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A Campus Transformed: UNC During the Second World War Commentary
In 1940, Americans still hoped that the United States might remain neutral in the ongoing struggle being fought in Europe and Asia. In the event that the United States did enter the conflict, however, University of North Carolina President Frank Porter Graham had determined that the institution should support the war effort. A former officer in the Marine Corps during World War I, Graham announced even before the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 that the University would offer “all its resources to the nation for the defense of the freedom and democracy it was founded to serve.” Following Pearl Harbor, students and faculty emulated Graham’s patriotism, and the Chapel Hill campus was transformed into a military resource furthering the war effort.
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Act Concerning Marriages (1669) Encyclopedia
Settlers wishing to marry soon experienced a problem: only ministers of the Church of England were entitled to perform the rite of marriage and few visited or settled in Carolina. As a result, the Assembly of Albemarle in 1669 discussed the need to authorize civil officers to perform marriage ceremonies.
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Affirmations Encyclopedia
Affirmations are statements made in lieu of oaths by people who have conscientious scruples against taking oaths. Under modern North Carolina law, this means saying “solemnly affirm” instead of “solemnly swear,” and avoiding any invocation of God in support of one’s statement (North Carolina General Statues 11-1 and 11-4). Starting its colonial history with a
de facto freedom to affirm instead of swear, North Carolina returned to a more restrictive position based on English law, then extended affirmation privileges to certain Protestant groups, and ultimately made affirmations available to anyone with objections to oaths.
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Anti-Federalism Encyclopedia
Anti-Federal was the name given to the men and the movement opposing the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Ironically, Anti-Federals wanted a more federal government than the Federals; the term resulted from a Federal political strategy to present Anti-Federals as opponents of limited government. Before they ratified (approved) the Constitution, Anti-Federals wanted a Bill of Rights to be included.
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Antifederalists: North Carolina's Other Founders Commentary
It is tempting to dismiss the Anti-Federalists, for the U.S. Constitution that they opposed is practically a sacred document to most modern Americans. Under that Constitution, the United States increased in population, wealth, and territory to become, by the late twentieth century, the world’s only superpower. The Anti-Federalists contributed to what now seems to be a preordained drama. Their story, however, suggests that history might have taken another, and not unthinkable, path.
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Apex, Town of. Encyclopedia
Originally named “Apex” because it was the highest point on the Chatham Railroad line between Richmond, Virginia and Jacksonville, Florida, the town of Apex still exemplifies its motto: “Peak of Good Living.” Although a little over 30,000 people reside there, and many industries have moved to the area, Apex remains a quaint place to live.
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Averasboro (Town of) Encyclopedia
On the Cape Fear River during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, only Fayetteville's and Wilmington’s populations outnumbered Averasboro’s. Yet population and commercial growth were not inevitable. Only a cemetery surrounded by a grove and a Civil War museum remind anyone that the port town once existed.
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Ayllon, Lucas Vasques de (1475-1526) Encyclopedia
A lawyer and nobleman from Spain, Lucas Vasques de Ayllon sponsored the first Spanish explorations (three total) of what became North Carolina. He also discovered Chesapeake Bay and established San Miguel de Guandape, a settlement near what would be Jamestown. The wild horses of Shackleford Banks (near Beaufort) are reminders of Ayllon's explorations and failed attempts to settle in the land.
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Babb, James G. (1932- ) Encyclopedia
A native North Carolinian, James G. Babb was born January 1, 1932. He graduated from Belmont Abbey College in 1959 with a degree in business and later achieved success in the communications industry.
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Backcountry Piedmont Lesson Plan
During the mid-1700s, the North Carolina backcountry (now known as the Piedmont) was much different than Eastern North Carolina. Anglican itinerant Charles Woodmason of Charleston, South Carolina, “a missionary of English civilization,” went to the backcountry to convert Piedmont farmers and bring stability and order to a region where religious dissidents lived. This lesson plan includes four selections from Woodmason's sermons and reports, a reading worksheet, and discussion questions for advanced students.
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Barringer Gold Mine Encyclopedia
Historians claim the opening of Barringer Gold Mine was a watershed event. Formerly one of the most important gold mines in 1800s North Carolina, the Barringer Gold Mine is remembered now mostly for being the first gold mine in the Southern Piedmont to use lode mining (pure mining from mineral deposits).
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Bayard v. Singleton Encyclopedia
Bayard v. Singleton is one of the most important early cases involving the exercise of judicial review by an American court. The controversial decision served as a precedent for the later and commonplace practice of judicial review.
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Bessemer City Encyclopedia
In the mid-1700s, Europeans looking for arable land started settling in modern-day Gaston County. Many arrived with land grants from King George II (1683-1760) or migrated from other colonies, such as Pennsylvania and Maryland. The area’s natural resources attracted skilled laborers, such as miners, lumberjacks, and farmers.
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Bickett, Thomas W. (1869-1921) Encyclopedia
Thomas W. Bickett, a native of Monroe and graduate of Wake Forest College, studied law at the University of North Carolina. After a brief tenure in the state House of Representatives, he served as North Carolina attorney general from 1909 to 1917. In 1916 he was elected governor. Inaugurated on January 11, 1917, Bickett's gubernatorial administration included the beginning of a juvenile court system, the expansion of the state's roads and improvements in education, and the prison system.
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Blakely, Johnston (1781-1814) Encyclopedia
Although the most successful American naval officer of the War of 1812 and commander of the feared
Wasp, Blakely never enjoyed the fame that he had for so long desired. It was posthumous.
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Bloodworth, Timothy (1736-1814) Encyclopedia
Timothy Bloodworth was an influential Patriot, Anti-Federalist, and Democratic-Republican. Without the advantages of great wealth, a prominent family, or a prestigious education, Bloodworth typified a new generation of working-class politicians during and after the American Revolution, and his ambition, ability, and likable personality made him one of North Carolina’s most durable politicians.
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Blount, William (1749-1800) Encyclopedia
As businessman, Revolutionary War veteran, signer of the Constitution, territorial governor, and United States Senator, William Blount spent his lifetime looking for opportunities. No place in the late-eighteenth century United States offered better opportunities for a person with Blount’s disposition and connections than did the trans-Appalachian frontier. Ultimately Blount’s grasp exceeded his resources, leading Blount to devise a desperate plan that failed—and led to his expulsion from the United States Senate.
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Bradham, Caleb (1867-1934) Encyclopedia
Known mainly for inventing “Brad’s Drink,” later called Pepsi-Cola, Caleb Bradham’s business career reached its apogee a couple years before World War I. The effects of the government’s rationing of sugar during the Great War cost Bradham immensely. Although Pepsi-Cola declared bankruptcy in 1924, the New Bern resident had created a product that North Carolinians and Americans (and now the world) still enjoys.
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Bragg, Braxton (Mexican War) (1817-1876) Encyclopedia
Criticized for his inability to win battles during the Civil War (1861-1865), North Carolinian Braxton Bragg, writes historian William S. Hoffman, was the man of the hour during the Mexican War (1846-1848).
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Brinkley, David McClure (1920-2003) Encyclopedia
Newscaster David McClure Brinkley helped pioneer the two-anchor format on NBC and revolutionize the format of the Sunday news interview programs with his ABC series,
This Week With David Brinkley.
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