Blake's Works
The Regulators
In 1771, a large revolt took place in the western region of North Carolina(Brinkley 101). The Regulators, as they were known, fought relativly peacefully at first to obtain reform against corrupt officals and unjust taxation(Regulators of North Carolina | United States History). When protesting and boycotting did not work they decided to take up arms; they started out useing terriorist tatics: harming goverment officals, disrubting civil proceedings, and destorying property (Encyclopedia of North Carolina :: UNC Press). They shortly after, upgraded to all out warfare with a large battle insuing at Alamance, North Caronlina. The battle involved several thousand regulators along with a large force of North Carolina's militia(1.1 The Regulators). The regulators were lead by Rednap Howell, James Hunter, and William Butler; none of these men had any formal military experince and it showed during this battle. At the battle of Alamance the militia, led by general Hugh Waddell, crushed the regulators taking very light casualties(Breaking Loose Together: The Regulator Rebellion in Pre-Revolutionary North Carolina). After the battle a small group of regulators were captured; a couple men from that group were hung, but the rest of the people in the group were pardoned. After the execution a large amount of people were made to swear their alligence to the governor of Norht Carolina, William Tyron, and to the colonial goverment(The North Carolina Regulators).
Photo Credits: http://www.glogster.com/knickstremmer/the-revolution/g-6o70mh2pe04lumml1pe40dh
Photo Credit:http://exhibits.archives.ncdcr.gov/dmedia/sect-1765.xml
Photo Credits: http://yamacanyons.net/H111ReadingChpts3&4.html
Photo Credits: http://www.glogster.com/knickstremmer/the-revolution/g-6o70mh2pe04lumml1pe40dh
iPicture credit: http://ncpedia.org/biography/fanning-edmund
Consequences of Conflict
Before the disputes started the Regulators already had distrust for the colonial goverment, and favored the british parliment. After the battle of Alamance the regulators dispersed and made oaths of loyalty the colonial goverment, but their resentment did not go away. When the America Revolution broke out a majority of the former regulators sided with the british(The Regulators Movement in The Carolinas - Archiving Early America).
Picture Credit: https://www.facebook.com/Alamance-Battleground-State-Historic-Site-198400326845156/timeline/
Contribution to American Identity
The fighting of the regulators against the colonial goverment ,in North Carolina, was very similar with how the American Revolution started. The regulators wanted a voice in politics and wanted reforms. When their voices went unheared they reacted in a violent manner; pushing the idea that if the goverment messes with your liberties that you as people have a right to remove what is causing the issue in the goverment. The American Revolution soon after took place in a similar manner; for much of the same reasons as the regulators(Encyclopedia of North Carolina :: UNC Press).