State Symbols

NC Symbols

Nickname: Tar-Heel StateDuring the late unhappy war between the

States it [North Carolina] was sometimes called the "Tar-heel State," because tar was made in the State, and because in battle the soldiers of North Carolina stuck to their bloody work as if they had tar on their heels, and when General Lee said, "God bless the Tar-heel boys," they took the name.

Government in North Carolina

• North Carolina has 100 county governments• Everyone has at least 3 governments:

National, State, and County• Many places also include municipalities---a

city, town, or village with an organized government.

• All these separate governments are serving you at the same time!!

Government and Protection

• National= Maintains the army, navy, air force, and other nationwide activities

• State= Regulates traffic, defines crimes, national guard

• Local= Enforce state laws and establish local regulations to protect your communities

Mountains, Piedmont, and Coast!

North Carolina’s Diverse Communities

North Carolina Economy

• Agriculture, forestry, and tourism---mountains and coastal plain

• Commercial Fishing—Coast• Military bases---Eastern part of the State

– Fort Bragg, Camp Lejeune, Seymore Johnson AFB

Metropolitan Areas

Eastern North Carolina-Fayetteville, Goldsboro, Greenville, Jacksonville, Rocky Mount, and Wilmington

Metropolitan Areas

Western North Carolina-Asheville-Hickory, Morganton, and Lenoir

Metropolitan Areas

Piedmont-Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill-Greensboro-Winston Salem-High Point-Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill

Roots of Government in North CarolinaChapter 12

A Bicameral Legislature

• North Carolina use to operate under a unicameral, or one house legislature.

• Then in 1697, the colony adopted a bicameral, or two house, legislature.– Royal Governor and his council made up the

upper house– House of Burgesses made up the lower house

elected by the people.

First in Freedom

• The colonial governor continued to try and impose laws and taxes on the colonists that the Assembly opposed.

• The governor refused to call a meeting of the elected representatives.

• So the colonial leaders decided to hold a congress without the governors approval.

Toward Independence

• November 2, 1769—Governor dismissed the Assembly but some refused to leave (FIRST time representatives in any colony did this)

• August 25, 1774---71 delegates met in Wilmington and created the First Provincial Congress– elected representatives to the first Continental

congress

First in Independence!

• May 20, 1775—Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence

• April 12, 1776---Halifax Resolves

Edenton Tea Party

The Constitutional Convention

• May 25, 1787—Richard Spaight, William Blout, and Hugh Williamson were North Carolinas representatives at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.

• The finished constitution created a federal system of government.

Holding out for the Bill of Rights in 1787

• Voters in NC feared a strong federal government

• Objected to giving Congress the power to levy taxes

• Objected that the U.S. Constitution did not include guarantees of rights like those assured in their own NC Constitution. IT DID NOT HAVE A _____ of ______!!!!

Approve or Reject the U.S. Constitution???

• Voters elected a majority of Anti-Federalists to the Constitutional Convention in Hillsboro, NC in 1788– Delegates defeated ratification– Demanded a Bill of Rights be added

• Finally in Nov. 1789 in Fayetteville the NC Delegates ratified the U.S. Constitution only after federalists promised a bill of rights.

The Constitution of North CarolinaSection 2

The Constitution of 1776

• In the fall of 1776 delegates met in Halifax and wrote a constitution for the state

• It was adopted on December 18, 1776

North Carolina 1776 Constitution• In N.C. Constitution the 14 Articles include the

following:– A preamble– Declaration of rights (Bill of Rights)– An outline of the framework of government (LEJ)– A listing of state powers and responsibilities– A provision for local government– An amending clause that details the methods of

formal constitutional change.

N.C. PreambleWe, the people of the State of North

Carolina, grateful to Almighty God, the Sovereign Ruler of Nations, for the preservation of the American Union and the existence of our civil, political and religious liberties, and acknowledging our dependence upon Him for the continuance of those blessings to us and our posterity, do, for the more certain security thereof and for the better government of this State, ordain and establish this Constitution.

