Cary's Rebellion
Cary's Rebellion (also known as the Cary Rebellion) was an uprising against the
Background
At the time, the Province of Carolina was technically a single entity which encompassed all the land from Spanish Florida to the Colony of Virginia. However, transportation between the northern parts and the southern seat of the provincial government in Charleston was very difficult. In the late 17th century, a deputy governor for the northern section was appointed who was able to act with significant autonomy.
Early in its history Carolina had provided for religious freedom, making it an attractive destination for Quakers who were persecuted in England and parts of the colonies. Quakerism's founder George Fox visited the Albemarle Settlements in the very northern part of Carolina in 1672.[1] In the succeeding years, Quakerism grew in the area and came to dominate the government, including the appointment of Quaker John Archdale as Governor of Carolina in 1694.[2] In 1699, Henderson Walker was appointed Deputy Governor of North Carolina. A devout Anglican, he pushed through reforms which established the Church of England as the official religion of the state and passing the Vestry Act which imposed a tax on residents, no matter their faith, to support the official church.[3] During his tenure, Queen Anne assumed the throne, which required a renewal of the oaths by colonial officers. Quakers, as a tenet of their faith, do not swear oaths but had previously proven their loyalty by affirming it. This practice was disallowed and all Quakers lost their positions. Over the next decade the distinction between the Quaker party and the Church party grew more entrenched.[4]
Cary's Governorship
In 1707, Cary returned, this time supporting the Quaker dissenters against Glover and also espousing the regional interests of the town of
Rebellion
Though "Cary's Rebellion" can refer to the entire period from the ousting of Glover, it is generally used only for the period in 1711 after the Lords Proprietors chose Edward Hyde to take over the role of Deputy Governor and his appointment was resisted by Cary. Hyde arrived in North Carolina in January 1711. He brought with him letters from the Lords Proprietors and was supposed to receive his full, official commission from the Governor of Carolina when he arrived. However, the governor had died by the time he arrived, and so his claim to the Deputy Governorship was not technically perfected. Despite this, Cary and the Quaker party were at first willing to allow Hyde to take over, until Hyde began to clearly side with the Anglican party. Then Cary refused to recognize Hyde until he produced his official commission and claimed that he was still the legal governor.[8]
Hyde declared Cary to be in open rebellion and assembled an armed force of around 150 men to go to Bath to arrest him. Cary fled from his home to a nearby plantation (possibly that of former governor
Governor
Aftermath
During the period from 1708–1711, the disputed government severely weakened the position of the colonists in North Carolina. The Tuscarora War began in September 1711 and the chaos and dissension that the Cary Rebellion had wrought impeded the colonial response, though a drought and yellow fever epidemic also played a role. The Cary rebellion also represented the end of the role of Quakers in North Carolina governance. After the rebellion they were effectively excluded from politics.
References
Citations
- ^ Fox, George. "George Fox' Journal". Street Corner Society. Archived from the original on August 12, 2007. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
- ^ "Commission to Appoint John Archdale as Governor". University of North Carolina Library. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
- ^ "Henderson Walker". North Carolina History Project. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
- ^ a b c "Cary's Rebellion: A Clash of Religion and Politics". North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources Office of Archives & History. March 12, 2010. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
- ^ a b c Daniels, Dennis F. (May 4, 2006). "Thomas Cary". NCPedia. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
- ^ Daniels, Dennis F. "William Glover". NCPedia. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
- ^ Pollock, Thomas. "Description by Thomas Pollock concerning Cary's Rebellion [Extract]". UNC University Library. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
- ^ "Cary's Rebellion". North Carolina Digital History. Learn NC University of North Carolina. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
- ^ https://www.ncpedia.org/anchor/carys-rebellion
- ^ Hyde, Edward. "Letter from Edward Hyde to the Lords Proprietors of Carolina". UNC University Library. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
Bibliography
- "Cary's Rebellion, 1711". NCHistoricSites.org. NC Dept. of Cultural Resources. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
- McIlvenna, Noeleen. "A Very Mutinous People: The Struggle for North Carolina, 1660-1713"