The Trail of Liberty & Independence

Battle of Moore's Creek Re-enactment - Piedmont Trails


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The normal teachings of this period discusses the forefathers and their actions that proclaimed separation from England, but in truth, it was widely known to many settlers and pioneers of North Carolina that religious beliefs would not allow a king to overpower their livelihood and progress. Families would worship one king and that was Jesus Christ. This was the ultimate division between the colony of North Carolina and England. This allowed Christians to stand up and fight the first battle of the Revolution in Alamance, NC in 1771. ...

If we visited the homes of our ancestor’s in the wake of the American Revolutionary War, we would hear the words, liberty and independence quite often. The settlers living in North Carolina were all seeking one important common denominator, and that was prosperity. In order to achieve this, one must be free of obstacles that would hamper his progress. The taxes placed upon our ancestor’s were harsh, but the mistreated and abused suffered much more due to the fact that monies were not largely available within their homes. These conditions worsened as the “talk” of war and revenge became more popular among the settlements.

Communities within Rowan County, NC were especially hostile towards England. They were primarily german and scottish descent that separated themselves from his Majesty by religious beliefs. Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton stated after the war, “the area was more hostile to England more than any other in America.” Two loyalist attorneys living in Salisbury during the summer of 1775 were arrested by the citizens and sent to Charleston, SC. John Dunn was very vocal with his beliefs and Benjamin Booth was simply arrested due to his friendship to Dunn. They were both imprisoned for 1 year and lucky to escape with their lives from the North Carolina Patriots in Rowan County. 

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