Preamble to the U.S. Constitution (pg. 95)

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Article I: Declaration of Rights

• Includes 25 guarantees of freedom• Very similar the to Bill of Rights in the U.S.

Constitution• Popular Sovereignty• Separation of Powers• Checks and Balances

Freedom, Safety, Achievement, and Equality

• Set up a state militia to keep order• Protected the ownership of Private

property• Established public schools and

Universities– Guarantees an education to citizens

• Equality was limited---men who owned land

• Consists of two houses– Senate and house of representatives

• Members elected every year• Authority to pass laws, levy taxes and

appropriate public funds• Had the power to appoint the members of

the other two branches of government

Basic outline of NC Government

• Legislative Branch--General Assembly (House and Senate)

• Executive Branch---Governor and Council of State

• Judicial Branch

• Article V Finance• ARTICLE VI Suffrage And Eligibility To Office• ARTICLE VIILocal Government• ARTICLE VIIICorporations• ARTICLE IXEducation• ARTICLE XHomesteads And Exemptions• ARTICLE XIPunishments, Corrections, And

Charities• ARTICLE XIIMilitary Forces• ARTICLE XIIIConventions; Constitutional

Amendment And Revision• ARTICLE XIVMiscellaneous

The Constitution of 1776• Since 1776, North Carolina’s constitution

has been amended and revised in many ways

• But the 1776 Constitution set up state government with three branches (Legislative, Executive, and Judicial) which have stayed in tact ever since.

1835 Amendments

1835 • Voters gained the power to elect the

governor and approve/reject constitutional Amendments.

• Also took the vote away from men of African Descent

Constitution of 1868

1868• NC was forced to write a new Constitution

after the Civil War. • Slavery was abolished• 21 and older could vote regardless of race,

color, and previous servitude• Voters elected many state department

heads and county officials

Reactions to change

1900’s:• Poll Tax, Literacy Tests,

and Grandfather clause• Allowed racial

segregation in schools• Not Amended until the

1960’s.

North Carolina Constitution Today: 1971

• Approved by voters in 1970 and took effect in 1971.

• Text was edited to make it easier to read• Outdated details were changed:

-Required minimum school year was changed from 6 months to 9 months-Racial segregation in schools was eliminated

North Carolina Voter Amendments

1972—lowered the voting age to 181977---permited the governor to 2

consecutive 4-year terms1996---Gave the governor the power to veto

legislation (NC was the last!)

North Carolina Declaration of Rights

• Voters made changes to our Declaration of Rights

• Declaration of Rights

Trivia

• The Highest Peak in North Carolina?• What are the three major land regions in NC?• NC was the last southern state to do this in

May 1861?• Oldest state university in the U.S., founded in

1795?• North Carolinas Longest River?• Furniture capital of the world?

State Song:The Old North State

-Carolina! Carolina! Heaven's blessings attend her!-While we live we will cherish, protect and defend

her;-Tho' the scorner may sneer at and witlings defame

her,-Still our hearts swell with gladness whenever we

name her.• Hurrah! Hurrah! The Old North State forever!

Hurrah! Hurrah! The good Old North State!

Rights of CitizensSection 3

The Right to Vote• Voting makes each citizen a government

decision maker• The electorate decides who will represent

them in government• Have a say in your government**POWERFUL SYMBOL OF DEMOCRACY**

Limiting the Right to Vote

• Originally only free, white males who owned property and were citizens of the state and at least 21 years old could vote

• In 1835 the General Assembly even prohibited free men of African descent from voting

Expanding the Right to Vote

• 1868 14th Amendment required equal protection of the laws!

• 1870 the 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution extended voting rights to all male citizens who were 21 years old, regardless of “race, creed, color, or previous servitude”.

First African American elected to the United States Senate

• Hiram Revels• Born in 1822 in Fayetteville, NC• Elected in 1870 to represent Mississippi in

the state senate

First African American member of Congress from N.C.

• John Adams Hyman.• Elected to represent N.C. in the U.S.

House of Representatives in 1875.

Expanding the Right to Vote?

