Historian Joe A. Mobley recounts events in the Carolinas from prehistory and the first settlement by colonists through North Carolina's emergence as a state in a new, democratic nation. The history of North Carolina began before the first European explorers gazed upon its shores. Its Native inhabitants had long dominated the land and waterways. Before the colonial era ended vast numbers of English, Scottish, Swiss, Germans, French, Welsh and Africans had immigrated to North Carolina, pushing Native Americans to the margins and leaving their mark on the culture of the colony. In some ways, colonial North Carolina was unique in the early American experience. The peculiar configuration of the Outer Banks limited its commercial opportunities, but the colony was very much a part of the Atlantic world.

Contributor Bio:
Joe A. Mobley taught history at North Carolina State University after retiring from the North Carolina Office of Archives and History. He has authored a number of articles and twelve books, received a North Caroliniana Book Award for the best book on North Carolina and served as president of both the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association and the Historical Society of North Carolina. His other titles for The History Press include Raleigh: A Brief History, Confederate Generals of North Carolina: Tar Heels in Command and North Carolina Governor Richard Caswell: Founding Father and Revolutionary Hero .