"North Carolina's Delegates to the United States Constitutional Convention"
William Blount was the great-grandson of Thomas Blount, who came from England
to Virginia soon after 1660 and settled on a North Carolina plantation. William, the eldest in a large family, was born in
1749 while his mother was visiting his grandfather's Rosefield estate, on the site of present Windsor near Pamlico Sound.
The youth apparently received a good education.
Shortly after the War for Independence began, in 1776, Blount enlisted as
a paymaster in the North Carolina forces. Two years later, he wed Mary Grainier (Granger); of their six children who reached
adulthood, one son also became prominent in Tennessee politics.
Blount spent most of the remainder of his life in public office. He sat in
the lower house of the North Carolina legislature (1780-84), including service as speaker, as well as in the upper (1788-90).
In addition, he took part in national politics, serving in the Continental Congress in 1782-83 and 1786-87.
Appointed as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention at the age of 38,
Blount was absent for more than a month because he chose to attend the Continental Congress on behalf of his state. He said
almost nothing in the debates and signed the Constitution reluctantly--only, he said, to make it "the unanimous act of the
States in Convention." Nonetheless, he favored his state's ratification of the completed document.
Blount hoped to be elected to the first U.S. Senate. When he failed to achieve
that end, in 1790, he pushed westward beyond the Appalachians, where he held speculative land interests and had represented
North Carolina in dealings with the Indians. He settled in what became Tennessee, to which he devoted the rest of his life.
He resided first at Rocky Mount, a cabin near present Johnson City and in 1792 built a mansion in Knoxville.
Two years earlier, Washington had appointed Blount as Governor for the Territory
South of the River Ohio (which included Tennessee) and also as Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the Southern Department,
in which positions he increased his popularity with the frontiersmen. In 1796, he presided over the constitutional convention
that transformed part of the territory into the State of Tennessee. He was elected as one of its first U.S. senators (1796-97).
During this period, Blount's affairs took a sharp turn for the worse. In 1797
his speculations in western lands led him into serious financial difficulties. That same year, he also apparently concocted
a plan involving use of Indians, frontiersmen, and British naval forces to conquer for Britain the Spanish provinces of Florida
and Louisiana. A letter he wrote alluding to the plan fell into the hands of President Adams, who turned it over to the Senate
on July 3, 1797. Five days later, that body voted 25 to 1 to expel Blount. The House impeached him, but the Senate dropped
the charges in 1799 on the grounds that no further action could be taken beyond his dismissal.
The episode did not hamper Blount's career in Tennessee. In 1798, he was elected
to the senate and rose to the speakership. He died 2 years later at Knoxville in his early fifties. He is buried there in
the cemetery of the First Presbyterian Church.
William Richardson Davie
One of the eight delegates born outside of the thirteen colonies, Davie
was born in Egremont, Cumberlandshire, England, on June 20, 1756. In 1763, Archibald Davie brought his son William to Waxhaw,
SC, where the boy's maternal uncle, William Richardson, a Presbyterian clergyman, adopted him. Davie attended Queen's Museum
College in Charlotte, North Carolina, and graduated from the College of New Jersey (later Princeton) in 1776.
Davie's law studies in Salisbury, NC, were interrupted by military service,
but he won his license to practice before county courts in 1779 and in the superior courts in 1780. When the War for Independence
broke out, he helped raise a troop of cavalry near Salisbury and eventually achieved the rank of colonel. While attached to
Pulaski's division, Davie was wounded leading a charge at Stono, near Charleston, on June 20, 1779. Early in 1780, he raised
another troop and operated mainly in western North Carolina. In January 1781, Davie was appointed commissary-general for the
Carolina campaign. In this capacity he oversaw the collection of arms and supplies to Gen. Nathanael Greene's army and the
After the war, Davie embarked on his career as a lawyer, traveling the circuit
in North Carolina. In 1782, he married Sarah Jones, the daughter of his former commander, Gen. Allen Jones, and settled in
Halifax. His legal knowledge and ability won him great respect, and his presentation of arguments was admired. Between 1786
and 1798, Davie represented Halifax in the North Carolina legislature. There he was the principal agent behind that body's
actions to revise and codify state laws, send representatives to the Annapolis and Philadelphia conventions, cede Tennessee
to the Union, and fix disputed state boundaries.
