colonial Records of North Carolina; however, the authenticity of the declaration has long been – and continues to be — a source of controversy among historians. The text was recalled from memory by the clerk some twenty years after the Mecklenburg meeting was supposedly held. The original notes had reportedly been lost in a fire. The Halifax Resolves of 1776* The Select Committee taking into Consideration the usurpations and violences attempted and committed by the King and Parliament of Britain against America, and the further Measures to be taken for frustrating the same, and for the better defense of this province reported as follows, to wit, It appears to your Committee that pursuant to the Plan concerted by the British Ministry for subjugating America, the King and Parliament of Great Britain have usurped a Power over the Persons and Properties of the People unlimited and uncontrouled; and disregarding their humble Petitions for Peace, Liberty and safety, have made divers Legislative Acts, denouncing War Famine and every Species of Calamity against the Continent in General. That British Fleets and Armies have been and still are daily employed in destroying the People and committing the most horrid devastations on the Country. That Governors in different Colonies have declared Protection to Slaves who should imbrue their Hands in the Blood of their Masters. That the Ships belonging to America are declared prizes of War and many of them have been violently seized and confiscated in consequence of which multitudes of the people have been destroyed or from easy Circumstances reduced to the Lamentable distress. And whereas the moderation hitherto manifested by the United Colonies and their sincere desire to be reconciled to the mother Country on Constitutional Principles, have procured no mitigation to the aforesaid Wrongs and usurpations, and no hopes remain of obtaining redress by those Means alone which have been hitherto tried, Your Committee are of Opinion that the house should enter into the following Resolve to wit, Resolve that the delegates for this Colony in the Continental Congress be impowered to concur with the delegates of the other Colonies in declaring Independency, and forming foreign Alliances, reserving to this Colony the Sole, and Exclusive right of forming a Constitution and Laws for this Colony, and of appointing delegates from time to time (under the direction of a general Representation thereof) to meet the delegates of the other Colonies for such purposes as shall be hereafter pointed out. * The resolves were adopted on April 12, 1776. N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S B E G I N N I N G S C H A P T E R TWO 69 The Mecklenburg Resolves This day the Committee of this county met and passed the following resolves: Whereas by an address presented to his majesty by both House of Parliament in February last, the American colonies are declared to be in a state of actual rebellion, we conceive that all laws and commissions confirmed by or derived from the authority of the King and Parliament are annulled and vacated and the former civil constitution of these colonies for the present wholly suspended. To provide in some degree for the exigencies of this county, in the present alarming period, we deem it proper and necessary to pass the following resolves, viz.: 1. That all commissions civil and military heretofore granted by the Crown to be exercised in these colonies are null and void and the constitution of each particular colony wholly suspended. 2. That the Provincial Congress of each Province under the direction of the great Continental Congress is invested with all legislative and executive powers within their respective Provinces and that no other legislative or executive power does or can exist at this time in any of these colonies. 3. As all former laws are now suspended in this Province and the Congress has not yet provided others we judge it necessary for the better preservation of good order, to form certain rules and regulations for the internal government of this county until laws shall be provided for us by the Congress. 4. That the inhabitants of this county do meet on a certain day appointed by the committee and having formed themselves into nine companies…eight in the county and one in the town of Charlotte do choose a Colonel and other military officers who shall hold and exercise their several powers by virtue of this choice and independent of the Crown of Great Britain and former constitution of this Province. 5. That for the better preservation of the peace and administration of justice each of those companies do choose from their own body two discreet freeholders who shall be empowered…to decide and determine all matters of controversy arising within said company under the sum of twenty shillings and jointly and together all controversies under the sum of forty shillings that so as their decisions may admit of appeal to the convention of the selectmen of the county and also that any one of these shall have power to examine and commit to confinement persons accused of petit larceny. 6. That those two select men thus chosen do jointly and together choose from the body of their particular body two persons properly qualified to act as constables who may assist them in the execution of their office. 7. That upon the complaint of any persons to either of these selectmen he do issue his warrant directed to the constable commanding him to bring the aggressor before him or them to answer said complaint. N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 70 8. That these eighteen selectmen thus appointed do meet every third Tuesday in January, April, July and October, at the Court House in Charlotte, to hear and determine all matters of controversy for sums exceeding forty shillings, also appeals, and in cases of felony to commit the person or persons convicted thereof to close confinement until the Provincial Congress shall provide and establish laws and modes of proceeding in all such cases. 9. That these eighteen selectmen thus convened do choose a clerk to record the transactions of said convention and that said clerk upon the application of any person or persons aggrieved do issue his warrant to one of the constables…directing said constable to summon and warn said offender to appear before the convention at their next sitting to answer the aforesaid complaint… 10. That any Person making Complaint upon Oath to the Clerk, or any Member of the Convention, that he has Reason to suspect that any Person or Persons indebted to him in a Sum above Forty Shillings, do intend clandestinely to withdraw from the County without paying such a Debt; the Clerk, or such Member, shall issue his Warrant to the Constable, commanding him to take said Person or Persons into safe Custody, until the next sitting of the Convention. 11. That when a Debtor for a Sum below Forty Shillings shall abscond and leave the County, the Warrant granted as aforesaid shall extend to any Goods or Chattels of the said Debtor as may be found, and such Goods or Chattels be seized and held in Custody by the Constable for the space of Thirty Dais; in which Term if the Debtor fails to return and Discharge the Debt, the Constable shall return the Warrant to one of the Select Men of the Company where the Goods and Chattels were found, who shall issue Orders to the Constable to sell such a part of the said Goods as shall amount to the Sum due; that when the Debt exceeds Forty Shillings, the Return shall be made to the Convention, who shall issue the Orders for Sale. 12. That all receivers and collectors of quit rents, public and county taxes, do pay the same into the hands of the chairman of this committee to be by them disbursed as the public exigencies may require, and that such receivers and collectors proceed no further in their office until they be approved of by and have given to this committee good and sufficient security for a faithful return of such monies when collected. 13. That the committee be accountable to the county for the application of all monies received from such public officers. 14. That all the officers hold their commissions during the pleasure of their several constituents. 15. That this committee will sustain all damages that ever hereafter may accrue to all or any of these officers thus appointed and thus acting on account of their obedience and conformity to these resolves. 16. That whatever person hereafter shall receive a commission from the Crown or attempt to exercise any such commission heretofore received shall be deemed an enemy to his N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S B E G I N N I N G S C H A P T E R TWO 71 country and upon information being made to the captain of the company in which he resides, the said company shall cause him to be apprehended and conveyed before the two selectmen of the said company, who upon proof of the fact, shall commit him the said offender to safe custody until the next sitting of the committee, who shall deal with him as prudence may direct. 17. That any person refusing to yield obedience to the above resolves shall be considered equally criminal and liable to the same punishment as the offenders above last mentioned. 18. That these resolves be in full force and virtue until instructions from the Provincial Congress…shall provide otherwise or the legislative body of Great Britain resign its unjust and arbitrary pretensions with respect to America. 19. That the eight Militia companies in this county do provide themselves with proper arms and accoutrements and hold themselves in readiness to execute the commands and directions of the General Congress of this Province and of this Committee. 20. That the committee appoint Colonel Thomas Polk and Dr. Joseph Kennedy to purchase three hundred pounds of powder, six hundred pounds of lead and one thousand flints for the use of the militia of this county and deposit the same in such place as the committee hereafter may direct. Signed by order of the Committee, Eph. Brevard, Clerk of the Committee On May 31, 1775, a committee of Mecklenburg County citizens drew up a set of resolves, declaring that all commissions theretofore issued by the Crown were to be considered null and void. They proceeded to re-organize their local government, saying they should “hold and exercise their several powers by virtue of this choice and independent of the Crown of Great Britain and former constitution of this province.” These resolves were printed in the North Carolina Gazette, New Bern, June 16, 1775. From North Carolina History Told by Contemporaries edited by Hugh Talmage Lefler. Copyright © 1934 by the University of North Carolina Press, renewed 1956 and 1965. Used by permission of the publisher. OUR CONSTITUTIONS: A HISTORICAL PE PRESRPESCPETICVTEIVE Our Constitutions: A Historical Perspective by John L. Sanders Former Director of the Institute of Government The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Constitution of 1776 Drafted and promulgated by the Fifth Provincial Congress in December, 1776, without submission to the people, the Constitution of 1776 and its separate, but accompanying, Declaration of Rights sketched the main outlines of the new state government and secured the rights of the citizen from government interference. While the principle of separation of powers was explicitly affirmed and the familiar three branches of government were provided for, the true center of power lay in the General Assembly. That body not only exercised full legislative power; it also chose all the state executive and judicial officers, the former for short terms and the judges for life. Profound distrust of the executive power is evident throughout the document. The governor was chosen by the legislature for a one-year term and was eligible for only three terms in six years. The little power granted him was hedged in many instances by requiring the concurrence of a seven-member Council of State, chosen by the legislature, for its exercise. Judicial offices were established, but the court system itself was left to legislative design. No system of local government was prescribed by the constitution, although the offices of justice of the peace, sheriff, coroner and constable were created. The system of legislative representation was based on units of local government. The voters of each county elected one senator and two members of the House of Commons, while six (later seven) towns each elected one member of the lower house. It was distinctly a property owner’s government, for only landowners could vote for senators until 1857 and progressive property qualifications were required of members of the house, senators and the governor until 1868. Legislators were the only state officers elected by the people until 1836. The Convention of 1835 Dissatisfaction with the legislative representation system, which gave no direct recognition to population, resulted in the Convention of 1835. Extensive constitutional amendments adopted by that convention were ratified by a vote of the people — 26,771 to 21,606 — on November 9, 1835. The 1835 amendments fixed the membership of the Senate and House of Commons at their present levels, 50 and 120. The new house apportionment formula gave one seat to each county and distributed the remainder of N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 74 the seats — nearly half of them at that time — according to a mathematical formula favoring the more populous counties. From 1836 until 1868, senators were elected from districts laid out according to the amount of taxes paid to the state from the respective counties, thus distributing senatorial representation in direct proportion to property values. The Amendments of 1835 also instituted popular election of the governor for a two-year term, greatly strengthening that office; relaxed the religious qualifications for office holding; abolished suffrage for free black residents; equalized the capitation tax on slaves and free white males; prohibited the General Assembly from granting divorces, legitimating persons or changing personal names by private act; specified procedures for the impeachment of state officers and the removal of judges for disability; made legislative sessions biennial instead of annual; and provided methods of amending the constitution. Following the precedent established in amending the United States Constitution, the 1835 amendments were appended to the Constitution of 1776, not incorporated in it as is the modern practice. In 1857, voters approved the only amendment submitted to them between 1836 and 1868. The amendment — approved by a 50,095 to 19,382 vote — abolished the 50-acre land ownership requirement for voters to cast ballots in state senate races. The constitutional change opened that ballot to all white male taxpayers, greatly increasing the number of North Carolinians eligible to vote for senators. The Convention of 1861-62 The Convention of 1861-62, called by act of the General Assembly, took the State out of the Union and into the Confederacy and adopted a dozen constitutional amendments. These changes were promulgated by the convention without submitting them for voter approval, a procedure permitted by the state constitution until 1971. The Convention of 1865-66 The Convention of 1865-66, called by the provisional governor on orders of the President of the United States, nullified secession and abolished slavery, with voter approval, in 1865. It also drafted a revised state constitution in 1866. That document was largely a restatement of the Constitution of 1776 and the 1835 amendments, plus several new features. It was rejected by a vote of 21,770 to 19,880 on August 2, 1866. The Convention of 1868 The Convention of 1868, called upon the initiative of Congress, but with a popular vote of approval, wrote a new state constitution which the people ratified in April, 1868, by a vote of 93,086 to 74,016. Drafted and put through the convention by a combination of native Republicans and a few carpetbaggers, the constitution was highly unpopular with the more conservative elements of the state. For its time, it was a progressive and democratic instrument of government. In this respect it differed markedly from the proposed Constitution of 1866. N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S C O N S T I T U T I O N C H A P T E R T H R E E 75 The Constitution of 1868 was an amalgam of provisions copied or adapted from the Declaration of Rights of 1776, the Constitution of 1776 and its amendments, the proposed Constitution of 1866 and the constitutions of other states, together with some new and original provisions. Although often amended, a majority of the provisions in the 1868 constitution remained intact until 1971. The Constitution of 1971 brought forward much of the 1868 language with little or no change. The Constitution of 1868 incorporated the 1776 Declaration of Rights into the Constitution as Article I and added several important guarantees. The people were given the power to elect all significant state executive officers, all judges and all county officials, as well as state legislators. All property qualifications for voting and office holding were abolished. The plan of representation in the Senate was changed from a property to a popular basis, while the 1835 house apportionment plan was retained. Annual legislative sessions were restored. The executive branch of government was strengthened by popular election of most department heads for four-year terms of office and the governor’s powers were increased significantly. A simple and uniform court system was established with the jurisdiction of each court specified in the constitution. The distinctions between actions at law and suits in equity were abolished. For the first time, detailed constitutional provision was made for a system of taxation and the powers of the General Assembly to levy taxes and to borrow money were limited. Homestead and personal property exemptions were granted. Free public schools were called for and the maintenance of penal and charitable institutions by the state was commanded. A uniform scheme of county and township government was prescribed. The declared objective of the Conservative Party (under whose banner the older, native political leaders grouped themselves) was to repeal the Constitution of 1868 at the earliest opportunity. When the Conservative Party gained control of the General Assembly in 1870, a proposal to call a convention of the people to revise the constitution was submitted by the General Assembly to the voters and rejected in 1871 by a vote of 95,252 to 86,007. The General Assembly thereupon resorted to legislative initiative to amend the constitution. That procedure called for legislative approval of each proposed amendment at two successive sessions, followed by a vote of the people on the amendment. The 1871-72 legislative session adopted an act calling for about three dozen amendments to the constitution, all of which were intended to restore to the General Assembly the bulk of the power over local government, the courts, and the public schools and the University of North Carolina that had been taken from it by the Constitution of 1868. The 1872-73 session of the General Assembly approved eight of those amendments for the second time and submitted them to a popular referendum. Voters approved all eight in 1873 by wide margins. These amendments restored biennial sessions of N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 76 the General Assembly, transferred control of the University of North Carolina from the State Board of Education to the General Assembly, abolished various new state offices, altered the prohibition against double office-holding and repealed the prohibition against repudiation