Establishing the Carolina Colony
• Virginia Company given original Charter to settle NC
• Problem – No records to show Carolina as controlled by Viriginia
company
• 1622 – John Pory
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Explores northeastern NC
Finds fruitful land (good for farming)
Finds forests – Pine trees were perfect for making ships
Naval stores (products from pine trees)
Discovered Native Americans were eager to trade, the Natives had copper, a
valuable trade good
• Northeastern NC has much potential
Carolana
• King James is unhappy with Virginia Company
• King James cancels the VA company’s charter
• Sir Robert Heath given new grant
• Starts new colony called Carolana (named for King Charles I)
• Colony consisted of land just north of Florida to the modern day city of
Edenton, NC
• Efforts to attract English settlers to Carolana fail
Who is attracted to NC?
• Not the Enlgish, but who?
• Colonists from Virginia who were searching for better land make their way to
Carolana
• Restless explorers
• 1660s -500 people have settled in the area of Carolana
• Problems
• No real government
• Events in England – King Charles II had to pay debt to those who helped him gain power
• King Charles II repays his debt by...
King Charles II Repays Debt
• Kings Charles repays his loyal friends
• Land is granted (given) to the Lords Proprietors
• Lords Proprietors (owners or rulers of English Land)
• This territory was now called Carolina
• Carolina grant
• Land granted to 8 Lords Proprietors
• Area of Land Grant
• From Chesapeake, VA south to Florida,
• From the Outer Banks to Pacific Ocean
• Lords Proprietors
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8
Had lots of power
Nobility / Rich class
Given rights to Establish towns and cities
Required to give colonists the same rights as Englishmen
Carolina Law
• Made with the advice (help) of the Freemen
• If not made by Freemen, laws were made by the elected
representatives in the assembly
• Fundamental Orders of Carolina
• A code of law for the Colony of Carolina
• Intended to Protect Property Rights of colonists and encourage settlement
• Had little effect because of the influence and power of England’s Lords
Proprietors
• Document was never actually approved in the colonial Assembly
First Counties of NC
• Proprietors began to establish counties
• Proprietors established governments because
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They wanted people to settle NC
They wanted England to profit from settlement
They wanted their land to be safe
They wanted to personally profit from their ventures
• Oh…one of the Proprietors, Sur William Berkeley was governor of Virginia.
• Berkeley did not want his share of Carolina to be hurt by Virginia’s claims
• Berkeley grants land to settlers in the Albemarle region (around the Albmarle Sound)
• First 3 counties established
• Albemarle County (grew slowly)
• Clarendon County (failed)
• Craven County (settled in 1670)
Establishing government in NC
• Governor (overall leader of colonial government)
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Appointed by the Proprietors
Not elected
Must carry out Proprietors wishes
Held office as long as Proprietors desired
Determine how to pay for the costs of running the colony
• First type of elected government was the Assembly
• Assembly had 2 houses (Upper House & Lower House)
• Upper House – The Council (appointed by Proprietors)
• Lower House – The Assembly (elected by the people)
• Representatives (people are were elected to serve in government)
• Had to be male and own land
• Assembly’s Job:
• Make laws
• Set governors salary
Political Parties
• Political Party - Group of persons organized to acquire and exercise
political power.
• NC’s First Political Parties
• Prerogative Party
• Governor, the Council, anyone who owed their position to the Lords Proprietors
• Popular Party
• Settlers, people who had settled prior to (before) the Lords Proprietors took over
• Often rebelled (went against) unfair orders given by the Lords Proprietors
Discussion Questions
1. Why was the area of Carolina first settled?
2. What is a naval store? Why are these important in shipbuilding?
3. Who was Sir Robert Heath? Was he successful in attracting settlers to his
colony?
4. What types of people eventually settled northeastern NC?
5. What is a Lord Proprietor? Who were the 8 Lord’s Proprietors of the Carolina
Colony?
6. Why did the Lords Proprietors want to establish government so quickly?
7. Describe the first government of the Carolina Colony.
8. What were the qualifications (requirements) to be elected to the Assembly?
9. Why did political parties develop in NC?