During the Constitutional Convention Davie favored plans for a strong central
government. He was a member of the committee that considered the question of representation in Congress and swung the North
Carolina delegation's vote in favor of the Great Compromise. He favored election of senators and presidential electors by
the legislature and insisted on counting slaves in determining representation. Though he left the convention on August 13,
before its adjournment, Davie fought hard for the Constitution's ratification and took a prominent part in the North Carolina
The political and military realms were not the only ones in which Davie left
his mark. The University of North Carolina, of which he was the chief founder, stands as an enduring reminder of Davie's interest
in education. Davie selected the location, instructors, and a curriculum that included the literary and social sciences as
well as mathematics and classics. In 1810 the trustees conferred upon him the title of "Father of the University" and in the
next year granted him the degree of Doctor of Laws.
Davie became Governor of North Carolina in 1798. His career also turned back
briefly to the military when President John Adams appointed him a brigadier general in the U.S. Army that same year. Davie
later served as a peace commissioner to France in 1799.
Davie stood as a candidate for Congress in 1803 but met defeat. In 1805, after
the death of his wife, Davie retired from politics to his plantation, "Tivoli," in Chester County, South Carolina. In 1813,
he declined an appointment as major-general from President Madison. Davie was 64 years old when he died on November 29, 1820,
at "Tivoli," and he was buried in the Old Waxhaw Presbyterian Churchyard in northern Lancaster County.
Though he represented North Carolina at the Constitutional Convention, Alexander
Martin was born in Hunterdon County, NJ, in 1740. His parents, Hugh and Jane Martin, moved first to Virginia, then to Guilford
County, NC, when Alexander was very young. Martin attended the College of New Jersey (later Princeton), received his degree
in 1756, and moved to Salisbury. There he started his career as a merchant but turned to public service as he became justice
of the peace, deputy king's attorney, and, in 1774 and 1775, judge of Salisbury district.
At the September 1770 session of the superior court at Hillsboro, 150 Regulators
armed with sticks, switches, and cudgels crowded into the courtroom. They had come to present a petition to the judge demanding
unprejudiced juries and a public accounting of taxes by sheriffs. Violence erupted, and several, including Alexander Martin,
were beaten. In 1771, Martin signed an agreement with the Regulators to refund all fees taken illegally and to arbitrate all
From 1773 to 1774, Martin served in the North Carolina House of Commons and
in the second and third provincial congresses in 1775. In September 1775, he was appointed a lieutenant colonel in the 2d
North Carolina Continental Regiment. Martin saw military action in South Carolina and won promotion to a colonelcy. He joined
Washington's army in 1777, but after the Battle of Germantown he was arrested for cowardice. A court-martial tried and acquitted
Martin, but he resigned his commission on November 22, 1777.
Martin's misfortune in the army did not impede his political career. The year
after his court-martial he entered the North Carolina Senate, where he served for 8 years (1778-82, 1785, and 1787-88). For
every session except those of 1778-79, Martin served as speaker. From 1780 to 1781, he also sat on the Board of War and its
successor, the Council Extraordinary. In 1781, Martin became acting governor of the state and, in 1782 through 1785, he was
elected in his own right.
After his 1785 term in the North Carolina Senate, Martin represented his state
in the Continental Congress, but he resigned in 1787. Of the five North Carolina delegates to the Constitutional Convention,
Martin was the least strongly Federalist. He did not take an active part in the proceedings, and he left Philadelphia in late
August 1787, before the Constitution was signed. Martin was considered a good politician but not suited to public debate.
A colleague, Hugh Williamson, remarked that Martin needed time to recuperate after his great exertions as governor "to enable
him again to exert his abilities to the advantage of the nation."