of the state debt. The Convention of 1875 In 1875, the General Assembly called a convention of the people to consider constitutional revision. This action was not confirmed by popular referendum and none was constitutionally required at the time. The Convention of 1875 (the most recent in the state’s history) sat for five weeks in the fall of that year. It was a limited convention that had been specifically forbidden to attempt certain actions, such as reinstatement of property qualifications for office-holding or voting. The Convention of 1875 adopted — and the voters on November 7, 1876, approved by a vote of 120,159 to 106,554 — a set of 30 amendments affecting 36 sections of the state constitution. These amendments (which took effect on January 1, 1877): Prohibited secret political societies. Moved the legislative convening date from November of even-numbered years to January of odd-numbered years. Fixed in the constitution for the first time the rate of legislative compensation. Called for legislation establishing a state Department of Agriculture. Abandoned the simplicity and uniformity of the 1868 court system by giving the General Assembly the power to determine the jurisdiction of all courts below the Supreme Court and establish such courts inferior to the Supreme Court as it might see fit. Reduced the Supreme Court from five to three members. Required Superior Court judges to rotate among all judicial districts of the state. Disqualified for voting persons guilty of certain crimes. Established a one-year residency requirement for voting. Required non-discriminatory racial segregation in the public schools. Gave the General Assembly full power to revise or abolish the form and powers of county and township governments. Simplified the procedure for constitutional amendment by providing that the General Assembly might, by act adopted by three-fifths of each house at one legislative session, submit an amendment to the voters of the state (thus eliminating the former requirement of enactment by two successive sessions of the General Assembly). N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S C O N S T I T U T I O N C H A P T E R T H R E E 77 The principal effect of the amendments of 1873 and 1875 was to restore in considerable measure the pre-1868 power of the General Assembly, particularly over the state’s courts and local governments. Documents from the late 19th and early 20th centuries occasionally refer to “the Constitution of 1876.” There was no such constitution. The 1875 amendments were simply inserted at the appropriate places in the 1868 constitution, which continued in this amended form until 1971. The designation “Constitution of 1876” may have been intended to relieve the 1868 constitution of the unpopularity heaped on it earlier by Conservative critics. The amendments framed by the Convention of 1875 seem to have satisfied most of the need for constitutional change for a generation. Only four amendments were submitted by the General Assembly to the voters throughout the remainder of the nineteenth century. Three of them were ratified; one failed. In 1900, the suffrage article was revised to add a literacy test and poll tax requirement for voting (the latter provision was repealed in 1920). A slate of ten amendments prepared by a constitutional commission and proposed by the General Assembly in 1913 was rejected by voters in 1914. With the passage of time and amendments, the attitude towards the Constitution of 1868 had changed from resentment to a reverence so great that, until the second third of the 20th Century, amendments were very difficult to obtain. Between 1900 and 1933, voters ratified 15 constitutional amendments and rejected 20 others. During the first third of this century, nevertheless, amendments were adopted that lengthened the school term from four to six months, prohibited legislative charters to private corporations, authorized special Superior Court judges, further limited the General Assembly’s powers to levy taxes and incur debt, abolished the poll tax requirement for voting and reduced the residence qualification for voters. Amendments designed to restrict the legislature’s power to enact local, private and special legislation were adopted, but subsequently rendered partly ineffective by judicial interpretation. The Proposed Constitution of 1933 A significant effort at general revision of the state constitution was made in 1931- 33. A constitutional commission created by the General Assembly of 1931 drafted — and the General Assembly of 1933 approved — a revised constitution. Blocked by a technicality raised in an advisory opinion of the N.C. Supreme Court, the proposed Constitution of 1933 never reached the voters for approval. It would have: Given the governor veto power. Given the power to make all rules of practice and procedure in the courts inferior to the Supreme Court to a judicial council composed of all the judges of the Supreme and Superior Courts. Required the creation of inferior courts by general laws only. Removed most of the limitations on the taxing powers of the General Assembly. N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 78 Required the General Assembly to provide for the organization and powers of local governments by general law only. Established an appointive state Board of Education with general supervision over the public school system. Established an enlightened policy of state responsibility for the maintenance of educational, charitable and reformatory institutions and programs. Several provisions of the proposed Constitution of 1933 were later incorporated into the constitution by individual amendments. To a limited extent, the proposed Constitution of 1933 served as a model for the work of the 1957-59 Constitutional Commission. Between the mid-1930s and the late 1960s, greater receptiveness to constitutional change resulted in amendments: Authorizing the classification of property for taxation. Strengthening the limitations upon public debt. Authorizing the General Assembly to enlarge the Supreme Court, divide the State into judicial divisions, increase the number of Superior Court judges and create a Department of Justice under the Attorney General. Enlarging the Council of State by three members. Creating a new, appointive State Board of Education with general supervision of the schools. Permitting women to serve as jurors. Transferring the governor’s power to assign judges to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and his parole power to a Board of Paroles. Permitting the waiver of indictment in non-capital cases. Raising the compensation of General Assembly members and authorizing legislative expense allowances. Increasing the general purpose property tax levy limitation and the maximum income tax rate. Authorizing the closing of public schools on a local option basis and the payment of educational expense grants in certain cases. The increased legislative and public willingness to accept constitutional change between 1934 and 1960 resulted in 32 constitutional amendments being ratified by the voters, while only six were rejected. The Constitutional Commission of 1957-58 At the request of Governor Luther H. Hodges, the General Assembly of 1957 authorized the governor to appoint a fifteen-member Constitutional Commission to study the need for changes in the state constitution and to make recommendations N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S C O N S T I T U T I O N C H A P T E R T H R E E 79 pursuant to its findings to the governor and the 1959 session of the General Assembly. The commission recommended rewriting the entire constitution and submitting it to the voters for approval or disapproval as a unit, since the suggested changes were too numerous to be easily effected by individual amendments. The proposed constitution drafted by the commission represented in large part a careful job of editorial pruning, rearrangement, clarification and modernization. It also incorporated several significant, substantive changes. The Senate would have been increased from 50 to 60 members and the initiative (but not the sole authority) for decennial redistricting of the Senate would have been shifted from the General Assembly to an ex-officio committee of three legislative officers. Decennial reapportionment of the House of Representatives would have been made a duty of the speaker of the House, rather than of the General Assembly as a whole. Problems of succession to constitutional state executive offices and how to settle questions of officers’ disability would have been either resolved in the constitution or had their resolution assigned to the General Assembly. The authority to classify property for taxation and to exempt property from taxation would have been required to be exercised only by the General Assembly and only on a uniform, statewide basis. The requirement that the public schools constitute a “general and uniform system” would have been eliminated and the constitutional authority of the State Board of Education reduced. Fairly extensive changes were recommended in the judicial article of the constitution as well, including the establishment of a General Court of Justice with an Appellate Division, a Superior Court Division and a Local Trial Court Division. A uniform system of district courts and trial commissioners would have replaced the existing multitude of inferior courts and justices of the peace. The creation of an intermediate Court of Appeals would have been provided for and uniformity of jurisdiction of the courts within each division would have been required. Aside from these changes, the General Assembly would have essentially retained its pre-existing power over the courts, including jurisdiction and procedures. The General Assembly of 1959 also had before it a recommendation for a constitutional reformation of the court system that had originated with a Court Study Committee of the North Carolina Bar Association. In general, the recommendations of that committee called for more fundamental changes in the courts than those proposed by the Constitutional Commission. The extent of the proposed authority of the General Assembly over the courts was the principal difference between the two recommendations. The Constitutional Commission generally favored legislative control of the courts and proposed only moderate curtailment of the General Assembly’s authority. The Court Study Committee, however, accepted a more literal interpretation of the concept of an independent judiciary. Its proposals, therefore, would have minimized the authority of the General Assembly over the state’s courts, although structurally its system would have closely resembled that recommended by the Constitutional Commission. N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 80 The proposed constitution received extensive attention from the General Assembly of 1959. The Senate modified and passed the bill to submit the proposal to the voters, but it failed to pass the House of Representatives, chiefly due to disagreement over the issue of court revision. As had been true of the proposed Constitution of 1933, the proposed Constitution of 1959, though not adopted as a whole, subsequently provided material for several amendment proposals which were submitted individually to the voters and approved by them during the next decade. In the General Assembly of 1961, the proponents of court reform were successful in obtaining enactment of a constitutional amendment, approved by the voters in 1962, that created a unified and uniform General Court of Justice for the state. Other amendments submitted by the same session and approved by the voters: Provided for the automatic decennial reapportionment of the House of Representatives. Clarified the provisions for succession to elective state executive offices and disability determination. Authorized a reduction in the in-state residence period for voters for President. Allowed increases in the compensation of elected state executive officers during their terms. Required that the power of the General Assembly to classify and exempt property for taxation be exercised by it alone and only on a uniform, statewide basis. The session of 1963 submitted two amendments. The first, to enlarge the rights of married women to deal with their own property, was approved by the voters. The second, to enlarge the Senate from 50 to 70 members and allocate one member of the House of Representative to each county, was rejected by the voters. The General Assembly of 1965 submitted, and the voters approved, an amendment authorizing the legislative creation of a Court of Appeals. The 1967 General Assembly proposed, and the voters approved, amendments authorizing the General Assembly to fix its own compensation and revising the legislative apportionment scheme to conform to the judicially-established requirement of representation in proportion to population in both houses. Constitution of 1971 From 1869 through 1968, a total of 97 propositions for amending the state constitution were submitted to the voters. All but one of
Object Description
Description
Title | North Carolina manual |
Other Title | Legislative manual and political register of the State of North Carolina; Pocket manual for the use of members of the General Assembly of North Carolina; Manual of North Carolina |
Date | 2011; 2012 |
Description | 2011-2012 |
Digital Characteristics-A | 34.3 MB; 917 p. |
Digital Format |
application/pdf |
Pres File Name-M | pubs_serial_ncmanual20112012.pdf |
Full Text | Published by the N.C. Department of the Secretary of State Elaine F. Marshall Secretary 2011 - 2012 North Carolina Manual NORTH CAROLINA 2 SECRETARY OF STATE 3 Executive Elaine F. Marshall North Carolina Secretary of State Rodney Maddox Chief Deputy Secretary of State George Jeter Director of Communications Publications Division Liz Proctor Editor Linda Wise Editorial Assistant Cathy Moss Editorial Assistant Mailing Address NC Department of the Secretary of State PO Box 29622 Raleigh NC 27626-0622 Website Address www.sosnc.com North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State NORTH CAROLINA 4 For over a century, the North Carolina Manual has served as a thorough historical reference source for North Carolina state government and politics. In fact, I cannot think of another source for these topics as comprehensive as this one. Americans in general and North Carolinians in particular have always emphasized the importance of an informed citizenry in maintaining the health of our democracy. The North Carolina Manual informs us about what our government does and who has made the decisions that affect us. The Manual helps the state’s various executive branch agencies, universities and colleges and other institutions educate the people of North Carolina about their respective missions. In turn, I think, the Manual reminds us that state government — and the political process — is not some faceless machine, but a human creation that functions only as well as the wisdom and sound judgment of the people who lead it. The North Carolina Manual also helps put a face on North Carolina itself for the many people outside our state who may wonder what kind of place North Carolina is and what its residents are like. Our state, as all of us know, enjoys a combination of scenic beauty, diversity of natural resources and quality of living that is unmatched by any other state in the United States. It is also a place where people accomplish great things without undue or excessive public pride or boastfulness. North Carolina’s A Message from the North Carolina Secretary of State SECRETARY OF STATE 5 greatest resource throughout its four centuries of existence has been its people. Our state has provided more than its fair share of regional and national leaders in politics, journalism, science, technology, business, industry, national defense, education and the arts. Our state, in many respects, is a very humble, unpretentious giant. If this edition of the North Carolina Manual is your fi rst exposure to our state, I would like to thank you for taking an interest in North Carolina. As any of our residents can tell you, it is an interest that will repay you many times over. Enjoy! Elaine F. Marshall N.C. Secretary of State 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction A Message from the North Carolina Secretary of State..........................................4 Chapter One North Carolina’s State Symbols...........................................................................10 Chapter Two North Carolina’s Beginnings...............................................................................58 Chapter Three Our Constitutions: A Historical Perspective........................................................72 Chapter Four The Council of State and the Executive Branch................................................132 The Office of the Governor...............................................................................140 The Office of the Lieutenant Governor.............................................................159 Department of the Secretary of State.................................................................163 Office of the State Auditor................................................................................172 Department of State Treasurer..........................................................................175 Department of Public Instruction.....................................................................183 Office of Attorney General................................................................................188 Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services..........................................198 Department of Labor........................................................................................203 Department of Insurance..................................................................................208 Department of Administration..........................................................................213 Department of Commerce................................................................................218 Department of Correction.................................................................................223 Department of Crime Control and Public Safety...............................................227 Department of Cultural Resources....................................................................231 Department of Environment and Natural Resources.........................................236 Department of Health and Human Services......................................................240 Department of Public Safety.............................................................................244 TABLE OF CONTENTS 7 Department of Revenue....................................................................................248 Department of Transportation..........................................................................253 Office of the State Controller............................................................................258 State Board of Elections....................................................................................261 Office of Administrative Hearings.....................................................................264 Office of State Personnel...................................................................................266 Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention............................270 Chapter Five The State Legislature........................................................................................274 2011-2012 North Carolina Senate....................................................................281 2011-2012 North Carolina House of Representatives.......................................340 Chapter Six The Judicial Branch..........................................................................................480 N.C. Supreme Court.........................................................................................489 N.C. Court of Appeals......................................................................................499 N.C. Superior Court Judges..............................................................................507 N.C. District Court Judges................................................................................511 N.C. District Attorneys.....................................................................................519 Chapter Seven UNC System Colleges and Universities.............................................................522 Chapter Eight N.C. Community College System.....................................................................562 Chapter Nine Private Colleges and Universities......................................................................614 Chapter Ten North Carolina Political Parties.........................................................................618 Democratic Party of North Carolina Platform.............................................618 Libertarian Party of North Carolina Platform..............................................642 8 TABLE OF CONTENTS Republican Party of North Carolina Platform.............................................651 Chapter Eleven United States Government................................................................................660 Constitution of the United States......................................................................661 Amendments to the U.S. Constitution..............................................................672 President of the United States.......................................................................... 