Of America's thirteen original colonies, North Carolina was one of the most rural, its urban population miniscule and its maritime commerce severely limited--except in the town of Wilmington. Prior to the Civil War, the coastal town was North Carolina's largest urban area and principal seaport, with shipping as the mainstay of the local economy. Wilmington indeed was a singular place in colonial and antebellum North Carolina. This book presents the history of Wilmington from its founding and development to the eve of the Civil War. Part I traces Wilmington's history from the incorporation of...

This collection of nineteen original essays on selected topics and epochs in North Carolina history offers a broad survey of the state from its discovery and colonization to the present. Each chapter consists of an interpretive essay on a specific aspect of North Carolina's history, a collection of supporting documents, and a brief bibliography.

Selections cover historical periods ranging from Elizabethan to contemporary times and examine such issues as slavery, populism, civil rights, and the status of women. Essays address the tragedy of North Carolina's Indians, the state's role...

Benjamin Smith came from a distinguished South Carolina family and acquired wealth in the Cape Fear region as a member of the planter class. Smith was active in public life, in county government and as a legislator in state politics. He promoted public schools, the University of North Carolina, domestic manufacturing, banking, penal reform, and internal improvements -- Provided by publisher.