Under the new national government, Martin again served as Governor of North
Carolina, from 1789 until 1792. After 1790, he moved away from the Federalists to the Republicans. In 1792 Martin, elected
by the Republican legislature, entered the U.S. Senate. His vote in favor of the Alien and Sedition Acts cost him reelection.
Back in North Carolina, Martin returned to the state senate in 1804 and 1805 to represent Rockingham County. In 1805, he once
again served as speaker. From 1790 until 1807, he was a trustee of the University of North Carolina. Martin never married,
and he died on November 2, 1807, at the age of 67 at his plantation, "Danbury," in Rockingham County and was buried on the
Spaight was born at New Bern, NC, of distinguished English-Irish parentage
in 1758. When he was orphaned at 8 years of age, his guardians sent him to Ireland, where he obtained an excellent education.
He apparently graduated from Scotland's Glasgow University before he returned to North Carolina in 1778.
At that time, the War for Independence was in full swing, and Spaight's superior
attainments soon gained him a commission. He became an aide to the state militia commander and in 1780 took part in the Battle
of Camden, SC. The year before, he had been elected to the lower house of the legislature.
In 1781, Spaight left the military service to devote full time to his legislative
duties. He represented New Bern and Craven County (1781-83 and 1785-87); in 1785, he became speaker. Between terms, he also
served in the Continental Congress (1783-85).
In 1787, at the age of 29, Spaight joined the North Carolina delegation to
the Philadelphia convention. He was not a leader but spoke on several occasions and numbered among those who attended every
session. After the convention, he worked in his home state for acceptance of the Constitution.
Spaight met defeat in bids for the governorship in 1787 and the U.S. Senate
2 years later. From then until 1792, illness forced his retirement from public life, during which time he visited the West
Indies, but he captured the governorship in the latter year (1792-95). In 1793, he served as presidential elector. Two years
later, he wed Mary Leach, who bore three children.
In 1798, Spaight entered the U.S. House of Representatives as a Democratic-Republican
and remained in office until 1801. During this time, he advocated repeal of the Alien and Sedition Acts and voted for Jefferson
in the contested election of 1800. The next year, Spaight was voted into the lower house of the North Carolina legislature;
the following year, to the upper.
Only 44 years old in 1802, Spaight was struck down in a duel at New Bern with
a political rival, Federalist John Stanly; so ended the promising career of one of the state's foremost leaders. He was buried
in the family sepulcher at Clermont estate, near New Bern.
The versatile Williamson was born of Scotch-Irish descent at West Nottingham,
PA., in 1735. He was the eldest son in a large family, whose head was a clothier. Hoping he would become a Presbyterian minister,
his parents oriented his education toward that calling. After attending preparatory schools at New London Cross Roads, DE,
and Newark, DE, he entered the first class of the College of Philadelphia (later part of the University of Pennsylvania) and
took his degree in 1757.
The next 2 years, at Shippensburg, PA, Williamson spent settling his father's
estate. Then training in Connecticut for the ministry, he soon became a licensed Presbyterian preacher but was never ordained.
Around this time, he also took a position as professor of mathematics at his alma mater.
In 1764, Williamson abandoned these pursuits and studied medicine at Edinburgh,
London, and Utrecht, eventually obtaining a degree from the University of Utrecht. Returning to Philadelphia, he began to
practice but found it to be emotionally exhausting. His pursuit of scientific interests continued, and, in 1768, he became
a member of the American Philosophical Society. The next year, he served on a commission that observed the transits of Venus
and Mercury. In 1771, he wrote An Essay on Comets, in which he advanced several original ideas. As a result, the University
of Leyden awarded him an LL.D. degree.
In 1773, to raise money for an academy in Newark, DE., Williamson made a trip
to the West Indies and then to Europe. Sailing from Boston, he saw the Tea Party and carried news of it to London. When the
British Privy Council called on him to testify as to what he had seen, he warned the councilors that the colonies would rebel
if the British did not change their policies. While in England, he struck up a close friendship with fellow-scientist Benjamin
Franklin, and they cooperated in electrical experiments. Moreover, Williamson furnished to Franklin the letters of Massachusetts
Royal Governor Thomas Hutchinson to his lieutenant governor that created a sensation and tended to further alienate the mother
country and colonies.