682 One Hundred and Twelfth U.S. Congress.........................................................687 United States Judiciary.....................................................................................704 United States District Court in North Carolina.................................................705 Chapter Twelve Counties and Their Governments.....................................................................706 Chapter Thirteen Elections and Voting Records............................................................................736 Chapter Fourteen North Carolina Population Data.......................................................................890 Chapter Fifteen Foreign Consuls in North Carolina...................................................................914 TABLE OF CONTENTS 9 NORTH CAROLINA STATE SYMBOLS Lords Proprietor Seal Albemarle Seal 1665-1730 North Carolina’s State Symbols Like every other state in the U.S. and nearly every country in the world, North Carolina’s state government has selected a wide array of official state symbols. Some of these symbols, such as the state seal, are historic relics that played an important legal role earlier in the state’s history. Others are symbols chosen by the N.C. General Assembly to promote important North Carolina products, natural resources and human achievements. Some symbols are literally larger than life, particularly such historic state buildings as the North Carolina Capitol, the N.C. Legislative Building and the Executive Mansion, the official residence of North Carolina’s governor. All North Carolina symbols share one important function, namely reminding North Carolinians and the rest of the world of our state’s cultural character, natural wonders and rich history. The Great Seal of the State of North Carolina The state seal is probably the oldest official state symbol. A seal for important documents was used before a state government was organized in North Carolina. During the colonial period North Carolina used four different seals in succession. Since independence, the state has used six different versions of the seal. 12 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 Provincial Seal 1730-1767 Provincial Seal 1767-1776 Shortly after King Charles II issued the Charter of 1663 to the Lords Proprietor, a seal was adopted to use in conjunction with their newly-acquired domains in America. No official description has been found of the seal but it can be seen in the British Public Record Office in London. The seal had two sides and was 3 and 3/8 inches in diameter. The impression was made by bonding two wax cakes together with tape before being impressed. The finished impression was about a quarter-inch thick. This seal was used on all official papers of the Lords Proprietor of Carolina, which at the time included all of the territory inside the current borders of both North Carolina and South Carolina. When the Government of Albemarle was organized in 1665, it adopted for a seal the reverse side of the seal of the Lords Proprietor. Between the coat of arms, the word A-L-B-E-M-A-R-L-E was fixed in capitals beginning with the letter “A” between the Craven arms and those of Lord John Berkeley. The Albemarle seal was small, only 1 and 7/16 inches in diameter, and had only one face. The seal was usually impressed on red wax, but was occasionally imprinted on a wafer stuck to the instrument with soft wax. The government for Albemarle County was the first to use the seal. As the colony grew, it became the seal of the entire Province of North Carolina. It continued in use until just after the purchase of North Carolina by the crown. During the troublesome times of the Cary Rebellion, the Albemarle seal was not used. Instead, Cary used his family arms as a seal for official papers. William Glover used his private seal during his presidency as well. 13 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E State Seal 1779-1794 State Seal 1794 -1836 When North Carolina became a royal colony in 1729, the old “Albemarle” seal was no longer applicable. On February 3, 1730, the Board of Trade recommended that the king order a public seal for the Province of North Carolina. Later that same month, the king approved the recommendations and ordered that a new seal be prepared for the governor of North Carolina. On March 25, the Board of Trade presented the king with a draft of the proposed seal for his consideration. The king approved the proposed new seal on April 10 with one minor change: “Georgius Secundus” was to be substituted for the original “Geo. II.” The chief engraver of seals, Rollos, was ordered to “engrave a silver Seal according to said draught …” The arrival of the new seal in North Carolina was delayed; so when the council met in Edenton on March 30, 1731, the old seal of the colony was ordered to be used until the new seal arrived. The new seal arrived in late April and the messenger fetching the seal from Cape Fear was paid £10 for his journey. The impression of the new seal was made by placing two cakes or layers of wax together, then interlacing ribbon or tape with the attached seal between the wax cakes. It was customary to put a piece of paper on the outside of three cakes before they were impressed. The complete seal was 4 and 3/8 inches in diameter and from 1/2 to 5/8 inches thick and weighed about 5 and 1/2 ounces. At a meeting of the council held in New Bern on December 14, 1767, Governor Tryon produced a new great seal of the province with His Majesty’s Royal Warrant from the Court of St. James bearing the date of the 9th day of July, 1767. The old seal was returned to his Majesty’s Council office at Whitehall in England. Accompanying 14 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 State Seal 1836 - 1893 State Seal 1893 - 1971 the warrant was a description of the new seal with instructions that the seal be used to seal all patents and grants of lands and all public instruments passed in the king’s name for service within the province. It was 4 inches in diameter, 1/2 to 5/8 inches thick, and weighed 4 and 1/2 ounces. Sometimes a smaller seal than the Great Seal was used on commissions and grants, such as a small heart-shaped seal or a seal in the shape of an ellipse. These impressions were evidently made by putting the wax far enough under the edge of the Great Seal to take the impression of the crown. The royal governors also used their private seals on commissions and grants. Lord Granville, after the sale of the colony by the Lords Proprietor, retained his right to issue land grants. He used his private seal on the grants he issued. The last reference found to the colonial seal is in a letter from Governor Martin to the Earl of Hillsborough in November, 1771, in which he recounts the broken condition of the seal. He states the seal had been repaired and though “awkwardly mended… [it was] in such manner as to answer all purposes.” Following independence, Section XVII of the new constitution adopted at Halifax on December 18, 1776, provided “That there shall be a Seal of this State, which shall be kept by the Governor, and used by him as occasion may require; and shall be called the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina, and be affixed to all grants and commissions.” When a new constitution was adopted in 1868, Article III, Section 16, provided for “…a seal of the State, which shall be kept by the Governor, and used 15 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E State Seal 1971 - 1984 State Seal 1984 - present by him, as occasion may require, and shall be called The Great Seal of the State of North Carolina.” It also provided for the Secretary of State to countersign with the governor. When the people of North Carolina ratified the current state constitution in 1970, Article III, Section 10, contained provisions for “The Great Seal of the State of North Carolina.” However, the wording which authorized the Secretary of State to countersign documents was removed. On December 22, 1776, the Provincial Congress at Halifax appointed William Hooper, Joseph Hewes and Thomas Burke as commissioners to procure a seal for the state. There is no record, however, that the commission ever made a report. The congress authorized the governor to use his “private seal at arms” until a great seal for the state was procured. A bill to do just that became law on May 2, 1778. The legislation appointed William Tisdale, Esq., to cut and engrave a seal for the state. On Sunday, November 7, 1779, the Senate granted Tisdale £150 to make the seal. The seal procured under this act was used until 1794. The actual size of the seal was 3 inches in diameter and 1/4 inch thick. It was made by putting two cakes of wax together with paper wafers on the outside and pressing them between the dies, thus forming the obverse and reverse sides of the seal. An official description of this seal cannot be found, but many of the seals still in existence are in an almost perfect state of preservation. In January, 1792, the General Assembly authorized a new state seal, requiring that it be prepared with only one side. Colonel Abisha Thomas, an agent of North 16 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 Carolina commissioned by Governor Martin, was in Philadelphia to settle the state’s Revolutionary War claims against the federal government. Martin sent a design to Colonel Thomas for a new seal for the state; however, after suggestions by Dr. Hugh Williamson and Senator Samuel Johnston, this sketch was disregarded and a new one submitted. This new sketch, with some modification, was finally accepted by Governor Spaight, and Colonel Thomas had the seal made accordingly. The seal press for the old seal had proved unwieldy due to its two-sided nature and large diameter. Governor Richard Dobbs Spaight in a letter to Colonel Abisha Thomas in February, 1793, wrote: “Let the screws by which the impression is to be made be as portable as possible so as it may be adapted to our present itinerant government. The one now in use by which the Great Seal is at present made is so large and unwieldy as to be carried only in a cart or wagon and of course has become stationary at the Secretary’s office which makes it very convenient.” The seal was cut some time during the summer of 1793. Colonel Thomas brought it home with him in time for the meeting of the legislature in November, 1793, at which session it was “approbated.” The screw to the seal was 2 and 1/2 inches in diameter and was used until around 1835. In the winter of 1834-35 the legislature enacted legislation authorizing the governor to procure a new seal. The preamble to the act stated that the old seal had been used since the first day of March, 1793. A new seal, which was very similar to its predecessor, was adopted in 1835 and continued in use until 1893. In 1868, the legislature authorized the governor to procure a new replacement seal and required him to do so whenever the old one was lost or so worn or defaced that it was unfit for use. In 1883, Colonel S. McD. Tate introduced a bill that described in more detail what the seal should be like. In 1893, Jacob Battle introduced a bill to add the state motto, “Esse Quam Videri,” to the foot of the state’s coat of arms and the words “May 20, 1775,” to the top of the coat-of-arms. By the late 19th and early 20th century, the ship that appeared in the background of the early seals had disappeared. The North Carolina mountains formed the only backdrop on the seal. The 1971 General Assembly, in an effort to “provide a standard for the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina,” passed the following act amending the General Statutes provision relative to the State Seal: The Governor shall procure of the State a Seal, which shall be called the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina, and shall be two and one-quarter inches in diameter, and its design shall be a representation of the figures of Liberty and Plenty, looking toward each other, but not more than half-fronting each other and otherwise disposed as follows: Liberty, the first figure, standing, her pole with cap on it in her 17 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E left hand and a scroll with the word “Constitution” inscribed thereon in her right hand. Plenty, the second figure, sitting down, her right arm half extended toward Liberty, three heads of grain in her right hand, and in her left, the small end of her horn, the mouth of which is resting at her feet, and the contents of the horn rolling out. The background on the seal shall contain a depiction of mountains running from left to right to the middle of the seal. A side view of a three-masted ship shall be located on the ocean and to the right of Plenty. The date “May 20, 1775” shall appear within the seal and across the top of the seal and the words “esse quam videri” shall appear at the bottom around the perimeter. No other words, figures or other embellishments shall appear on the seal. It shall be the duty of the Governor to file in the office of the Secretary of State an impression of the great seal, certified to under his hand and attested to by the Secretary of State, which impression so certified the Secretary of State shall carefully preserve among the records of this Office. The late Julian R. Allsbrook, who served in the North Carolina Senate for many years, felt that the adoption date of the Halifax Resolves ought to be commemorated on the state seal as it was already on the state flag. This was to “serve as a constant reminder of the people of this state’s commitment to liberty.” Legislation adding the date “April 12, 1776” to the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina was ratified May 2, 1983, with an effective date of January 1, 1984. Chapter 257 of the 1983 Session Laws of North Carolina included provisions that would not invalidate any Great Seal of the State of North Carolina in use or on display. Instead replacement could occur as the need arose. 18 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 North Carolina State Flag Legislative records indicate that an official state flag for North Carolina was not established or recognized until 1861. The constitutional convention of 1861, which passed the ordinance of secession, adopted a state flag. On May 20, 1861, the day the secession resolution was adopted, Col. John D. Whitford, a member of the convention from Craven County, introduced an ordinance to create a state flag. The ordinance specified that the flag should contain a blue field with a white V on it and a star encircled by the words, “Surgit astrum, May 20, 1775.” Colonel Whitford chaired the committee to which this ordinance was referred. William Jarl Browne, a Raleigh artist, prepared and submitted a model to the committee and the convention approved Browne’s design on June 22, 1861. The Browne model differed significantly from the original design proposed by Colonel Whitford. The law creating the new state flag included this description: The Flag of North Carolina shall consist of a red field with a white star in the centre, and with the inscription, above the star, in a semi-circular form, of “May 20th, 1775,” and below the star, in a semi-circular form, of “May 20th, 1861.” That there shall be two bars of equal width, and the length of the field shall be equal to the bar, the width of the field being equal to both bars: the first bar shall be blue, and second shall be white: and the length of the flag shall be one-third more than its width.[Ratified the 22nd day of June, 1861] 19 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E This state flag was issued to North Carolina regiments of state troops during the summer of 1861 and borne by them throughout the war. It was the only flag, except the national and Confederate colors, used by North Carolina troops during the Civil War. This version of the flag existed until 1885, when the General Assembly adopted a new design. General Johnstone Jones introduced the bill to redesign the state flag on February 5, 1885. The measure passed its final reading one month later after little debate: An Act to Establish a State Flag It is interesting to examine the significance of the dates found on the flag. The first date, “May 20, 1775,” refers to the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, although the document’s authenticity was in question at the time (and remains so). The second date appearing on the state flag of 1861, “May 20th, 1861,” commemorated North Carolina’s secession from the Union. When a new flag was adopted in 1885, this date was replaced with “April 12th, 1776” to commemorate the Halifax Resolves, which had placed North Carolina in the very front ranks of those colonies fighting for independence from Britain. From 1885 to 1991, there was no change in our state flag. The 1991 General Assembly made minor changes to the flag, changing the length of the flag from 1/3 of its width to 1/2. It also deleted the commas before the year dates. Public use of the flag has become more common. A 1907 General Assembly act requires state flag displays at all state institutions, public buildings and court houses. 20 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 The Cardinal – State Bird The cardinal was selected by popular choice as North Carolina’s official State Bird on March 4, 1943 (Session Laws, 1943 c. 595; G.S. 145-2). Also known as the winter redbird, the cardinal is a year-round resident of North Carolina and is one of the most common birds that inhabit our state’s gardens, meadows and woodlands. The male cardinal is red all over, except for the area of its throat and the region around its bill, which is black. It is about the size of a catbird, only with a longer tail. The head is conspicuously crested and the large stout bill is red. The female cardinal is much duller in color with the red confined mostly to the crest, wings and tail. There are no seasonal changes in the cardinal’s plumage. Male and female cardinals alike are renowned as song birds. The cardinal’s nest tends to be a rather untidy affair built of weed stems, grass and similar materials in low shrubs, small trees or bunches of briars, generally not over four feet above the ground. Cardinals in North Carolina typically set three eggs each spring. Further north, cardinals tend to set four eggs in spring. Seeds are the mainstay of the cardinal’s diet, but it will also eat small fruits and insects. 