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- North Carolina Regulators
- The North Carolina Regulators were a group of people who rebelled against corrupt
- government officials. The people experienced strong feelings of discontent with the way in
- which the provincial government’s officials were conducting the affairs. The government
- officials were running the colony both unfairly and unjustly. Many small groups of people
- formed. After the spring of 1768 when the small groups allied , they called themselves the
- Regulators. The Wealthy colonists considered these Regulators to be “a mob.”
- North Carolina had a lack of supervision from the British monarchy. The colony was
- isolated from the rest of the country by numerous swamps, bad road conditions and
- unnavigable rivers. Therefore the government officials of North Carolina became
- independent, in a very unfair and unjust way to the people of North Carolina, such as
- excessive taxes, dishonest sheriffs, and illegal fees.
- The injustice of the government officials urged the Regulators for justice. The once
- peaceful negotiators became violent, and lawless from the slowness of legal remedies taking
- place. The Regulators refused to pay fees, and terrorized those who administered the law.
- They also disrupted court proceedings. The Regulators first tried negotiations; it was the
- injustice of the government officials that made them resort to violence. The Regulators
- intentions were not to terrorize the government officials, but only to find justice.
- The regulators fight for justice was a problem for royal Governor William Tryon,
- who wanted the Regulators revolt to stop. The governor’s council was determined to crush
- the Regulators. General Hugh Waddell was ordered to approach Hillsborough by way of
- Salisbury and Governor Tryon and his army proceeded more directly towards Hillsborough.
- General Waddell had a small force of 284 men. The Regulators saw this and attacked
- General Waddell’s troops. The Regulators almost 2,000 men strong sent General Waddell
- and his troops in a quick retreat. Tryon heard of this and brought his forces to go to
- Waddell’s rescue. A battle began. Tryon’s, the much better trained, equipped, and organized
- army, crushed the Regulators. The only thing the Regulators wanted was justice. That’s
- what they were fighting for. They were abused by the government officials in such away
- that it caused them to revolt. The Regulators were killed in battle, wounded, captured, and
- executed. Some were pardoned in exchange for pledging an oath of allegiance to the royal
- government.
- The War of Regulations was a foreplay to the American Revolution. The Regulators opposed
- Royal authority with confidence. It was a lesson of armed resistance, a lesson that would be
- used in the War for Independence.
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- Words: 426
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