In 1775 a pamphlet Williamson had written while in England, called The Plea
of the Colonies, was published. It solicited the support of the English Whigs for the American cause. When the United States
proclaimed their independence the next year, Williamson was in the Netherlands. He soon sailed back to the United States,
settling first in Charleston, SC, and then in Edenton, NC. There, he prospered in a mercantile business that traded with the
French West Indies and once again took up the practice of medicine.
Williamson applied for a medical post with the patriot forces, but found all
such positions filled. The governor of North Carolina, however, soon called on his specialized skills, and he became surgeon-general
of state troops. After the Battle of Camden, SC, he frequently crossed British lines to tend to the wounded. He also prevented
sickness among the troops by paying close attention to food, clothing, shelter, and hygiene.
After the war, Williamson began his political career. In 1782, he was elected
to the lower house of the state legislature and to the Continental Congress. Three years later, he left Congress and returned
to his legislative seat. In 1786, he was chosen to represent his state at the Annapolis Convention but arrived too late to
take part. The next year, he again served in Congress (1787-89) and was chosen as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention.
Attending faithfully and demonstrating keen debating skill, he served on five committees, notably on the Committee on Postponed
Matters, and played a significant part in the proceedings, particularly the major compromise on representation.
After the convention, Williamson worked for ratification of the Constitution
in North Carolina. In 1788, he was chosen to settle outstanding accounts between the state and the federal government. The
next year, he was elected to the first U.S. House of Representatives, where he served two terms. In 1789, he married Maria
Apthorpe, who bore at least two sons.
In 1793, Williamson moved to New York City to facilitate his literary and
philanthropic pursuits. Over the years, he published many political, educational, economic, historical, and scientific works,
but the last earned him the most praise. The University of Leyden awarded him an honorary degree. In addition, he was an original
trustee of the University of North Carolina and later held trusteeships at the College of Physicians and Surgeons and the
University of the State of New York. He was also a founder of the Literary and Philosophical Society of New York and a prominent
member of the New-York Historical Society.
In 1819, at the age of 83, Williamson died in New York City and was buried
at Trinity Church.
Sources: National Archives and Records Administration, Library of Congress
of North Carolina (Hardcover: 1328
pages) (The University of North Carolina Press),
Description: The first single-volume reference to the events, institutions, and cultural forces
that have defined the state, the Encyclopedia of North Carolina is a landmark publication that will serve those who love and
live in North Carolina for generations to come. Editor William S. Powell, whom the Raleigh News & Observer described as
a "living repository of information on all things North Carolinian," spent fifteen years developing this volume. With contributions
by more than 550 volunteer writers—including scholars, librarians, journalists, and many others—it is a true "people's
encyclopedia" of North Carolina. Continued below...
includes more than 2,000 entries, presented alphabetically, consisting of longer essays on major subjects, briefer entries,
and short summaries and definitions. Most entries include suggestions for further reading. Centered on history and the humanities,
topics covered include agriculture; arts and architecture; business and industry; the Civil War; culture and customs; education;
geography; geology, mining, and archaeology; government, politics, and law; media; medicine, science, and technology; military
history; natural environment; organizations, clubs, and foundations; people, languages, and immigration; places and historic
preservation; precolonial and colonial history; recreation and tourism; religion; and transportation. An informative and engaging
compendium, the Encyclopedia of North Carolina is abundantly illustrated with 400 photographs and maps. It is both a celebration
and a gift—from the citizens of North Carolina, to the citizens of North Carolina.