21 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E The Dogwood – State Flower The General Assembly of 1941 designated the dogwood as the State Flower (Public Laws, 1941, c. 289; G.S. 145-1). The dogwood is one of the most prevalent trees in our state and can be found in all parts of the state from the mountains to the coast. Its blossoms, which appear in early spring and continue on into summer, are most often found in white, although shades of pink (red) are not uncommon. 22 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 The Honey Bee – State Insect The General Assembly of 1973 designated the industrious honey bee as the official State Insect (Session Laws, 1973, c. 55). This industrious creature is responsible for the annual production of more than $1.8 million worth of honey in the state. The North Carolina Department of Agriculture estimates that, in 2012, North Carolina had 13,000 honey-producing bee colonies maintained by apiculturists throughout the state. The department also estimates that each colony produced an average of 39 lbs. of honey that year, a statewide honey output estimated for the year at 507,000 lbs. However, the greatest value of honey bees is their role in the growing cycle as a major contributor to the pollination of North Carolina crops. According to the NC State University Department of Entomology, honey bees were found to be directly responsible for pollination of nearly 70-percent of fruit and vegetable crops in North Carolina as of 2007. 23 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E The Pine – State Tree The pine tree was officially designated as the State Tree by the General Assembly of 1963. (Session Laws, 1963, c.41) The pine is the most common tree found in North Carolina, as well as the most important one in the history of our state. During the colonial and early statehood periods, the state’s economy centered on products derived from the pines that grew throughout North Carolina. Many of the crucial naval stores — resin, turpentine and timber — needed by British and American merchant mariners and the navies of both nations came from North Carolina. North Carolina remains a major cultivator of pine trees and producer of pine tree products, particularly in the building industry. North Carolina ranks second in the nation, behind only Orgeon, in production of Christmas trees and has been chosen to provide the Christmas trees for the White House 12 times. The North Carolina Department of Agriculture estimates that the state’s commercial evergreen growers sold more than $75 million worth of Christmas trees in 2012. Most of the state’s Christmas trees are raised in Ashe, Avery, Alleghany, Watauga and Jackson counties in the North Carolina mountains. 24 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 The Gray Squirrel – State Mammal The General Assembly of 1969 designated the gray squirrel as the official State Mammal (Session Laws, 1969. c. 1207; G.S. 145-5). The gray squirrel is a common inhabitant of most areas of North Carolina from “the swanps of eastern North Carolinato the upland hardwood forests of the piedmont and western counties.: This tree-dwelling rodent thrives equally well in an “untouched wilderness” environment and in urban areas and suburbs. To the delight of hikers and park dwellers alike, this furry crature is extreamly active during the day and, like most humans, sleeps at night. In its favorite habitat - the evergreen coniferous forest - the gray squirrel is much larger than other species of squirrels, usually driving away the red squirrel (Tamiascurus) whenever the two species meet. The gray squirrel is not a pickey eater. During the fall and winter months, it survives on a diet of hardwoods, with acorns providing most of its carbgohydrates and proteins. In the spring and summer, its diet consists of “new growth and fruits” supplemented by early corn, peanuts, and the occasional insect. Many squirrels in cities supplement their natural diet with raids on bird feeders. 25 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E State Toast The following toast was officially adopted as the State Toast of North Carolina by the General Assembly of 1957 (Session Laws, 1957, c.777): Here’s to the land of the long leaf pine, The summer land where the sun doth shine, Where the weak grow strong and the strong grow great, Here’s to “Down Home,” the Old North State! Here’s to the land of the cotton bloom white, Where the scuppernong perfumes the breeze at night, Where the soft southern moss and jessamine mate, ‘Neath the murmuring pines of the Old North State! Here’s to the land where the galax grows, Where the rhododendron’s rosette glows, Where soars Mount Mitchell’s summit great, In the “Land of the Sky,” in the Old North State! Here’s to the land where maidens are fair, Where friends are true and cold hearts rare, The near land , the dear land, whatever fate The blest land, the best land, the Old North State! State Motto The General Assembly of 1893 (Chapter 145) adopted the words “Esse Quam Videri” as the state’s official motto. The legislators directed that these words, along with the date “20 May, 1775,” be placed with North Carolina’s coat of arms upon the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina. “Esse Quam Videri” means “to be rather than to seem.” Nearly every U.S. state has adopted a motto, generally in Latin. North Carolina’s motto is quoted from Cicero’s essay on friendship (Cicero, de Amnicitia, Chapter 26). Until the 1893 act, North Carolina had no motto. It was one of the few states which did not have a motto and the only one of the original thirteen without one. 26 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 The Emerald – State Precious Stone The General Assembly of 1973 designated the emerald as the official State Precious Stone (Session Laws, 1973, c. 136). A greater variety of minerals, more than 300, have been found in North Carolina than in any other state. These minerals include some of the most valuable and unique gems in the world. The largest emerald ever found in North Carolina was 1,438 carats and was found at Hiddenite, near Statesville. The Carolina Emerald, now owned by Tiffany & Company of New York, was also found at Hiddenite in 1970. When cut to 13.14 carats, the stone was valued at the time at $100,000 and became the largest and finest cut emerald on this continent. 27 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E The Channel Bass – State Salt Water Fish The General Assembly of 1971 designated the Channel Bass (Red Drum) as the official State Salt Water Fish (Session laws, 1971, c.274; G.S. 145-6). Channel bass can usually be found in large numbers along the Tar Heel coastal waters. The N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries lists the current state saltwater record and world all-tackle record for a red drum as a 94-lb. specimen caught on Hatteras Island in 1984. Other channel bass taken off the North Carolina coast have weighed up to 75 pounds, although most large catches average between 30 and 40 pounds. North Carolina currently limits sport anglers to no more than one channel bass longer than 18 inches per day and none over 27 inches. The state does not permit sales of channel bass over 27 inches. Federal law currently prohibits fishing for channel bass any further out than three miles from the coast. 28 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 The Scotch Bonnet – State Shell The General Assembly of 1965 designated the Scotch Bonnet (pronounced bone-AY) as the official State Shell (Session Laws, 1965, c. 681). A colorful and beautifully-shaped shell, the Scotch Bonnet (Phalium granulatum) is abundant in North Carolina coastal waters at depths between 500 and 200 feet. The best source of live specimens is from offshore commercial fishermen. 29 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E The Eastern Box Turtle – State Reptile This terrestrial turtle is found throughout the eastern United States, and as far west as Texas. The Eastern Box Turtle’s distinctive hinged bottom shell allows it to completely “box” itself inside its shell to protect itself from predators in the wild. Its domed top shell features brightly colored patterns that can vary greatly from one turtle to the next. The Eastern Box Turtle is an important part of North Carolina’s natural heritage that, with a conscientious conservation effort, we will be able to enjoy for many years. The General Assembly of 1979 designated the Eastern Box Turtle as the official State Reptile for North Carolina. (Session Laws, 1979, c. 154). 30 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 Granite – State Rock The General Assembly of 1979 designated granite as the official State Rock (Session Laws, 1979, c.906). North Carolina has been blessed with an abundant source of “the noble rock,” granite. The largest open-face granite quarry in the world, measuring one mile long and 1,800 feet in width, lies near Mount Airy in Surry County. Granite from this quarry is unblemished, gleaming and has few interfering seams to mar its splendor. The high quality of this granite allows its widespread use as a building material, in both industrial and laboratory applications where super-smooth surfaces are necessary. North Carolina granite has been used for many magnificent edifices of government throughout the United States such as the Wright Brothers Memorial at Kitty Hawk, the gold depository at Fort Knox, the Arlington Memorial Bridge and numerous courthouses throughout the land. Granite is a symbol of strength and steadfastness, qualities characteristic of North Carolinians. 31 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E Milk – State Beverage The General Assembly of 1987 adopted milk as the official State Beverage (Session Laws, 1987, c. 347). In making milk the official state beverage, North Carolina followed many other states, including its immediate neighbor to the north, Virginia, and Wisconsin, the nation’s number one dairy state. 32 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 The Shad Boat – State Historic Boat The General Assembly of 1987 adopted the shad boat as the official State Historic Boat (Session Laws, 1987, c. 366). The shad boat, first developed on Roanoke Island, is known for its unique crafting and high maneuverability. The boat’s name is derived from the fish it was used to catch — the shad. Traditional small sailing craft were generally ill-suited to the waterways and weather conditions along the North Carolina coast. The shallow draft of the shad boat, plus its speed and easy handling, made it ideal for use in the state’s upper northeast sounds where the water was shallow and the weather changed rapidly. Shad boats were built using native trees such as cypress, juniper, and white cedar, and varied in length between twenty-two and thirty-three feet. Construction was so expensive that production of the shad boat ended in the 1930s, although they were widely used into the 1950s. The boats were so well constructed that some, nearly 100 years old, are still seen around Manteo and Hatteras. The North Carolina Maritime Museum in Beaufort also has a shad boat in its historic boat collection. 33 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E The Plott Hound – State Dog The Plott hound was adopted as our official State Dog on August 12, 1989 (Session Laws of North Carolina, 1989 c. 773; G.S. 145-13). The Plott hound originated in the mountains of North Carolina around 1750 and is the only breed known to have originated in this state. Named for Jonathon Plott, the German immigrant who developed the breed as a wild boar hound, the Plott hound is a legendary hunting dog known as a courageous fighter and tenacious tracker. He is also a gentle and extremely loyal companion to North Carolina’s hunters. The Plott hound is very quick, has superior treeing instincts and has always been a favorite of big-game hunters. The Plott hound has a beautiful brindle-colored coat and a spine-tingling, bugle-like call. It is also only one of four breeds known to be of American origin. 34 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 The Sweet Potato – State Vegetable The General Assembly of 1995 designated the sweet potato as the official State Vegetable (Session Laws, 1995, c.521). A staple of the traditional North Carolina diet since pre-Columbian times, the sweet potato is a nutritious source of vitamins A and C, as well as being low in fat. North Carolina is the largest producer of sweet potatoes in the United States. According to the N.C. Department of Agriculture, North Carolina growers raised 12.8 million lbs. of sweet potatoes in 2012, generating $216 million in cash receipts. 35 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E State Name and Nicknames In 1629, King Charles I of England “erected into a province,” all the land from Albemarle Sound on the north to the St. John’s River on the south, which he directed should be called Carolina. The word Carolina is from the word Carolus, the Latin form of Charles. When Carolina was divided in 1710, the southern part was called South Carolina and the older northern settlement, North Carolina. From this came the nickname the “Old North State.” During its early history, North Carolina was best-known for products derived from pine trees, particularly tar pitch and turpentine, which were crucial naval supplies in the days of wooden sailing ships. A popular state legend holds that, during the First Battle of Manassas in 1861, a charge by federal troops against part of the Confederate army’s lines broke through a Virginia regiment, causing its soldiers to flee to the rear in panic. The North Carolina regiments holding the line next to the shattered Virginia regiment, however, held their ground, stemming the Union Army’s breakthrough. After the battle the North Carolinians, who had successfully fought it out alone, were greeted by the chagrined derelict regiment with the question: “Any more tar down in the Old North State, boys?” Quick as a flash came the answer: “No, not a bit, old Jeff’s bought it all up.” “Is that so? What is he going to do with it?” the Virginians asked. “He is going to put it on you-uns’ heels to make you stick better in the next fight!” R.B. Creecy claims that General Robert E. Lee, upon hearing of the incident, said: “God bless the Tar Heel boys,” and that the name stuck to all North Carolina troops serving in the Army of Northern Virginia afterwards. (Adapted from Grandfather Tales of North Carolina by R.B. Creecy and Histories of North Carolina Regiments, Vol. III, by Walter Clark). State Colors The General Assembly of 1945 declared the shades of red and blue found in the North Carolina state flag and the United States flag as the official State Colors. (Session Laws, 1945, c.878). 36 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 State Song The song known as “The Old North State” was adopted as the official song of the State of North Carolina by the General Assembly of 1927. (Public Laws, 1927, c.26; G.S. 149-1). 37 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E The Carolina Tartan -- The State Tartan North Carolina has long celebrated its historical and cultural ties to Scotland. Scots and Scots-Irish immigrants were crucial to the state’s population and development both before and after the American Revolution. Much of the state’s traditional culture, especially music, has its roots in Scottish culture. The 1991 General Assembly designated the Carolina Tartan as the Official Tartan of North Carolina. 38 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 The Colonial Spanish Mustang -- The State Horse Believed to be descendants of the Colonial Spanish Mustangs brought to the Americas by Spanish explorers dating back to the 16th century, wild horses have roamed North Carolina’s Outer Banks for hundreds of years. Following numerous requests from the students of Shawboro Elementary School in Currituck County, as well as the Corolla Wild Horse Fund, the General Assembly designated the Spanish Colonial Mustang as the Official Horse of the State of North Carolina in 2010 to honor the role they have played in the history and culture of the Outer Banks. 39 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E The Scuppernong Grape -- The State Fruit Plump and full of juice, the scuppernong grape is a North Carolina favorite and is grown in many parts of the state. The 2001 General Assembly designated the scuppernong grape as the Official Fruit of North Carolina. 40 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 Gold – State Mineral The General Assembly in 2011 designated gold as North Carolina’s official State Mineral. North Carolina became the home of the nation’s first gold rush in the early 1800s. It all started when 12-year-old Conrad Reed found a 17 pound gold nugget. From 1804 to 1828 North Carolina was the source of all domestic gold coined by the U.S. Mint. North Carolina’s gold industry declined after the first discovery of gold in California in 1849, but gold will always have an important role in North Carolina’s history. 41 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E The Eastern Tiger Swallowtail – State Butterfly The General Assembly designated the Eastern tiger swallowtail as North Carolina’s official State butterfly in 2012. Native to North America, the Eastern tiger swallowtail is broadly believed to have first been drawn by artist and cartographer John White. White was also the governor of the Roanoke Island colony now famously known as the “Lost Colony.” 42 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 The Blueberry -- The State Blue Berry 43 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E The Strawberry -- The State Red Berry The blueberry and the strawberry are common visitors to dinner tables all across North Carolina. The 2001 General Assembly designated the blueberry as the Official State Blue Berry and the strawberry as the Official State Red Berry. 44 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 The Carolina Lily -- The State Wildfl ower The Carolina Lily (Lilium michauxii) grows wild all the way from the North Carolina mountains to coastal swamps. The lily typically blooms here in July and August. Its blooms are orange-red and curled so far back that they often touch or overlap. The 2003 General Assembly designated the Carolina Lilly as the Offi cial State Wildfl ower. 45 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E The Venus Flytrap -- The State Carnivorous Plant The Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) grows wild in swamps in southeastern North Carolina, within a 75-mile radius of Wilmington. The plant developed its ability to trap and digest flies and other small insects to offset the nitrogen-poor soil in which it typically grows. It uses nitrogen gained from its prey to form proteins necessary for it to live. The 2005 General Assembly designated the Venus Flytrap as the Official State Carnivorous Plant. 46 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 Seagrove -- The State Birthplace of Traditional Pottery North Carolina has a long tradition of pottery-making. The Seagrove area of Randolph, Chatham, Lee, Moore and Montgomery counties is renowned for the quality of its pottery. The 2005 General Assembly designated Seagrove as the Official State Birthplace of Traditional Pottery. 