• By 1900 the General Assembly had set up discriminatory tests that kept most African American and Native American men from voting

• Women could still not vote at this time

Women win the right to vote

• Women’s Suffrage! Held a Convention in Charlotte in 1914

• Marched in parades with signs that read “Votes for Women” and “No taxation without representation is Tyranny”

• Finally in 1920…19th Amendment!

First Women elected to the General Assembly

• Lillian Exum Clement elected in 1921.

Voting rights expanding to African Americans

• African American women could not vote until the 1960’s.

• Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965…Federal government began enforcing voting rights

26th Amendment

• 1971 the 26th amendment lowered the voting age to 18 throughout the nation

• In NC even 17 year olds can register to vote in the primaries if they will be 18 by the General Election.

Voting Procedures

• To be eligible to vote in North Carolina:– Be a citizen of the U.S.– Be at least 18 years old by the next general

election– Lived in his or her voting precinct for at least

30 days– Not be serving a sentence for conviction as a

felon– Be registered to vote

Where can I Register to vote?

• License office (DMV)• Board of Elections Office

Registering to Vote

• Mail in registration forms are available online, high schools, libraries, and many other places.

• This form is then sent to the county board of elections

• Voters must register at least 25 days before an election so that the board of elections can prepare the voter rolls.

Casting a vote

• Registered voters go to the polling place in their precinct where election officials check the voters name

• Absentee ballot—mail or at the office of the board of elections.

• Early voting!

Voting

• Voters must approve any amendments to the North Carolina constitution and give the government the authority to borrow money through REFERENDUMS!

Election Day

• Elections for federal, state, and county offices are held in even-numbered year on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

• Municipal elections are held in odd-numbered years---dates differ from place to place

Counting the Ballots

• Citizens from each precinct serve as election officials and manage the voting according to state election rules.

• Once polls close these officials count the ballots in their precinct and report the votes to the county board of elections—county then reports to the state board of elections

• Results or returns are available that night!

Two-Party State

• For most of the 1900’s, the Democratic party won all the statewide offices and controlled the General Assembly in N.C.

• BUT today we are a TWO-PARTY state in which both the Republican and Democratic parties compete for offices!

Splitting the Ticket

• “split ticket” voting v. “straight ticket” voting

• Registered Democrats crossed over and elected republicans into office

Partisan Elections

• Candidates run on a party platform.• Political Parties often recruit candidates to run

for office• Teach candidates and volunteers how to

campaign and run ads• Each parties candidate shares similar views

on what government should do.• Party label gives voters a quick way to choose

candidates.

Nonpartisan Elections

• Political parties are not listed• City Councils, school boards, judges

Primary Elections

What is the purpose of primaries??

Why voter participation is important?

• Choose your government leaders• Voice opinions on officials and issues• Your vote may decide an election• Referendums!

Candidates Running for Elections

• Candidates first file and intent to run for local public office with the county board of elections.

• File with the state board of elections if you are running for state or federal offices

• In NC candidates must pay a filing fee.• The board of elections then prepares a ballot

listing all qualified candidates for each office to be filled

The Civil Rights MovementSection 4

Legalizing Segregation

• Jim Crow Laws– Required racial segregation in places such as

schools, public transportation, restaurants, parks, and other public facilities.

– The 1875 N.C. Constitution banned white and African American children from attending the same schools.

– What supreme Court Case would overturn this N.C. law?

NC Responds to Integration

• N.C. Governor Luther Hodges recommended that the Pearsall Commission take over the supervisory duties regarding enrollment and bussing that the state had handled.

• The Pearsall Plan was intended to prevent the integration intended by the Brown v.Board decision.

Pearsall Plan

• Pearsall Plan Amendments were added to the N.C. constitution by the voters.

• The Pearsall Plan was declared unconstitutional in 1966 with the Swann v. Charlotte Mecklenburg Board of Education supreme court case.

Sit-In Movement

• In the early 1960’s, civil rights groups held marches, demonstrations, and boycotts to end segregation in public places.

• In February 1960 four African American freshmen from N.C. A&T sat down at segregated F.W. Woolworth’s store lunch counter in Greensboro.– Refused to leave the until they were given the

same service as white customers.

Woolworths Lunch Counter