"Truly an exhaustive and exciting view of every aspect of the Old
Reading: The Tar
Heel State: A History of North Carolina (Hardcover). Description: The Tar Heel State: A History of North Carolina constitutes the
most comprehensive and inclusive single-volume chronicle of the state’s storied past to date, culminating with an attentive
look at recent events that have transformed North Carolina
into a southern megastate. Integrating tales of famous pioneers, statesmen, soldiers, farmers, captains of industry, activists,
and community leaders with more marginalized voices, including those of Native Americans, African Americans, and women, Milton
Ready gives readers a view of North Carolina that encompasses perspectives and personalities from the coast, "tobacco road,"
the Piedmont, and the mountains in this sweeping history of the Tar Heel State. The first such volume in more than two decades,
Ready’s work offers a distinctive view of the state’s history built from myriad stories and episodes. The Tar
Heel State is enhanced by one hundred and ninety illustrations and five maps. Continued below...
with a study of the state’s geography and then invites readers to revisit dramatic struggles of the American Revolution
and Civil War, the early history of Cherokees, the impact of slavery as an institution, the rise of industrial mills, and
the changes wrought by modern information-based technologies since 1970. Mixing spirited anecdotes and illustrative statistics,
Ready describes the rich Native American culture found by John White in 1585, the chartered chaos of North Carolina’s
proprietary settlement, and the chronic distrust of government that grew out of settlement patterns and the colony’s
early political economy. He challenges the perception of relaxed intellectualism attributed to the "Rip van Winkle" state,
the notion that slavery was a relatively benign institution in North Carolina,
and the commonly accepted interpretation of Reconstruction in the state. Ready also discusses how the woman suffrage movement
pushed North Carolina into a hesitant twentieth-century
progressivism. In perhaps his most significant contribution to North Carolina’s
historical record, Ready continues his narrative past the benchmark of World War II and into the twenty-first century. From
the civil rights struggle to the building of research triangles, triads, and parks, Ready recounts the events that have fueled
North Carolina’s accelerated development in recent years and the many challenges that have accompanied such rapid growth,
especially those of population change and environmental degradation.
Reading: Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation. Review: In retrospect, it seems as if the American Revolution was inevitable.
But was it? In Founding Brothers, Joseph J. Ellis reveals that many of those truths we hold to be self-evident were actually
fiercely contested in the early days of the republic. Ellis focuses on six crucial moments in the life of the new nation,
including a secret dinner at which the seat of the nation's capital was determined--in exchange for support of Hamilton's
financial plan; Washington's precedent-setting Farewell
Address; and the Hamilton and Burr duel. Most interesting, perhaps, is the debate (still dividing scholars today) over the
meaning of the Revolution. Continued below...
In a fascinating
chapter on the renewed friendship between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson at the end of their lives, Ellis points out the
fundamental differences between the Republicans, who saw the Revolution as a liberating act and hold the Declaration of Independence
most sacred, and the Federalists, who saw the revolution as a step in the building of American nationhood and hold the Constitution
most dear. Throughout the text, Ellis explains the personal, face-to-face nature of early American politics--and notes that
the members of the revolutionary generation were conscious of the fact that they were establishing precedents on which future
generations would rely. In Founding Brothers, Ellis (whose American Sphinx won the National Book Award for nonfiction in 1997)
has written an elegant and engaging narrative, sure to become a classic. Highly recommended.
Reading: 1776, by David McCullough (Simon
& Schuster). Description: Esteemed historian David McCullough
covers the military side of the momentous year of 1776 with characteristic insight and a gripping narrative, adding new scholarship
and a fresh perspective to the beginning of the American Revolution. It was a turbulent and confusing time. As British and
American politicians struggled to reach a compromise, events on the ground escalated until war was inevitable. McCullough
writes vividly about the dismal conditions that troops on both sides had to endure, including an unusually harsh winter, and
the role that luck and the whims of the weather played in helping the colonial forces hold off the world's greatest army.