47 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E Some Other Official North Carolina State Symbols Oak Ridge Military Academy -- State Military Academy (1991) Hertford County Watermelon Festival -- Northeastern North Carolina Watermelon Festival (1993) Fair Bluff Watermelon Festival -- Southeastern North Carolina Watermelon Festival (1993) Folkmoot USA -- State International Festival (2003) Ashboro Municipal Airport -- North Carolina Aviation Hall of Fame and the North Carolina Aviation Museum (2003) Wilmington International Airport -- North Carolina Museum of Aviation (2003) Clogging -- State Folk Dance (2005) Shagging -- State Popular Dance (2005) Fraser fir (Abies fraseri) -- State Christmas Tree (2005) Southern Appalachian brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) -- State Freshwater Trout (2005) Ayden Collard Festival -- State Collard Festival (2007) 48 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 State Capitol The North Carolina State Capitol is one of the finest and best-preserved examples of Greek Revival architecture incorporated in a civic building. Prior to 1792, North Carolina legislators met in various towns throughout the state, gathering most frequently in Halifax, Hillsborough and New Bern. Meetings were held in local plantation houses, courthouses and even churches. When Raleigh was founded as the permanent seat of North Carolina’s state government in 1792, a two-story brick State House was built on Union Square and opened in 1796. The State House was enlarged between 1820 and 1824 by state architect William Nichols. The project added a third floor, eastern and western wings and a domed rotunda at the building’s center. The rotunda housed a statue of President George Washington by sculptor Antonio Canova, acquired by the state in 1821. When the State House burned down on June 21, 1831, the statue was damaged beyond repair. The General Assembly of 1832-33 ordered that a new Capitol be built as an enlarged version of the old State House. The new Capitol would be a cross-shaped building with a central, domed rotunda. The assembly appropriated $50,000 for construction and appointed a building committee to manage the project. 49 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E The commission first hired William Nichols, Jr,. to draft plans for the building. In August of 1833, however, the committee replaced Nichols with distinguished New York architects Ithiel Town and Alexander Jackson Davis. Town and Davis altered the earlier design dramatically and developed a plan that gave the Capitol its present appearance. David Paton (1802-1882), an architect born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and former associate of the noted English architect Sir John Soane, was hired in September, 1834, to supervise construction of the Capitol. Paton replaced Town and Davis as the project architect in early 1835. The Capitol was completed under Paton’s direction, except for the exterior stone walls, which were largely in place when he arrived in Raleigh. Paton made several modifications to the Town and Davis plans for the interior. Among the changes were the cantilevered gallery at the second floor level of the rotunda, the groined masonry vaulting of the first floor offices and corridor ceilings, and the interior arrangement of the east and west porticoes. The new Capitol’s cornerstone was set in place on July 4, 1833. After the initial foundation was laid, however, work on the project progressed slowly. The original appropriation for construction was soon exhausted. The next session of the General Assembly authorized an additional appropriation of $75,000 to continue work on the new Capitol. This phase of the project employed a large number of skilled artisans from Scotland. Most of the Capitol’s architectural details, including the columns, mouldings, ornamental plasterwork and ornamental honeysuckle atop the dome, were carefully patterned after features of Greek temples. Its Doric exterior columns are modeled after those of the Parthenon. The House of Representatives chamber imitates the semi-circular plan of a Greek amphitheater and its architectural ornamentation is Corinthian (Order of the Tower of the Winds). The Senate chamber follows the Ionic Order of the Erechtheum. The only non-classical parts of the building are two large rooms on the third floor which were finished in the Gothic style that was just beginning to gain popularity in American architectural circles. The ornamental ironwork, plasterwork, chandeliers, hardware and marble mantels of the Capitol came from Philadelphia. Raleigh cabinetmaker William Thompson crafted the desks and chairs in the House and Senate chambers. The Capitol was completed in 1840 at a total cost (including furnishings) of $532,682.34 — an equivalent of more than three times the state’s yearly general revenues at the time. The Capitol housed all of state government until the late 1880s. Today the building’s only official occupants are the governor and the lieutenant governor. The N.C. Supreme Court moved to its own building in 1888 and in 1963, the General Assembly moved into the newly-constructed Legislative Building. 50 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 A thorough renovation of the Capitol in 1971 replaced the leaky copper roof, cleaned and sealed the exterior stone and repainted the rotunda. More recent preservation efforts have focused on repairing plasterwork damaged by roof leaks, replacing obsolete wiring and plumbing, installing new, less conspicuous heating and cooling systems in the upper floors, replacing worn carpets and draperies and repainting the rest of the interior. In 1970 the state acquired a duplicate of the original marble statue of Washington by Canova, which is located in the rotunda of the Capitol. In niches around the rotunda are busts of three North Carolina governors — John M. Morehead, William A. Graham, and Samuel Johnston — and United States Senator Matthew W. Ransom. During late 1988 and early 1989, extensive landscaping and grounds renovations were undertaken to enhance the beauty of the Capitol and to improve its visibility. Memorials to North Carolinians who served in World War II and the Vietnam War were also added in the 1980s and 1990s. In an effort to make the Capitol more accessible to the people of North Carolina, the building has been opened to the public on weekends with guided tours available. The Capitol continues to play a vital role in the next chapters of our nation’s history as the site of North Carolina’s Electoral College. By statute, North Carolina electors must meet in the Capitol’s old Hall of the House of Representatives following each presidential election to vote on behalf of North Carolina for President and Vice President of the United States. 51 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E Legislative Building In 1959, the General Assembly appropriated funds for the construction of a new legislative building. The new facility was needed to accommodate a growing legislative branch and provide adequate quarters for legislators and staff. The act created a building commission of seven people: two who had served in the N.C. Senate and were appointed by the president of the Senate; two who had served in the N.C. House of Representatives and were appointed by the speaker of the House; and three appointed by the governor. The commission chose Edward Durell Stone of New York and John S. Holloway and Ralph B. Reeves, Jr., of Raleigh as architectural consultants for the project. After a thorough study, the commission selected a 5.5-acre site one block north of the Capitol for the new building. This site, which encompasses two city blocks, is bounded by Jones, Salisbury, Lane and Wilmington streets. A section of Halifax Street between Jones and Lane was closed to tie the two blocks together. Bids on the new building were received in December, 1960, and construction began in early 1961. 52 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 The 1961 General Assembly appropriated an additional one million dollars for furnishings and equipment, bringing the total appropriation for the new Legislative Building to $5.5 million — $1.24 for each citizen of North Carolina based on 1960 census figures. The consulting architects provided this detailed description of the new building: The State Legislative Building, though not an imitation of historic classical styles, is classical in character. Rising from a 340-foot wide podium of North Carolina granite, the building proper is 242 feet square. The walls and the columns are of Vermont marble, the latter forming a colonnade encompassing the building and reaching 24 feet from the podium to the roof of the second floor. Inset in the south podium floor, at the main entrance, is a 28 foot diameter terrazzo mosaic of the Great Seal of the State. From the first floor main entrance (on Jones Street) the carpeted 22-foot wide main stair extends directly to the third floor and the public galleries of the Senate and House, the auditorium, the display area, and the roof gardens. The four garden courts are located at the corners of the building. These courts contain tropical plants and three have pools, fountains and hanging planters. The main floor areas of the courts are located on the first floor and galleries overlook the courts from the mezzanine floor. The skylights, which provide natural lighting, are located within the roof gardens overhead. The courts provide access to committee rooms in the first floor, the legislative chambers in the second floor and to members’ offices in both floors. The Senate and House chambers, each 5,180 square feet in area, occupy the east and west wings of the second floor. Following the traditional relationship of the two chambers in the Capitol, the two spaces are divided by the rotunda; and when the main brass doors are open, the two presiding officers face one another. Each pair of brass doors weighs 1,500 pounds. The five pyramidal roofs covering the Senate and House chambers, the auditorium, the main stair, and the rotunda are sheathed with copper, as is the Capitol. The pyramidal shapes of the roofs are visible in the pointed ceilings inside. The structural ribs form a coffered ceiling; and inside the coffered patterns are concentric patterns outlined in gold. In each chamber, the distance from the floor to the peak of the ceiling is 45 feet. Chandeliers in the chambers and the main stair are 8 feet in diameter and weigh 625 pounds each. The 12-foot diameter chandelier of the rotunda, like the others, is of brass, but its weight is 750 pounds. Because of the interior climate, the garden courts and rotunda have tropical plants and trees. Outside, however, the shrubs and trees are of an indigenous type. 53 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E Among the trees on the grounds and on the roof areas are sugar maples, dogwoods, crabapples, magnolias, crepe myrtles and pines. Throughout the building, the same color scheme is maintained: walnut, accented with white, gold and red, as well as green foliage. In general, all wood is American walnut, metal is brass or similar material, carpets are red and upholstery is gold or black. The enclosed area consists of 206,000 square feet of floor area with a volume of 3,210,000 cubic feet. Heating equipment provides over 7,000,000 B.T.U.s per hour; the cooling equipment has a capacity of 620 tons. For lighting, motors and other electrical equipment, the building has a connected service load of over 2,000,000 watts. Renovations to the Legislative Building in the 1980s created more office space and expanded the meeting room facilities to meet the needs of the General Assembly’s various committees. The Legislative Office Building opened across Jones Street from the Legislative Building in 1982. Nearly half of the members of each house moved to new offices in the building, as well as several of the support divisions of Legislative Services. The area around the Legislative Building has changed dramatically since it opened in the 1960s. The west side of the building now opens onto a majestic plaza several blocks long and ringed by government office buildings constructed in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. The east side of the building now faces the North Carolina Museum of History and the North Carolina Museum of Natural History, which opened in April, 1999. 54 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 Executive Mansion North Carolina has not always provided an official home for its governors and their families. Prior to 1770, the governor lived wherever he chose at his own expense. It was not until 1767 that the General Assembly authorized the construction of the first permanent official residence. Designed by English architect John Hawks and built between 1767 and 1770, Tryon Palace in New Bern, named for Royal Governor William Tryon, became one of the most admired public structures in North America. Tryon Palace, however, served as a formal gubernatorial residence for only a short time. Abandoned by Tryon when the Revolution erupted, the palace was adopted as the new state’s capitol. A fire in 1798 leveled the entire structure except for the west wing. The present structure, a popular historic attraction in its own right, is largely a reconstruction based on Hawks’ original plans, as well as archaeological research. Shortly after Raleigh was selected as the permanent seat of state government in 1792, the legislature enacted a law requiring the governor to reside there. Samuel Ashe of New Hanover County, elected in 1794, was the first governor to come under this law. The General Assembly took steps to provide a suitable dwelling for the state’s chief executive. It instructed the state treasurer to purchase or lease a house. In 1797, a plain, 55 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E two-story frame building painted white and an office for the governor were erected on Lot 131, the southwest corner of Fayetteville and Hargett Streets. The house proved hopelessly inadequate. In an 1810 letter, Governor Benjamin Smith grumbled that the structure was “in such order that it is agreed by all who view it, not to be fit for the family of a decent tradesman, and certainly none could be satisfied; even if safe in it...” To remedy this situation, the General Assembly of 1813 appointed a committee to provide better facilities. The committee members selected a site at the foot of Fayetteville Street facing the old State House. An elaborate brick structure with white-columned porticoes was completed in 1816 and Governor William Miller became the first occupant of the Governor’s Palace. Twenty succeeding governors resided in the “Palace,” as it came to be cynically termed. Many of the state’s most notable historical events took place there. General Lafayette was an overnight guest in 1825. Several sessions of the General Assembly were held in the building following the burning of the State House in 1831. Zebulon Baird Vance was the last governor to occupy the structure, abandoning it at the close of the Civil War to avoid capture by the Union Army. General William T. Sherman and his staff were quartered in the palace during the spring of 1865. Governor Vance was re-elected to office in 1877. In 1879, a commission appointed two years earlier by the General Assembly to investigate the possibilities of providing a new suitable residence for North Carolina’s governors issued a report of its findings. Proceeds from the sales of unused state lands in the Raleigh area were earmarked for construction of a house and outbuildings suitable for the governor. The General Assembly finally approved the decision to build the present Executive Mansion in 1883, thanks to the efforts and perseverance of Governor Thomas J. Jarvis (1879-1885). The legislature authorized construction of a house on Burke Square, provided some furnishings and required the governor to occupy it upon its completion. The assembly directed the governor to use convict labor and building materials “manufactured or prepared, either in whole or in part” at the penitentiary whenever feasible. 56 N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 David Paton, who had supervised the completion of the state capitol nearly half a century earlier, was initially recommended as the project’s architect. Because of the architect’s advanced age, however, he was passed over for the assignment. The N.C. Council of State selected Samuel Sloan of Philadelphia and his assistant, Gustavus Adolphus Bauer, as project architects. Sloan delivered his proposed designs to the committee personally when he arrived in Raleigh on April 28, 1883. The plans called for a three-story, Queen Anne-style building. On May 7, the committee accepted Sloan’s designs with minor modifications. The mansion was finished in late 1890, but Governor Daniel Fowle (1889- 1891) did not move in until early January, 1891. He was particularly anxious to occupy the house in view of earlier attempts to abandon it as a residence for the governor. Fowle brought his own furniture to the mansion, setting a precedent followed for many years before the house was adequately furnished. Much of the money originally set aside to furnish the mansion had been siphoned off to cover mounting construction costs. As preparations were made for Governor Angus W. McLean’s residence in the mansion (1925-1929), previous renovations were pronounced inadequate. Sentiment for removing the house and landscaping Burke Square as a public park was once again aroused. Secretary of State W. N. Everett halted the movement. He had made his own examination and reported that major repairs were needed to provide the governor with a comfortable dwelling. Everett suggested a sum of $50,000 for repairs and new furnishings. Although this action was taken without McLean’s knowledge, upon learning of it, he soon became active in seeking the appropriation. Their case was strengthened by a State Board of Health inspection report tued in February, 1925, shortly after McLean’s inauguration. The inspection report was startling, noting that the management of a hotel receiving such a bad rating would be subject to criminal indictment. The principal deductions in scoring were for uncleanliness. Dust pervaded the mansion, covering the woodwork, filming the furniture and stifling the air. Governor Fowle’s contemporaries had described clouds of dust billowing up from the floor with every footstep. The first floor walls and The first floor walls and floors were unsound and the ornate plasterwork was disintegrating in some areas. The upstairs floors, composed of uneven, shoddy boards, had half-inch cracks. The architectural firm of Atwood and Nash carried out extensive renovations to the mansion. Their work vastly improved the mansion, saving it from further deterioration and correcting many of the defects caused by the use of prison labor and materials in the original construction. A newspaper account, lauding Governor McLean’s accomplishments, claimed that renovating a building considered eligible for demolition had saved the state more than a third of a million dollars. 