Timeline
North Carolina’s history, era by era, with every story on the site in order.
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Before 1663
Native Lands & First Contact
Thousands of years of Indigenous history, then the first English attempts to settle the Carolina coast.
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1663–1775
Colonial Carolina
From the royal charter to the eve of revolution: proprietors, planters, pirates and a growing backcountry.
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1775–1835
Revolution & Early Statehood
Independence, a hard-fought war, and a new state deciding what kind of union it would join.
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1835–1865
Antebellum & Civil War
Removal, slavery, secession and war.
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1865–1914
Reconstruction & New South
Rebuilding after the war, the rise of tobacco and textiles, and a first in flight.
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1914–1945
World Wars & Depression
Two world wars, hard times in between, and bases that changed the state.
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1945–today
Civil Rights & Modern Era
Sit-ins, the Research Triangle and a fast-changing state.