Regulator Movement

Collection Status: Open for transcription

Transcription Difficulty Rating: Intermediate

About the Collection

The Regulator Movement was a brief uprising in eastern North Carolina from 1768 to 1771, before the start of the American Revolution. North Carolinians became angry with government officials, particularly appointed officials, due to excessive taxes, dishonest sheriffs, and illegal fees. Western Carolinians were particularly upset as they were taxed at the same rate as the more productive land in the Coastal Plain. The newly built "Tryon's Palace" in New Bern, the governor's new home and state capitol, built at public expense, did not help.

When attempts at peaceful negotiations were unsuccessful, Regulators took up a more disruptive approach, targeting public officials and court proceedings. Royal Governor William Tryon in 1771 called up the militia, and General Hugh Waddell was ordered to march towards the Regulators in Hillsborough as a show of force. On May 16, 1771, the Battle of Alamance broke out after the Regulators refused to disband. The Regulators were defeated at the Battle of Alamance and eventually disbanded. Governor Tryon offered pardons for those who pledged an oath of allegiance to the royal government.

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