joe a. mobley

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.

Since its establishment in 1792 as the "permanent and unalterable seat of government of the state of North Carolina," Raleigh has seen many changes. Historian Joe Mobley offers a detailed and compelling portrait of North Carolina's capital as it has evolved from town to thriving metropolis, from the Civil War and Reconstruction through the Great Depression and Raleigh's coming of age in the decades following World War II. Learn about the many obstacles Raleigh has overcome on its way to becoming a major center of economic, social and political life in North Carolina.