Product Description

In the last three decades North Carolina has witnessed a remarkable growth in population, economic development, and political importance, and it now ranks as the tenth most populous state in the Union. The Tar Heel State: A History of North Carolina constitutes the most comprehensive and inclusive single-volume chronicle of the state’s storied past to date, culminating with an attentive look at recent events that have transformed North Carolina into a southern megastate.

Integrating tales of famous pioneers, statesmen, soldiers, farmers, captains of industry, activists, and community leaders with more marginalized voices, including those of Native Americans, African Americans, and women, Milton Ready gives readers a view of North Carolina that encompasses perspectives and personalities from the coast, "tobacco road," the piedmont, and the mountains in this sweeping history of the Tar Heel State. The first such volume in more than two decades, Ready’s work offers a distinctive view of the state’s history built from myriad stories and episodes.

Ready begins with a study of the state’s geography and then invites readers to revisit dramatic struggles of the American Revolution and Civil War, the early history of Cherokees, the impact of slavery as an institution, the rise of industrial mills, and the changes wrought by modern information-based technologies since 1970. Mixing spirited anecdotes and illustrative statistics, Ready describes the rich Native American culture found by John White in 1585, the chartered chaos of North Carolina’s proprietary settlement, and the chronic distrust of government that grew out of settlement patterns and the colony’s early political economy. He challenges the perception of relaxed intellectualism attributed to the "Rip van Winkle" state, the notion that slavery was a relatively benign institution in North Carolina, and the commonly accepted interpretation of Reconstruction in the state. Ready also discusses how the woman suffrage movement pushed North Carolina into a hesitant twentieth-century progressivism.

In perhaps his most significant contribution to North Carolina’s historical record, Ready continues his narrative past the benchmark of World War II and into the twenty-first century. From the civil rights struggle to the building of research triangles, triads, and parks, Ready recounts the events that have fueled North Carolina’s accelerated development in recent years and the many challenges that have accompanied such rapid growth, especially those of population change and environmental degradation.

The Tar Heel State is enhanced by one hundred and ninety illustrations and five maps.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #136808 in Books
• Published on: 2005-10-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 404 pages

From the Inside Flap
"In the first interpretive history of North Carolina in a generation, Milton Ready provides a skillful and well-written addition to the state’s historical literature. Drawing upon recent scholarship, Ready widens the scope of North Carolina’s past, and his chapters on the state’s changing social and economic landscape since the 1970s chart the profound transformation of North Carolina in the twenty-first century."—Jeffrey Crow, deputy secretary, North Carolina State Office of Archives and History, and coeditor of Writing North Carolina History

"The Tar Heel State constitutes an eminently readable, fast-paced, and thorough survey of North Carolina’s past. The volume not only pays due attention to the enormous impact of geology and geography on the development of the colony and state but it also proves stunningly inclusive. The roles and contributions of women, African Americans (bonded and free), and Native Americans are discussed at length. Ready also appreciates and incorporates the tribulations and advances of the twentieth century—wars, depression, civil rights, demographic diversity, and economic improvements—as he brings North Carolina into the current era."—Alan D. Watson, professor of history, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and author of Society in Colonial North Carolina

"In this engaging and provocative original history of North Carolina, Ready illuminates the experience of an unpretentious people shaped by a diverse and not altogether welcoming land and seascape. From the outset, individualistic men and women coped with internal conflict as they settled diffusely in farmsteads and small villages, establishing patterns that continue to prevail on the land, even as Tar Heels embrace urbanization and greater diversity today."—Lindley S. Butler, coeditor of The North Carolina Experience: An Interpretive and Documentary History

"Ready has written one of the most inclusive histories of North Carolina to date. He grasps the phenomenon of the North Carolina experience and brings the life of marginalized groups out of the archives and into the public consciousness. The Tar Heel State is a scholarly and compelling story of the divergent experiences of the state’s masses—full of interesting facts and details that are often absent in other studies on the same subject." —Joyce Blackwell, chair of the Department of History and Political Science, St. Augustine’s College, and author of No Peace without Freedom: Race and the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, 1915-1975

"Informative and well-crafted, Ready’s comprehensive one-volume history of North Carolina deserves a place on the shelf of every North Carolina library and home. It is essential reading for anyone who seeks to understand the history of North Carolina and will be of immense benefit to those interested in the roles African Americans have played throughout the history of the state." —Olen Cole Jr., chair of the Department of History, North Carolina A&T State University

About the Author
MILTON READY is professor emeritus of history at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. The author of books on Georgia and North Carolina history, he received the E. Merton Coulter Award for the writing of Georgia history. He holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of Georgia.

Customer Reviews

A History of the Old North State
Milton Ready has written an inclusive, yet fairly concise history of North Carolina from the failed attempt of colonization on Roanoke Island in 1585 to modern North Carolina, now one of the most diverse and populated states in the country. In highly readable prose, this book is sure to become a welcome addition to the other sources on this state, a state rich in history.

North Carolina was the site of the first attempt for English colonization in the late 16th Century, though it was short lived. Through the sketches and descriptions by John White and others we get to see the Natives already inhabiting the coast as well as their culture. Ready also gives us a good background on the geology and geography that made North Carolina unique and how it determined the future growth (slowly) for this state.

Ready traces the major points of early North Carolina's history including the years of the Lords Proprietors presence and attempts to form and establish this region, the British Royal rule of the colony (though never really strong), to the debates and issues that led North Carolina to espouse independence from British rule and hence join with its sister colonies to form a new independent nation. North Carolina's role however was not as pronounced as some other colonies and as Ready shows throughout North Carolina's history, it was slow to change and accept the consequences that came along with that change.

North Carolina, at least early on, never enjoyed the benefits or the subsequent negative results of major industrialization and growth. North Carolina lacked major cities, major ports, as well as an emphasis on improving basic infrastructure and education and other important aspects that contribute to the rise in development and economic prowess of a region. Slavery did grow however, though not as dominant as in other Southern states. Ready ably discusses North Carolina lagging growth rate as well as how the institution of slavery played out up to and through the Civil War years. North Carolina did not suffer the type of destruction to property and industrial capacity as other Southern states suffered, especially during Sherman's march, but North Carolina did pay a price in terms of casualties to the war; North Carolina provided more troops to the Confederacy than any other state.

Reconstruction, the rise of the Populist and Progressive eras and their influence on North Carolina, the decline of rural, farm life and the economic development of North Carolina especially in the Piedmont, the Civil Rights movement and so many other aspects of North Carolina's history are at least briefly detailed.

I'm leaving out a lot, but this book is very inclusive, especially when giving due attention to the history and contributions of Native Americans such as the Cherokees, blacks, whites and all who have been a part and contributed to the history of this great state. Instead of using endnotes and footnotes, Ready lists his sources at the end of each chapter. I'm sure there are many topics he has not covered or given enough attention to, but in a one volume book on the history of an entire state, I guess it's hard to include everything. A good book for the general reader.

full of info
Had to get this book for a class...packed full of info! (and it reads like a real book and not a "text book".

Teaching NC History
I am working towards getting my teaching license and this book was recommended for teaching NC history. It is an excellent book!