Free
North Carolina is a place of contrasts.
On the one hand, our state has been the site of historic firsts. On the other hand, our government was slow to support changes related to civil rights. On the one hand, our forests have always been an important natural resource for our economy. On the other hand, we are all about technology. On the one hand, we’re home to well-known historic events. On the other hand, we host events known mostly to us alone. This – all of this – is who we are, so perhaps it’s fitting that our motto is “To Be Rather Than To Seem.”
◀ It was about 10:30 on the morning of December 17, 1903. Brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright were at Kitty Hawk, on the Outer Banks. The weather was windy. The beach was sandy and wide open – just right to test their invention – a heavier-than-air flying machine. The first flight lasted only 12 seconds, but the engines and the design kept the “flying machine” in the air. It was a historic first. Today, you can see a copy of that first plane at the Wright Brothers National Memorial. You’ll see “First in Flight,” one of our state’s two slogans, on our license plates.
Proposed in 1919, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution gave women the right to vote. As required, it went to the states to be approved. The next year, the needed 36 states approved it. But North Carolina was not among them. In 1971, North Carolina finally approved the 19th Amendment, long after it had been part of the Constitution. Gertrude Weil, a leading North Carolina suffragist at the time, said this after North Carolina rejected the amendment: ▶
As you know, our fight for ratification [approval] by the North Carolina legislature is over. We were unsuccessful in our efforts. Our North Carolina men have refused to ratify. We receive the gift of political equality at the hands of men of other States . . . . To the Suffragists in the State who helped so faithfully in the . . . campaign work we extend appreciative thanks. . . . One chapter in our history is over. Already we look forward to a program of education for our women . . . to use their political power for the betterment of our State and nation.
Photo by Jack Moebes. © Jack Moebes Photo Archive. jackmoebes.com
◀ Segregation continued into the 20th century. Then came February 1, 1960. That day, four Black students sat down at a Whites-only lunch counter at Woolworth’s in Greensboro. They wanted to order lunch. No one would serve them, but the students refused to leave. Instead, they sat at the counter until closing time. Their sit-in sparked months of similar protests. Finally, on July 25, Woolworth’s lunch counter was integrated.
Reflection
Reflect on what took place at Woolworth’s. What do you think White customers may have learned from it?
Check It Out!
What movie based on true events took place in Durham around the time of the Greensboro sit-in?
The movie, The Best of Enemies, takes place in Durham in 1971. A segregated Black school had been destroyed by fire. What were the students to do? Many White people didn’t want Black children in their school. The movie is about how one particular White person changed his mind when he came to comprehend what Black and White people had in common.
In 1958, the Ku Klux Klan was acting out against the Lumbee Tribe in Robeson County. They burned crosses. They shouted insults. And more. On January 18, they held a rally near Maxton. Between 50 and 100 Klans people were there. The participants didn’t expect the Lumbee to be there too. But they were. When almost 500 Lumbee arrived at the rally, people from the Klan got scared and ran into the woods. They have not held a rally in Robeson County since. ▶
Native American Tribes of North Carolina
▲ About 127,000 members of Native American tribes live in North Carolina. That’s more than in any other state east of the Mississippi River. The largest tribe is the Lumbee. Eight tribes are recognized by the state. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is also recognized by the U.S. government. The Lumbee Act of 1956 gave the Lumbee Tribe partial federal recognition. In 2025, North Carolina Governor Josh Stein urged Congress to pass the Lumbee Fairness Act. That same year, the president signed the act into law. The act gives the Lumbee full federal recognition.
Check It Out!
What does it mean for a tribe to be recognized by the U.S. government?
A tribe recognized by the U.S. government has certain rights of self-government. It also receives certain protections from the federal government, and certain benefits and services. These rights and protections come from treaties, or agreements, between the federal government and the tribes.
Only in North Carolina!
The Woolly Worm Festival is a race of woolly worms – woollybear caterpillars to be exact. It takes place every October in Banner Elk. The winner predicts the winter weather to come.
The biggest city in the state, Charlotte was founded in 1768. It was named for Queen Charlotte, the wife of King George III of Great Britain. Settlers nicknamed it “Queen City.”
◀ Between Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill is Research Triangle Park, the largest research park in the U.S. It’s home to hundreds of companies doing work in biohealth and technology. Biohealth uses biology and technology to improve people’s health. Duke University has research labs here too. These are a few of the products companies in the park have developed: a drug for cancer, bar codes, and LED lighting for factories and warehouses.