57 N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S S T A T E S YMB O L S C H A P T E R O N E Later administrations made further improvements to the mansion. An elevator was installed, air conditioning units were placed in some rooms and a bomb shelter was added during Governor Luther H. Hodges’ tenure (1954-1961). Mrs. Terry Sanford added many antique furnishings during her husband’s term of office (1961-1965). In May, 1973, the General Assembly ordered another round of repairs. This renovation was the most extensive in the history of the Executive Mansion. The General Assemblies of 1973 and 1975 appropriated $845,000 to complete the project. Governor James E. Holshouser, Jr., and his family moved out of the mansion to a temporary home in the Foxcroft subdivision of Raleigh for eight months while interior renovations were carried out by F. Carter Williams, a local architectural firm. Today, North Carolina’s Executive Mansion draws tens of thousands of visitors each year. Original state symbols art work by Angela Davis. NORTH CAROLINA’S BEGINNINGS North Carolina’s Beginnings North Carolina’s history began thousands of years ago as Native American tribes settled throughout the state. Pre-Columbian Native American history in North Carolina was, of course, unwritten. But the state’s first inhabitants left behind tangible signs of their existence, including sites as large and impressively engineered as the Town Creek Mound in Montgomery County. North Carolina was an important boundary area between different Native American cultural areas, tribes and language stocks. The Algonquian-speaking tribes of northeastern North Carolina’s Albemarle Sound region constituted the southern extremity of Eastern Woodlands culture. Further inland, Iroquoian and Siouan-speaking tribes such as the Tuscarora and the Catawba were more oriented toward the Southeastern cultural tradition. North Carolina’s mountains were the homeland of the Cherokee tribe, Iroquoian speakers who would be driven from North Carolina, save for a small remnant, during the winter of 1838-39 by federal troops. Those Cherokee who survived the “Trail of Tears” settled in what later became Oklahoma. The descendents of those Cherokee who managed to avoid capture and relocation still live today in their mountain homeland and are known as the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation. First European Contacts The first known European exploration of North Carolina occurred during the summer of 1524. A Florentine navigator named Giovanni da Verrazano, in the service of France, explored the coastal area of North Carolina between the Cape Fear River area and Kitty Hawk. A report of his findings was sent to Francis I, and published in Richard Hakluyt’s Divers Voyages touching the Discoverie of America. No attempt was made to colonize the area. Between 1540 and 1570 several Spanish explorers from the Florida Gulf region explored portions of North Carolina, but again no permanent settlements were established. Coastal North Carolina was the scene of the first attempt by English-speaking people to colonize North America. Two colonies were begun in the 1580s under a charter granted by Queen Elizabeth to Sir Walter Raleigh. The first colony, established in 1585 under the leadership of Ralph Lane, ended in failure. A second expedition under the leadership of John White began in the spring of 1587 when 110 settlers, including seventeen women and nine children, set sail for the new world. The White Colony arrived near Hatteras in June, 1587, and went on to Roanoke Island, where they N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 60 found the houses built by Ralph Lane’s expedition still standing. Two significant events occurred shortly after the colonists’ arrival — two friendly Indians were baptized and a child was born. Virginia Dare was the first child born to English-speaking parents in the new world. The colonists faced many problems. With supplies running short, White was pressured to return to England for provisions. Once in England, White was unable to immediately return to Roanoke because of the impending attack by the Spanish Armada. When he was finally able to return in 1590, he found only the abandoned remnants of what was once a thriving settlement. There were no signs of life, only the word “CROATAN” carved on a nearby tree. Much speculation has been made about the fate of the “Lost Colony,” but no one has successfully explained the disappearance of the colony and its settlers. Permanent Settlement The first permanent English settlers in North Carolina emigrated from the Tidewater area of southeastern Virginia. The first of these “overflow” settlers moved into the area of the Albemarle Sound in northeast North Carolina around 1650. In 1663, Charles II granted a charter to eight English noblemen who had helped him regain the throne of England. The charter document contains the following description of the territory which the eight Lords Proprietor were granted title to: “All that Territory or tract of ground, situate, lying, and being within our Dominions in America, extending from the North end of the Island called Luck Island, which lies in the Southern Virginia Seas and within six and Thirty degrees of the Northern Latitude, and to the West as far as the South Seas; and so Southerly as far as the River Saint Mathias, which borders upon the Coast of Florida, and within one and Thirty degrees of Northern Latitude, and West in a direct line as far as the South Seas aforesaid; Together with all and singular Ports, Harbours, Bays, Rivers, Isles, and Islets belonging Into the Country aforesaid; And also, all the Soil, Lands, Fields, Woods, Mountains, Farms, Lakes, Rivers, Bays, and Islets situate or being within the Bounds or Limits aforesaid; with the Fishing of all sorts of Fish, Whales, Sturgeons, and all other Royal Fishes in the Sea, Bays, Islets, and Rivers within the premises, and the Fish therein taken; And moreover, all Veins, Mines, and Quarries, as well discovered as not discovered, of Gold, Silver, Gems, and precious Stones, and all other, whatsoever be it, of Stones, Metals, or any other thing whatsoever found or to be found within the Country, Isles, and Limits ....” The territory was to be called “Carolina” in honor of Charles I. In 1665, a second charter was granted in order to clarify territorial questions not answered in the first charter. This charter extended the boundary lines of Carolina to include: “All that Province, Territory, or Tract of ground, situate, lying, and being within our Dominions of America aforesaid, extending North and Eastward as N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S B E G I N N I N G S C H A P T E R TWO 61 far as the North end of Carahtuke River or Gullet; upon a straight Westerly line to Wyonoake Creek, which lies within or about the degrees of thirty six and thirty Minutes, Northern latitude, and so West in a direct line as far as the South Seas; and South and Westward as far as the degrees of twenty nine, inclusive, northern latitude; and so West in a direct line as far as the South Seas.” Between 1663 and 1729, North Carolina was under the near-absolute control of the Lords Proprietor and their descendants. The small group commissioned colonial officials and authorized the governor and his council to grant lands in the name of the Lords Proprietor. In 1669, philosopher John Locke wrote the Fundamental Constitutions as a model for the government of Carolina. Albemarle County was divided into local governmental units called precincts. Initially there were three precincts — Berkley, Carteret, and Shaftesbury — but as the colony expanded to the south and west, new precincts were created. By 1729, there were a total of eleven precincts — six in Albemarle County and five in Bath County, which had been created in 1696. Although the Albemarle Region was the first permanent settlement in the Carolina area, another populated region soon developed around present-day Charleston, South Carolina. Because of the natural harbor and easier access to trade with the West Indies, more attention was given to developing the Charleston area than her northern counterparts. For a twenty-year period, 1692-1712, the colonies of North and South Carolina existed as one unit of government. Although North Carolina still had her own assembly and council, the governor of Carolina resided in Charleston and a deputy governor was appointed for North Carolina. Royal Colony In 1729, seven of the Lords Proprietor sold their interest in North Carolina to the crown and North Carolina became a royal colony. The eighth proprietor, Lord Granville, retained economic interest and continued granting land in the northern half of North Carolina. The crown supervised all political and administrative functions in the colony until 1775. Colonial government in North Carolina changed little between the proprietary and royal periods, the only major difference being who appointed colonial officials. There were two primary units of government — the governor and his council and a colonial assembly whose representatives were elected by the qualified voters of the county. Colonial courts, unlike today’s courts, rarely involved themselves in formulating governmental policy. All colonial officials were appointed by either the Lords Proprietor prior to 1729 or by the crown afterwards. Members of the colonial assembly were elected from the various precincts (counties) and from certain towns which had been granted representation. The term “precinct” as a geographical unit ceased to exist after 1735. These areas became known as “counties” and about the same time “Albemarle County” and “Bath County” ceased to exist as governmental units. The governor was an appointed official, as were the colonial secretary, attorney N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 62 general, surveyor general and the receiver general. All officials served at the pleasure of the Lords Proprietor or the crown. The council served as an advisory group to the governor during the proprietary and royal periods, in addition to serving as the upper house of the legislature when the assembly was in session. When vacancies occurred in colonial offices or on the council, the governor was authorized to carry out all mandates of the proprietors and could make a temporary appointment until the vacancy was filled by proprietary or royal commission. One member of the council was chosen as president of the group and many council members were also colonial officials. If a governor or deputy governor was unable to carry on as chief executive because of illness, death, resignation or absence from the colony, the president of the council became the chief executive and exercised all powers of the governor until the governor returned or a new governor was commissioned. The colonial assembly was made up of men elected from each precinct and town where representation had been granted. Not all counties were entitled to the same number of representatives. Many of the older counties had five representatives each, while those formed after 1696 were each allowed only two. Each town granted representation was allowed one representative. The presiding officer of the colonial assembly was called the speaker and was elected from the entire membership of the house. When a vacancy occurred, a new election was ordered by the speaker to fill it. On the final day of each session, bills passed by the legislature were signed by both the speaker and the president of the council. The colonial assembly could meet only when it was called into session by the governor. Since the assembly was the only body authorized to grant the governor his salary and spend tax monies raised in the colony, it met on a regular basis until just before the Revolutionary War. There was, however, a constant struggle for authority between the governor and his council on the one hand and the general assembly on the other. Two of the most explosive issues involved fiscal control of the colony’s revenues and the election of treasurers. Both were privileges of the assembly. The question of who had the authority to create new counties also simmered throughout the colonial period. On more than one occasion, elected representatives from counties created by the governor and council without consulting the lower house were refused seats until the matter was resolved. These conflicts between the executive and legislative bodies were to have a profound effect on the organization of state government after independence. The Struggle for Independence On April 12, 1776, North Carolina authorized its delegates to the Continental Congress to vote for independence. This was the first official call for independence from any of the colonies. The 83 delegates present in Halifax at the Fourth Provincial Congress unanimously adopted the Halifax Resolves, which indicted the colony’s royalist government in blunt fashion: N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S B E G I N N I N G S C H A P T E R TWO 63 The Select Committee, taking into Consideration the usurpations and violence attempted and committed by the King and Parliament of Britain against America, and the further measures to be taken for frustrating the same, and for the better defense of this province reported as follows, to wit, It appears to your Committee that pursuant to the Plan concerted by the British Ministry for subjugating America, the King and Parliament of Great Britain have usurped a Power over the Persons and Property of the People unlimited and uncontrolled and disregarding their humble Petitions for Peace, Liberty and Safety, have made divers Legislative Acts, denouncing War, Famine and every Species of Calamity daily employed in destroying the People and committing the most horrid devastation on the Country. That Governors in different Colonies have declared Protection to slaves who should imbrue their Hands in the Blood of their Masters. That the Ships belonging to America are declared prizes of War and many of them have been violently seized and confiscated in consequence of which multitudes of the people have been destroyed or from easy Circumstances reduced to the most Lamentable distress. And whereas the moderation hitherto manifested by the United States and their sincere desire to be reconciled to the mother Country on Constitutional Principles, have procured no mitigation of the aforesaid wrongs and usurpations and no hopes remain of obtaining redress by those Means alone which have been hitherto tried, Your Committee are of the Opinion that the house should enter into the following Resolve, to wit, Resolved that the delegates for this Colony in the Continental Congress be empowered to concur with the other delegates of the other colonies in declaring Independence, and forming foreign Alliances, resolving to this Colony the Sole, and Exclusive right of forming a Constitution and Laws for this Colony, and of appointing delegates from time to time under the direction of a General Representation thereof to meet the delegates of the other Colonies for such purposed as shall be hereafter pointed out... The Halifax Resolves were important because they were the first official action calling for independence from Britain and they were directed at all of the colonies that had taken up arms against the crown. Virginia followed with her own recommendations soon after the adoption of the Halifax Resolves and on July 4, delegates at the Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia signed the final draft of the Declaration of Independence, North Carolinians William Hooper, Joseph Hewes and John Penn among them. In early December, 1776, delegates to the Fifth Provincial Congress adopted the first constitution for North Carolina. On December 21, 1776, Richard Caswell became the first governor of North Carolina under the new constitution. N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 64 Early Statehood On November 21, 1789, the state adopted the United States Constitution, becoming the twelfth state to enter the federal union. In 1788, North Carolina had rejected the Constitution because it lacked the necessary amendments to ensure freedom of the people. The Bill of Rights satisfied the concerns of antifederalists enough to ensure the state’s adoption of the Constitution a year later. State Constitution of 1835 The convention opened on June 4, 1835, in Raleigh. The new constitution provided for popular election of the governor, as well as fixing the governor’s term in office to two years per term and no more than two consecutive terms. It established a more equitable method of representation in the General Assembly. The new constitution fixed the terms of several offices in the Council of State, equalized the poll tax, banned the legislature from considering private bills, established new legislative procedures for divorce and other matters of civil law and created a new structure for impeaching public officials. The new state constitution also created a mechanism that would allow successive General Assembly sessions to propose constitutional amendments for popular ratification. The Constitution of 1835 passed when submitted to a popular referendum. The Drift Toward War North Carolina was not a leader in talk of Southern secession as the mid-1800s came to a close. A popular referendum held in February, 1861, on whether to call a convention on secession was defeated by a very slim margin. Many of North Carolina’s political leaders looked for ways to mediate between the Union and the emerging Confederacy, to settle the secession question peacefully. But news that Confederate troops had seized Ft. Sumter in Charleston Harbor and President Lincoln’s call for militia troops from North Carolina to assist in putting down the incipient rebellion ended most North Carolinians’ reluctance to choose sides in the conflict. The state seceded from the Union in May, 1861. Once a member of the Confederacy, however, North Carolina provided more than its fair share of manpower and other resources to the war effort. One out of every four Confederate battle casualties was a North Carolinian. Union forces seized much of the Outer Banks and northeastern North Carolina in 1862, leading to constant, small-scale warfare in that region until the end of the conflict. One of the last major battles of the war occurred in March, 1865, at Bentonville, where Confederate troops under the command of Joseph E. Johnston tried to smash the left wing of Union Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman’s army. Instead, Johnston’s troops hammered at the Union lines for nearly three days in some of the worst combat of the war. Unable to break the Union Army, Johnston retreated through Raleigh and surrendered his remaining troops near Durham on April 18. N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S B E G I N N I N G S C H A P T E R TWO 65 Engulfed by a war not of its making or choosing, North Carolina suffered terribly. At the end of the war, property damage throughout the state was immense. The loss of lives on battlefields in Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania left many families grieving. Constitution of 1868 The Constitution of 1868 provided for universal male suffrage. State and county officials would henceforth be elected by popular vote and the terms for governor and lieutenant governor were extended to four years. Most of the state’s judges would likewise be elected by popular vote to eight-year terms. The new state constitution created extensive public services for North Carolinians with disabilities, provided for public orphanages and improved public access to higher education. North Carolinians could no longer be imprisoned for debt under the new state constitution and women, while still not given full citizenship rights, gained considerable new property rights. The constitution also ended the archaic network of county justices, replacing them instead with county commissions and establishing townships in each county for administrative purposes. The Progressive Era The dawn of the 20th Century brought changes to North Carolina’s economy and society. The state benefited from strong, progressive political leadership from