North Carolina Statehood

Background. The area that became North Carolina was granted by charter of King Charles II of England in 1663, which generally established the colony's borders. In 1712 the northern and southern parts of the original province separated, and North Carolina became a distinct colony; in 1729 it became a royal colony, with the exception of the Earl Granville holdings, and stood among the Thirteen Colonies.

Revolutionary Context. A majority of North Carolina colonists generally supported the American Revolution, though some remained Loyalists. The Highland Scots of eastern North Carolina, English and Gaelic speaking, tended to stay loyal to the British Crown because of longstanding business and personal connections with Great Britain.

The Halifax Resolves. On April 12, 1776, the North Carolina Provincial Congress passed the Halifax Resolves, instructing the colony's delegates to the Continental Congress to vote for independence from the British Crown. This was the first formal call for independence from Great Britain among the American colonies during the American Revolution, a precedence later commemorated by the state's "First in Freedom" license plate slogan.