North Carolina, First in Freedom

 

Throughout history, acquiring land has been one of the most important goals of any empire or country. Britain was no exception and had three primary methods of acquiring overseas land. These methods were military conquest, the establishment of commonwealths, and colonization, each with its own unique set of rules and regulations.

Under the military conquest method, the British would establish a military governor who had complete control over the conquered territory. The territory's inhabitants had no rights other than those granted by the governor. This method was often used when the British needed to establish a foothold quickly, and the territory was strategically important.

The second method was the establishment of commonwealths, which were private companies with paid soldiers. These companies would establish a colony on behalf of the British crown, and the territory's inhabitants had limited rights. The company had the right to govern the settlement as it saw fit, and the inhabitants had to obey its rules and regulations.

The final method was colonization, where the colony was granted all the rights of Englishmen. This meant that the inhabitants of the territory had the same rights as English citizens, including political and religious freedoms, the right to import and export goods, the right to be tried in the colony for a crime committed there, personal and property rights, and a basic form of religious freedom.

North Carolina was established as a colony under the colonization method. On March 24, 1663, King Charles II granted a charter for land in America to the Lord's Proprietors, who were eight of his closest supporters during the Restoration of 1660. The king gave broad powers to the proprietors because a permanent English settlement in the new world was significant.

The powers guaranteed political and religious freedoms to the inhabitants of Carolina, which stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the South Seas, encompassing an area roughly from the middle of Albemarle Sound to what is now the Georgia/Florida border. Inhabitants of the new colony claimed many of the same rights as English citizens.

In 1665, another charter was issued, which amended the 1663 document and moved the northern boundary to include the prosperous and more populous Albemarle region. Although the Lord's Proprietors had control over the colony, their power was unstable, and many of the charter's provisions became the fundamental principles upon which American freedom was based.

The British had three primary methods of acquiring overseas land: military conquest, the establishment of commonwealths, and colonization. North Carolina was established as a colony under the colonization method. The colony's inhabitants claimed many rights as English citizens, including political and religious freedoms, personal and property rights, and a basic form of religious liberty. Although the Lord's Proprietors controlled the colony, many of the charter's provisions became the fundamental principles upon which American freedom is based.