governors such as Charles Brantley Aycock (inaugurated in 1901). Aycock persuaded the General Assembly to undertake the most sweeping expansion of the state’s public education system in nearly a century. Many North Carolina counties gained access to local public education for the first time ever between 1900 and 1920. Governor Aycock also convinced the General Assembly to make school funding and maintenance, including hiring and paying teachers, a state function. North Carolina’s state government made other progressive changes during the first two decades of the new century. The state’s park system was founded in 1915 with the opening of Mount Mitchell State Park. Led by Governor Cameron Morrison (1921-25) the state finally addressed its abysmal transportation network through the creation of a state highway commission and funding of new road construction through a series of statewide bond referenda. Morrison also coaxed the General Assembly into spending more money on public health throughout the state and funding vast improvements in the state’s public schools and public universities and colleges. Morrison’s successor, Angus McLean (1925-29), continued the pattern of expanding the administrative scope and expertise of state government and funding badly-needed improvements in public infrastructure. McLean promoted the expansion and diversification of the state economy, both in the industrial and agricultural sectors. Under McLean’s guidance, the state also began systematic efforts to attract new capital investment to North Carolina. N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 66 War and Sacrifice The Japanese Navy’s attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, launched a new period of sacrifice for many North Carolina families. Coastal residents, particularly on the Outer Banks, had an uncomfortably close view of the horrors of modern war throughout 1942 and 1943 as German submarines torpedoed and sank ships, sometimes within sight of land. Many North Carolina civilians risked their lives to rescue sailors from these sinkings and hospitals along the coast treated many injured and burned survivors. More poignantly, the state’s coastal residents collected the bodies of dead sailors that washed ashore and buried them next to generations of their own kin in local cemeteries. North Carolina played a significant role in the American war effort. Fort Bragg, which dated back to World War I, swelled in size, while Cherry Point Marine Air Station and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base were founded to train pilots for both the European and Pacific theaters. By the end of the war, military bases scattered throughout North Carolina had trained more men for combat than any other state in the Union. Over 360,000 North Carolinians served in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II. More than 4,000 of them died in combat. Hundreds of thousands of other North Carolinians who remained in the state during the war worked long hours and often went hungry to support the war effort. The Humble Giant The living standards of most state residents improved steadily following 1960 as North Carolina’s investment in public higher education, unrivaled by nearly any state south of the Mason-Dixon Line, produced large numbers of skilled workers and professionals. By 1990, for the first time in its history, almost half of the state’s residents lived in urban areas. Economic diversification, a better-educated work force and shrewd public sector investments such as the Research Triangle Park in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area led to mushrooming population growth in the state’s cities. North Carolina, by 1980, had become one of the ten most populous states in the United States. The Mecklenburg Declaration of 1775 * Officers Abraham Alexander, Chair John McKnitt Alexander Delegates Col. Thomas Polk Ezra Alexander Waightstill Avery Ephraim Brevard William Graham Benjamin Patton N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S B E G I N N I N G S C H A P T E R TWO 67 Hezekiah J. Balch John Quary Mathew McClure John Phifer Abraham Alexander Neil Morrison James Harris John McKnitt Alexander Robert Irwin William Kennon Hezekiah Alexander John Flenniken John Ford Adam Alexander David Reese Richard Barry Charles Alexander Richard Harris, Sen. Henry Downs Zacheus Wilson, Sen. The following resolutions were presented: 1. Resolved. That whosoever directly or indirectly abetted or in any way form or manner countenanced the uncharted and dangerous invasion of our rights as claimed by Great Britain is an enemy to this country, to America, and to the inherent and inalienable rights of man. 2. Resolved. That we the citizens of Mecklenburg County, do hereby dissolve the political bonds which have connected us to the mother country and hereby absolve ourselves from all allegiance to the British Crown and abjure all political connections contract or association with that nation who have wantonly trampled on our rights and liberties and inhumanely shed the blood of American patriots at Lexington. 3. Resolved. That we do hereby declare ourselves a free and independent people, are, and of right ought to be a sovereign and self-governing association under the control of no power other than that of our God and the General Government of the Congress to the maintenance of which independence we solemnly pledge to each other our mutual cooperation, our lives, our fortunes, and our most sacred honor. 4. Resolved. That as we now acknowledge the existence and control of no law or legal officer, civil or military within this County, we do hereby ordain and adopt as a rule of life all, each and every of our former laws - wherein nevertheless the Crown of Great Britain never can be considered as holding rights, privileges, immunities, or authority therein. 5. Resolved. That it is further decreed that all, each and every Military Officer in this County is hereby reinstated in his former command and authority, he acting comformably to these regulations. And that every member present of this delegation shall henceforth be a civil officer, viz., a justice of the peace, in the character of a “committee man” to issue process, hear and determine all matters of controversy according to said adopted laws and to preserve peace, union and harmony in said county, and to use every exertion to spread the love of Country and fire of freedom throughout America, until a more general and organized government be established in this Province. * The Mecklenburg Declaration was reportedly adopted on May 20, 1775. This N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 68 document is found in Vol. IX, pages 1263-65 of the Colonial Records of North Carolina; however, the authenticity of the declaration has long been – and continues to be — a source of controversy among historians. The text was recalled from memory by the clerk some twenty years after the Mecklenburg meeting was supposedly held. The original notes had reportedly been lost in a fire. The Halifax Resolves of 1776* The Select Committee taking into Consideration the usurpations and violences attempted and committed by the King and Parliament of Britain against America, and the further Measures to be taken for frustrating the same, and for the better defense of this province reported as follows, to wit, It appears to your Committee that pursuant to the Plan concerted by the British Ministry for subjugating America, the King and Parliament of Great Britain have usurped a Power over the Persons and Properties of the People unlimited and uncontrouled; and disregarding their humble Petitions for Peace, Liberty and safety, have made divers Legislative Acts, denouncing War Famine and every Species of Calamity against the Continent in General. That British Fleets and Armies have been and still are daily employed in destroying the People and committing the most horrid devastations on the Country. That Governors in different Colonies have declared Protection to Slaves who should imbrue their Hands in the Blood of their Masters. That the Ships belonging to America are declared prizes of War and many of them have been violently seized and confiscated in consequence of which multitudes of the people have been destroyed or from easy Circumstances reduced to the Lamentable distress. And whereas the moderation hitherto manifested by the United Colonies and their sincere desire to be reconciled to the mother Country on Constitutional Principles, have procured no mitigation to the aforesaid Wrongs and usurpations, and no hopes remain of obtaining redress by those Means alone which have been hitherto tried, Your Committee are of Opinion that the house should enter into the following Resolve to wit, Resolve that the delegates for this Colony in the Continental Congress be impowered to concur with the delegates of the other Colonies in declaring Independency, and forming foreign Alliances, reserving to this Colony the Sole, and Exclusive right of forming a Constitution and Laws for this Colony, and of appointing delegates from time to time (under the direction of a general Representation thereof) to meet the delegates of the other Colonies for such purposes as shall be hereafter pointed out. * The resolves were adopted on April 12, 1776. N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S B E G I N N I N G S C H A P T E R TWO 69 The Mecklenburg Resolves This day the Committee of this county met and passed the following resolves: Whereas by an address presented to his majesty by both House of Parliament in February last, the American colonies are declared to be in a state of actual rebellion, we conceive that all laws and commissions confirmed by or derived from the authority of the King and Parliament are annulled and vacated and the former civil constitution of these colonies for the present wholly suspended. To provide in some degree for the exigencies of this county, in the present alarming period, we deem it proper and necessary to pass the following resolves, viz.: 1. That all commissions civil and military heretofore granted by the Crown to be exercised in these colonies are null and void and the constitution of each particular colony wholly suspended. 2. That the Provincial Congress of each Province under the direction of the great Continental Congress is invested with all legislative and executive powers within their respective Provinces and that no other legislative or executive power does or can exist at this time in any of these colonies. 3. As all former laws are now suspended in this Province and the Congress has not yet provided others we judge it necessary for the better preservation of good order, to form certain rules and regulations for the internal government of this county until laws shall be provided for us by the Congress. 4. That the inhabitants of this county do meet on a certain day appointed by the committee and having formed themselves into nine companies…eight in the county and one in the town of Charlotte do choose a Colonel and other military officers who shall hold and exercise their several powers by virtue of this choice and independent of the Crown of Great Britain and former constitution of this Province. 5. That for the better preservation of the peace and administration of justice each of those companies do choose from their own body two discreet freeholders who shall be empowered…to decide and determine all matters of controversy arising within said company under the sum of twenty shillings and jointly and together all controversies under the sum of forty shillings that so as their decisions may admit of appeal to the convention of the selectmen of the county and also that any one of these shall have power to examine and commit to confinement persons accused of petit larceny. 6. That those two select men thus chosen do jointly and together choose from the body of their particular body two persons properly qualified to act as constables who may assist them in the execution of their office. 7. That upon the complaint of any persons to either of these selectmen he do issue his warrant directed to the constable commanding him to bring the aggressor before him or them to answer said complaint. N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 70 8. That these eighteen selectmen thus appointed do meet every third Tuesday in January, April, July and October, at the Court House in Charlotte, to hear and determine all matters of controversy for sums exceeding forty shillings, also appeals, and in cases of felony to commit the person or persons convicted thereof to close confinement until the Provincial Congress shall provide and establish laws and modes of proceeding in all such cases. 9. That these eighteen selectmen thus convened do choose a clerk to record the transactions of said convention and that said clerk upon the application of any person or persons aggrieved do issue his warrant to one of the constables…directing said constable to summon and warn said offender to appear before the convention at their next sitting to answer the aforesaid complaint… 10. That any Person making Complaint upon Oath to the Clerk, or any Member of the Convention, that he has Reason to suspect that any Person or Persons indebted to him in a Sum above Forty Shillings, do intend clandestinely to withdraw from the County without paying such a Debt; the Clerk, or such Member, shall issue his Warrant to the Constable, commanding him to take said Person or Persons into safe Custody, until the next sitting of the Convention. 11. That when a Debtor for a Sum below Forty Shillings shall abscond and leave the County, the Warrant granted as aforesaid shall extend to any Goods or Chattels of the said Debtor as may be found, and such Goods or Chattels be seized and held in Custody by the Constable for the space of Thirty Dais; in which Term if the Debtor fails to return and Discharge the Debt, the Constable shall return the Warrant to one of the Select Men of the Company where the Goods and Chattels were found, who shall issue Orders to the Constable to sell such a part of the said Goods as shall amount to the Sum due; that when the Debt exceeds Forty Shillings, the Return shall be made to the Convention, who shall issue the Orders for Sale. 12. That all receivers and collectors of quit rents, public and county taxes, do pay the same into the hands of the chairman of this committee to be by them disbursed as the public exigencies may require, and that such receivers and collectors proceed no further in their office until they be approved of by and have given to this committee good and sufficient security for a faithful return of such monies when collected. 13. That the committee be accountable to the county for the application of all monies received from such public officers. 14. That all the officers hold their commissions during the pleasure of their several constituents. 15. That this committee will sustain all damages that ever hereafter may accrue to all or any of these officers thus appointed and thus acting on account of their obedience and conformity to these resolves. 16. That whatever person hereafter shall receive a commission from the Crown or attempt to exercise any such commission heretofore received shall be deemed an enemy to his N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S B E G I N N I N G S C H A P T E R TWO 71 country and upon information being made to the captain of the company in which he resides, the said company shall cause him to be apprehended and conveyed before the two selectmen of the said company, who upon proof of the fact, shall commit him the said offender to safe custody until the next sitting of the committee, who shall deal with him as prudence may direct. 17. That any person refusing to yield obedience to the above resolves shall be considered equally criminal and liable to the same punishment as the offenders above last mentioned. 18. That these resolves be in full force and virtue until instructions from the Provincial Congress…shall provide otherwise or the legislative body of Great Britain resign its unjust and arbitrary pretensions with respect to America. 19. That the eight Militia companies in this county do provide themselves with proper arms and accoutrements and hold themselves in readiness to execute the commands and directions of the General Congress of this Province and of this Committee. 20. That the committee appoint Colonel Thomas Polk and Dr. Joseph Kennedy to purchase three hundred pounds of powder, six hundred pounds of lead and one thousand flints for the use of the militia of this county and deposit the same in such place as the committee hereafter may direct. Signed by order of the Committee, Eph. Brevard, Clerk of the Committee On May 31, 1775, a committee of Mecklenburg County citizens drew up a set of resolves, declaring that all commissions theretofore issued by the Crown were to be considered null and void. They proceeded to re-organize their local government, saying they should “hold and exercise their several powers by virtue of this choice and independent of the Crown of Great Britain and former constitution of this province.” These resolves were printed in the North Carolina Gazette, New Bern, June 16, 1775. From North Carolina History Told by Contemporaries edited by Hugh Talmage Lefler. Copyright © 1934 by the University of North Carolina Press, renewed 1956 and 1965. Used by permission of the publisher. OUR CONSTITUTIONS: A HISTORICAL PE PRESRPESCPETICVTEIVE Our Constitutions: A Historical Perspective by John L. Sanders Former Director of the Institute of Government The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Constitution of 1776 Drafted and promulgated by the Fifth Provincial Congress in December, 1776, without submission to the people, the Constitution of 1776 and its separate, but accompanying, Declaration of Rights sketched the main outlines of the new state government and secured the rights of the citizen from government interference. While the principle of separation of powers was explicitly affirmed and the familiar three branches of government were provided for, the true center of power lay in the General Assembly. That body not only exercised full legislative power; it also chose all the state executive and judicial officers, the former for short terms and the judges for life. Profound distrust of the executive power is evident throughout the document. The governor was chosen by the legislature for a one-year term and was eligible for only three terms in six years. The little power granted him was hedged in many instances by requiring the concurrence of a seven-member Council of State, chosen by the legislature, for its exercise. Judicial offices were established, but the court system itself was left to legislative design. No system of local government was prescribed by the constitution, although the offices of justice of the peace, sheriff, coroner and constable were created. The system of legislative representation was based on units of local government. The voters of each county elected one senator and two members of the House of Commons, while six (later seven) towns each elected one member of the lower house. It was distinctly a property owner’s government, for only landowners could vote for senators until 1857 and progressive property qualifications were required of members of the house, senators and the governor until 1868. Legislators were the only state officers elected by the people until 1836. The Convention of 1835 Dissatisfaction with the legislative representation system, which gave no direct recognition to population, resulted in the Convention of 1835. Extensive constitutional amendments adopted by that convention were ratified by a vote of the people — 26,771 to 21,606 — on November 9, 