The American Revolutionary War is arguably the most significant war in the history of the United States’; after all, the result of the war was the colonies' independence. July 4, 1776 is a date that every American should know. It was on that day Congress officially adopted the Declaration of Independence. About a month later, 56 men signed what would become the single most important document in the nation’s history ("Declaration of Independence"). The oppressions of King George III had finally reached a level the American Colonists could no longer bear. Under the guidance of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and many others, the American colonies decided to declare their independence from Britain. Thomas Jefferson, who would go on to become the third president of the United States of America, drafted the Declaration of Independence using elegant yet strong language. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness (US, 1776),” is perhaps the most famous quote taken from the Declaration, and is, in essence, what has become known as, “The American Dream.”
Many historians agree that the war was won in the south ("The Southern Campaign of the American Revolution"), and North Carolina played an integral part in the war effort. Not only did some significant battles take place in North Carolina, but there were many important events in the colony that lead up to the war itself. The role displayed by North Carolina began before the war even started and lasted until the very end. Colonists of North Carolina heavily opposed the numerous regulations by the British. The Stamp Act hit the southern colony rather hard, and its citizens were not happy. North Carolinians joined the protests of the other colonies against the Stamp Act. In November of 1765 in Wilmington, North Carolina, protestors forced Dr. William Houston- the colony’s stamp distributor- to resign from the position. Later that month, citizens of North Carolina forced the North Carolina Gazette to print unstamped editions of the newspaper, a direct violation of the Stamp Act (Broadwater). From these demonstrations to the War of the Regulation, the Mecklenburg Declaration, and the Halifax Resolves, it’s clear that North Carolina helped spark the American Revolution.
Many historians agree that the war was won in the south ("The Southern Campaign of the American Revolution"), and North Carolina played an integral part in the war effort. Not only did some significant battles take place in North Carolina, but there were many important events in the colony that lead up to the war itself. The role displayed by North Carolina began before the war even started and lasted until the very end. Colonists of North Carolina heavily opposed the numerous regulations by the British. The Stamp Act hit the southern colony rather hard, and its citizens were not happy. North Carolinians joined the protests of the other colonies against the Stamp Act. In November of 1765 in Wilmington, North Carolina, protestors forced Dr. William Houston- the colony’s stamp distributor- to resign from the position. Later that month, citizens of North Carolina forced the North Carolina Gazette to print unstamped editions of the newspaper, a direct violation of the Stamp Act (Broadwater). From these demonstrations to the War of the Regulation, the Mecklenburg Declaration, and the Halifax Resolves, it’s clear that North Carolina helped spark the American Revolution.