He also effectively
explores the importance of motivation and troop morale--a tie was as good as a win to the Americans, while anything short
of overwhelming victory was disheartening to the British, who expected a swift end to the war. The redcoat retreat from Boston, for example, was particularly
humiliating for the British, while the minor American victory at Trenton
was magnified despite its limited strategic importance. Some of the strongest passages in 1776 are the revealing and well-rounded
portraits of the Georges on both sides of the Atlantic. King George III, so often portrayed
as a bumbling, arrogant fool, is given a more thoughtful treatment by McCullough, who shows that the king considered the colonists
to be petulant subjects without legitimate grievances--an attitude that led him to underestimate the will and capabilities
of the Americans. At times he seems shocked that war was even necessary. The great Washington lives up to his considerable
reputation in these pages, and McCullough relies on private correspondence to balance the man and the myth, revealing how
deeply concerned Washington was about the Americans' chances for victory, despite his public optimism. Perhaps more than any
other man, he realized how fortunate they were to merely survive the year, and he willingly lays the responsibility for their
good fortune in the hands of God rather than his own. Enthralling and superbly written, 1776 is the work of a master historian.
Viewing: The History Channel Presents The Revolution (A&E) (600 minutes). Review: They came of age
in a new world amid intoxicating and innovative ideas about human and civil rights diverse economic systems and self-government.
In a few short years these men and women would transform themselves into architects of the future through the building of
a new nation – “a nation unlike any before.” From the roots of the rebellion and the signing of the Declaration
of Independence to victory on the battlefield at Yorktown and the adoption of The United
States Constitution, THE REVOLUTION tells the remarkable story of this pivotal era in history. Continued below...
Venturing beyond the conventional list of generals and politicians, THE
HISTORY CHANNEL® introduces the full range of individuals who helped shape this great conflict including some of the war’s
most influential unsung heroes. Through sweeping cinematic recreations intimate biographical investigations and provocative
political military and economic analysis the historic ideas and themes that transformed treasonous acts against the British
into noble acts of courage both on and off the battlefield come to life in this dramatic and captivating program. This TEN
HOUR DVD Features: History in the Making: The Revolution Behind-the-Scenes Featurette; Interactive Menus; Scene Selections.
Recommended Viewing: John Adams (HBO Miniseries) (2008) (501 minutes). Description:
Based on David McCullough's bestselling biography, the HBO miniseries John Adams is the furthest thing from a starry-eyed
look at America's founding fathers and the brutal path to independence. Adams (Paul Giamatti),
second president of the United States,
is portrayed as a skilled orator and principled attorney whose preference for justice over anti-English passions earns enemies.
But he also gains the esteem of the first national government of the United States, i.e., the Continental Congress, which
seeks non-firebrands capable of making a reasoned if powerful case for America's break from England's monarchy. The first
thing one notices about John Adams' dramatizations of congress' proceedings, and the fervent pro-independence violence in
the streets of Boston and elsewhere, is that America's roots don't look pretty or idealized here. Some horrendous things happen
in the name of protest, driving Adams to push the cause of independence in a legitimate effort
to get on with a revolutionary war under the command of George Washington. But the process isn't easy: not every one of the
13 colonies-turned-states is ready to incur the wrath of England,
and behind-the-scenes negotiations prove as much a part of 18th century congressional sessions as they do today. Continued
peek into a less-romanticized version of the past, John Adams is also a story of the man himself. Adams' frustration at being
forgotten or overlooked at critical junctures of America's early development--sent abroad for years instead of helping to
draft the U.S. Constitution--is detailed. So is his dismay that the truth of what actually transpired leading to the signing
of the Declaration of Independence has been slowly forgotten and replaced by a rosier myth. But above all, John Adams is the
story of two key ties: Adams'
54-year marriage to Abigail Adams (Laura Linney), every bit her husband's intellectual equal and anchor, and his difficult,
almost symbiotic relationship with Thomas Jefferson (Stephen Dillane) over decades. Giamatti, of course, has to carry much
of the drama, and if he doesn't always seem quite believable in the series' first half, he becomes increasingly excellent
at the point where an aging Adams becomes bitter over his place in history. Linney is marvelous,
as is Dillane, Sarah Polley as daughter Nabby, Danny Huston as cousin Samuel Adams, and above all Tom Wilkinson as a complex
but indispensable Ben Franklin.