1835. The 1835 amendments fixed the membership of the Senate and House of Commons at their present levels, 50 and 120. The new house apportionment formula gave one seat to each county and distributed the remainder of N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 74 the seats — nearly half of them at that time — according to a mathematical formula favoring the more populous counties. From 1836 until 1868, senators were elected from districts laid out according to the amount of taxes paid to the state from the respective counties, thus distributing senatorial representation in direct proportion to property values. The Amendments of 1835 also instituted popular election of the governor for a two-year term, greatly strengthening that office; relaxed the religious qualifications for office holding; abolished suffrage for free black residents; equalized the capitation tax on slaves and free white males; prohibited the General Assembly from granting divorces, legitimating persons or changing personal names by private act; specified procedures for the impeachment of state officers and the removal of judges for disability; made legislative sessions biennial instead of annual; and provided methods of amending the constitution. Following the precedent established in amending the United States Constitution, the 1835 amendments were appended to the Constitution of 1776, not incorporated in it as is the modern practice. In 1857, voters approved the only amendment submitted to them between 1836 and 1868. The amendment — approved by a 50,095 to 19,382 vote — abolished the 50-acre land ownership requirement for voters to cast ballots in state senate races. The constitutional change opened that ballot to all white male taxpayers, greatly increasing the number of North Carolinians eligible to vote for senators. The Convention of 1861-62 The Convention of 1861-62, called by act of the General Assembly, took the State out of the Union and into the Confederacy and adopted a dozen constitutional amendments. These changes were promulgated by the convention without submitting them for voter approval, a procedure permitted by the state constitution until 1971. The Convention of 1865-66 The Convention of 1865-66, called by the provisional governor on orders of the President of the United States, nullified secession and abolished slavery, with voter approval, in 1865. It also drafted a revised state constitution in 1866. That document was largely a restatement of the Constitution of 1776 and the 1835 amendments, plus several new features. It was rejected by a vote of 21,770 to 19,880 on August 2, 1866. The Convention of 1868 The Convention of 1868, called upon the initiative of Congress, but with a popular vote of approval, wrote a new state constitution which the people ratified in April, 1868, by a vote of 93,086 to 74,016. Drafted and put through the convention by a combination of native Republicans and a few carpetbaggers, the constitution was highly unpopular with the more conservative elements of the state. For its time, it was a progressive and democratic instrument of government. In this respect it differed markedly from the proposed Constitution of 1866. N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S C O N S T I T U T I O N C H A P T E R T H R E E 75 The Constitution of 1868 was an amalgam of provisions copied or adapted from the Declaration of Rights of 1776, the Constitution of 1776 and its amendments, the proposed Constitution of 1866 and the constitutions of other states, together with some new and original provisions. Although often amended, a majority of the provisions in the 1868 constitution remained intact until 1971. The Constitution of 1971 brought forward much of the 1868 language with little or no change. The Constitution of 1868 incorporated the 1776 Declaration of Rights into the Constitution as Article I and added several important guarantees. The people were given the power to elect all significant state executive officers, all judges and all county officials, as well as state legislators. All property qualifications for voting and office holding were abolished. The plan of representation in the Senate was changed from a property to a popular basis, while the 1835 house apportionment plan was retained. Annual legislative sessions were restored. The executive branch of government was strengthened by popular election of most department heads for four-year terms of office and the governor’s powers were increased significantly. A simple and uniform court system was established with the jurisdiction of each court specified in the constitution. The distinctions between actions at law and suits in equity were abolished. For the first time, detailed constitutional provision was made for a system of taxation and the powers of the General Assembly to levy taxes and to borrow money were limited. Homestead and personal property exemptions were granted. Free public schools were called for and the maintenance of penal and charitable institutions by the state was commanded. A uniform scheme of county and township government was prescribed. The declared objective of the Conservative Party (under whose banner the older, native political leaders grouped themselves) was to repeal the Constitution of 1868 at the earliest opportunity. When the Conservative Party gained control of the General Assembly in 1870, a proposal to call a convention of the people to revise the constitution was submitted by the General Assembly to the voters and rejected in 1871 by a vote of 95,252 to 86,007. The General Assembly thereupon resorted to legislative initiative to amend the constitution. That procedure called for legislative approval of each proposed amendment at two successive sessions, followed by a vote of the people on the amendment. The 1871-72 legislative session adopted an act calling for about three dozen amendments to the constitution, all of which were intended to restore to the General Assembly the bulk of the power over local government, the courts, and the public schools and the University of North Carolina that had been taken from it by the Constitution of 1868. The 1872-73 session of the General Assembly approved eight of those amendments for the second time and submitted them to a popular referendum. Voters approved all eight in 1873 by wide margins. These amendments restored biennial sessions of N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 76 the General Assembly, transferred control of the University of North Carolina from the State Board of Education to the General Assembly, abolished various new state offices, altered the prohibition against double office-holding and repealed the prohibition against repudiation of the state debt. The Convention of 1875 In 1875, the General Assembly called a convention of the people to consider constitutional revision. This action was not confirmed by popular referendum and none was constitutionally required at the time. The Convention of 1875 (the most recent in the state’s history) sat for five weeks in the fall of that year. It was a limited convention that had been specifically forbidden to attempt certain actions, such as reinstatement of property qualifications for office-holding or voting. The Convention of 1875 adopted — and the voters on November 7, 1876, approved by a vote of 120,159 to 106,554 — a set of 30 amendments affecting 36 sections of the state constitution. These amendments (which took effect on January 1, 1877): Prohibited secret political societies. Moved the legislative convening date from November of even-numbered years to January of odd-numbered years. Fixed in the constitution for the first time the rate of legislative compensation. Called for legislation establishing a state Department of Agriculture. Abandoned the simplicity and uniformity of the 1868 court system by giving the General Assembly the power to determine the jurisdiction of all courts below the Supreme Court and establish such courts inferior to the Supreme Court as it might see fit. Reduced the Supreme Court from five to three members. Required Superior Court judges to rotate among all judicial districts of the state. Disqualified for voting persons guilty of certain crimes. Established a one-year residency requirement for voting. Required non-discriminatory racial segregation in the public schools. Gave the General Assembly full power to revise or abolish the form and powers of county and township governments. Simplified the procedure for constitutional amendment by providing that the General Assembly might, by act adopted by three-fifths of each house at one legislative session, submit an amendment to the voters of the state (thus eliminating the former requirement of enactment by two successive sessions of the General Assembly). N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S C O N S T I T U T I O N C H A P T E R T H R E E 77 The principal effect of the amendments of 1873 and 1875 was to restore in considerable measure the pre-1868 power of the General Assembly, particularly over the state’s courts and local governments. Documents from the late 19th and early 20th centuries occasionally refer to “the Constitution of 1876.” There was no such constitution. The 1875 amendments were simply inserted at the appropriate places in the 1868 constitution, which continued in this amended form until 1971. The designation “Constitution of 1876” may have been intended to relieve the 1868 constitution of the unpopularity heaped on it earlier by Conservative critics. The amendments framed by the Convention of 1875 seem to have satisfied most of the need for constitutional change for a generation. Only four amendments were submitted by the General Assembly to the voters throughout the remainder of the nineteenth century. Three of them were ratified; one failed. In 1900, the suffrage article was revised to add a literacy test and poll tax requirement for voting (the latter provision was repealed in 1920). A slate of ten amendments prepared by a constitutional commission and proposed by the General Assembly in 1913 was rejected by voters in 1914. With the passage of time and amendments, the attitude towards the Constitution of 1868 had changed from resentment to a reverence so great that, until the second third of the 20th Century, amendments were very difficult to obtain. Between 1900 and 1933, voters ratified 15 constitutional amendments and rejected 20 others. During the first third of this century, nevertheless, amendments were adopted that lengthened the school term from four to six months, prohibited legislative charters to private corporations, authorized special Superior Court judges, further limited the General Assembly’s powers to levy taxes and incur debt, abolished the poll tax requirement for voting and reduced the residence qualification for voters. Amendments designed to restrict the legislature’s power to enact local, private and special legislation were adopted, but subsequently rendered partly ineffective by judicial interpretation. The Proposed Constitution of 1933 A significant effort at general revision of the state constitution was made in 1931- 33. A constitutional commission created by the General Assembly of 1931 drafted — and the General Assembly of 1933 approved — a revised constitution. Blocked by a technicality raised in an advisory opinion of the N.C. Supreme Court, the proposed Constitution of 1933 never reached the voters for approval. It would have: Given the governor veto power. Given the power to make all rules of practice and procedure in the courts inferior to the Supreme Court to a judicial council composed of all the judges of the Supreme and Superior Courts. Required the creation of inferior courts by general laws only. Removed most of the limitations on the taxing powers of the General Assembly. N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 78 Required the General Assembly to provide for the organization and powers of local governments by general law only. Established an appointive state Board of Education with general supervision over the public school system. Established an enlightened policy of state responsibility for the maintenance of educational, charitable and reformatory institutions and programs. Several provisions of the proposed Constitution of 1933 were later incorporated into the constitution by individual amendments. To a limited extent, the proposed Constitution of 1933 served as a model for the work of the 1957-59 Constitutional Commission. Between the mid-1930s and the late 1960s, greater receptiveness to constitutional change resulted in amendments: Authorizing the classification of property for taxation. Strengthening the limitations upon public debt. Authorizing the General Assembly to enlarge the Supreme Court, divide the State into judicial divisions, increase the number of Superior Court judges and create a Department of Justice under the Attorney General. Enlarging the Council of State by three members. Creating a new, appointive State Board of Education with general supervision of the schools. Permitting women to serve as jurors. Transferring the governor’s power to assign judges to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and his parole power to a Board of Paroles. Permitting the waiver of indictment in non-capital cases. Raising the compensation of General Assembly members and authorizing legislative expense allowances. Increasing the general purpose property tax levy limitation and the maximum income tax rate. Authorizing the closing of public schools on a local option basis and the payment of educational expense grants in certain cases. The increased legislative and public willingness to accept constitutional change between 1934 and 1960 resulted in 32 constitutional amendments being ratified by the voters, while only six were rejected. The Constitutional Commission of 1957-58 At the request of Governor Luther H. Hodges, the General Assembly of 1957 authorized the governor to appoint a fifteen-member Constitutional Commission to study the need for changes in the state constitution and to make recommendations N O R T H C A R O L I N A ’ S C O N S T I T U T I O N C H A P T E R T H R E E 79 pursuant to its findings to the governor and the 1959 session of the General Assembly. The commission recommended rewriting the entire constitution and submitting it to the voters for approval or disapproval as a unit, since the suggested changes were too numerous to be easily effected by individual amendments. The proposed constitution drafted by the commission represented in large part a careful job of editorial pruning, rearrangement, clarification and modernization. It also incorporated several significant, substantive changes. The Senate would have been increased from 50 to 60 members and the initiative (but not the sole authority) for decennial redistricting of the Senate would have been shifted from the General Assembly to an ex-officio committee of three legislative officers. Decennial reapportionment of the House of Representatives would have been made a duty of the speaker of the House, rather than of the General Assembly as a whole. Problems of succession to constitutional state executive offices and how to settle questions of officers’ disability would have been either resolved in the constitution or had their resolution assigned to the General Assembly. The authority to classify property for taxation and to exempt property from taxation would have been required to be exercised only by the General Assembly and only on a uniform, statewide basis. The requirement that the public schools constitute a “general and uniform system” would have been eliminated and the constitutional authority of the State Board of Education reduced. Fairly extensive changes were recommended in the judicial article of the constitution as well, including the establishment of a General Court of Justice with an Appellate Division, a Superior Court Division and a Local Trial Court Division. A uniform system of district courts and trial commissioners would have replaced the existing multitude of inferior courts and justices of the peace. The creation of an intermediate Court of Appeals would have been provided for and uniformity of jurisdiction of the courts within each division would have been required. Aside from these changes, the General Assembly would have essentially retained its pre-existing power over the courts, including jurisdiction and procedures. The General Assembly of 1959 also had before it a recommendation for a constitutional reformation of the court system that had originated with a Court Study Committee of the North Carolina Bar Association. In general, the recommendations of that committee called for more fundamental changes in the courts than those proposed by the Constitutional Commission. The extent of the proposed authority of the General Assembly over the courts was the principal difference between the two recommendations. The Constitutional Commission generally favored legislative control of the courts and proposed only moderate curtailment of the General Assembly’s authority. The Court Study Committee, however, accepted a more literal interpretation of the concept of an independent judiciary. Its proposals, therefore, would have minimized the authority of the General Assembly over the state’s courts, although structurally its system would have closely resembled that recommended by the Constitutional Commission. N O R T H C A R O L I N A MA N U A L 2011-2012 80 The proposed constitution received extensive attention from the General Assembly of 1959. The Senate modified and passed the bill to submit the proposal to the voters, but it failed to pass the House of Representatives, chiefly due to disagreement over the issue of court revision. As had been true of the proposed Constitution of 1933, the proposed Constitution of 1959, though not adopted as a whole, subsequently provided material for several amendment proposals which were submitted individually to the voters and approved by them during the next decade. In the General Assembly of 1961, the proponents of court reform were successful in obtaining enactment of a constitutional amendment, approved by the voters in 1962, that created a unified and uniform General Court of Justice for the state. Other amendments submitted by the same session and approved by the voters: Provided for the automatic decennial reapportionment of the House of Representatives. Clarified the provisions for succession to elective state executive offices and disability determination. Authorized a reduction in the in-state residence period for voters for President. Allowed increases in the compensation of elected state executive officers during their terms. Required that the power of the General Assembly to classify and exempt property for taxation be exercised by it alone and only on a uniform, statewide basis. The session of 1963 submitted two amendments. The first, to enlarge the rights of married women to deal with their own property, was approved by the voters. The second, to enlarge the Senate from 50 to 70 members and allocate one member of the House of Representative to each county, was rejected by the voters. The General Assembly of 1965 submitted, and the voters approved, an amendment authorizing the legislative creation of a Court of Appeals. The 1967 General Assembly proposed, and the voters approved, amendments authorizing the General Assembly to fix its own compensation and revising the legislative apportionment scheme to conform to the judicially-established requirement of representation in proportion to population in both houses. Constitution of 1971 From 1869 through 1968, a total of 97 propositions for amending the state constitution were submitted to the voters. All but one of |
OCLC number | 2623953 |