“ The public school system was established in 1840, and the first State superintendent of public instruction was appointed in 1852. By 1860 North Carolina was in education the most advanced of the slave-holding States.
Only a comparatively small part of the school-age population is provided with schools. North Carolina has neither a compulsory attendance law nor uniform requirements for teachers, the professional standing of whom, especially in the colored schools, is in many cases very low. According to the census of 1900, the illiterate population of North Carolina amounted to 28.7 per cent. ”

“ The cotton manufactures employed 42.9 per cent. of the wage-earners, the rank of North Carolina during that period rising from tenth to third in the value of this product, Massachusetts and South Carolina alone exceeding it. North Carolina was exceeded by Massachusetts alone in the number of wage-earners in this branch of industry. The spindles now running annually consume an amount of cotton almost equal to the crop grown in the State. The industry is carried on for the most part by small mills scattered over the Commonwealth. The value of cottonseed oil and cake increased over 400 per cent. ”

“ The State's heavy contribution to the westward tide of immigration reached its climax in the decade 1830-40, which accounts for the stationary position of the population for that decade. North Carolina has the smallest foreign-born population—4492—of any State. In 1900 there were 624,469 negroes, the State holding sixth rank in negro population. ”

“ The fact that the cotton fields are near the factories results in the saving of the cost of transportation; the cheapness of living results in lower wages; there is a plentiful supply of wood for fuel; and there is, as already mentioned, plenty of water power. The streams of the State, it is estimated, can furnish 3,500,000 horse power, only a little more than one-fifth of which is now utilized. From 1890 to 1900 the value of the manufactured cotton product increased 196.7 per cent., amounting in 1900 to 29.9 per cent. ”

“ The school revenue is derived principally from a general property tax, a general poll tax, liquor licenses, fines, forfeitures, and penalties.
Secondary education is provided chiefly by the private high schools and academies. There are seven normal schools for the colored youth, and a State normal and industrial college for white women. The chief institutions for higher education are the University of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill ”

“ Voters must have resided in the State two years, in the county six months, in an election district four months. Persons who were not entitled to vote in any State prior to 1867, or are not descendants of persons entitled to vote prior to that time, must be able to read and write any section of the Constitution in the English language. Privileged illiterates must register before December 1, 1908. Suffrage is further conditioned upon the payment of poll tax. ”

“ The inhabitants, indignant at being transferred without their consent, revolted and set up the State of Franklin. Governor Caswell was able to cause the dissolution of this abortive State, and the lands were again ceded in 1790. The next year the capital was located at Raleigh. In 1795 the State University was opened for students. The question of a market for their products was a serious one to the residents of the middle and eastern counties. After 1820 much money was spent in the fruitless attempt to make the shallow rivers navigable, and to connect them by canals. ”

“ Watermelons, cabbages and other vegetables, and strawberries and other small fruits are there grown in abundance. Orchard fruits are most common in the western part of the State, the apple being the principal variety. Peaches are raised, but not in such great quantities as in other Southern States. Rice is raised along the tide-water rivers, where the construction of dikes makes possible a system of flooding and draining. In Hyde County, however, irrigation is accomplished by pumping. ”

“ From 1890 to 1900 the acreage was more than doubled, and North Carolina took rank next to Kentucky. The State holds third rank in the production of peanuts and second in the production of sweet potatoes. The former are grown most extensively in the northeastern counties. They are, however, put on the market bearing the Virginia label, being sold to Virginia factories. The area of production increased enormously during 1890-1900. Garden farming has become a prominent industrial feature. ”

“ The rainfall is abundant and very evenly distributed, both in regard to seasons and localities, though the central region receives somewhat less rain than the coast and mountain regions, and the summer somewhat more than the other seasons. The annual average for the State is 53.3 inches. The average snowfall is about five inches, but snow rarely remains on the ground more than one or two days. The prevailing winds are from the northeast and southwest. The State lies outside the path of the cyclonic storms, and tornadoes are extremely rare ”

“ A Confederate soldiers' home is located at Raleigh, and an orphan asylum for whites and for blacks at Oxford. The State penitentiary is located at Raleigh. Only those sentenced for the highest crimes are confined in the penitentiary proper. About nine-tenths of the convicts are employed on State farms. The convicts are controlled by State officers and not under the lease system.
History. On July 4, 1584, Philip Amadas and Arthur Barlow, sent by Sir Walter Raleigh under a charter granted by Queen Elizabeth to make explorations in America, dropped anchor off the present coast of North Carolina. ”

“ The property of a married woman is her own, and not liable for the debts of her husband. Personal property is exempt for debt to the value of $500. There are also provisions for liberal homestead exemptions. A local-option liquor law was passed in 1887. The legal rate of interest is 6 per cent.; 8 is allowed by contract. The State has ten members in the Lower House of the National Congress. The capital of the State is Raleigh.
Finances. North Carolina had no debt until the advent of the epoch of railroad building. ”

“ The per cent. of rented farms is high, having been 41.4 per cent. of the total number of farms in 1900. Renting is much more common among the negroes than among the whites, the percentage of renters among each being respectively 68.0 and 33.4. In the western counties, where nearly all the farmers are white, the share system of renting prevails. Among the colored farmers of the cotton-growing counties the cash and share tenants are about equal. The negro farmers usually mortgage their crops. ”

“ The seine fisheries of the Albemarle Sound section are the most important in the State. Vessel fishing is not yet extensive.
Agriculture. Agriculture is the leading industry. Yet the largest part of the swampy coast land is unreclaimed, and there is also much waste land in the mountainous area of the west. In 1900, 73.2 per cent. of the land surface was included in farms—the largest per cent. ”

“ Stock-raising is of secondary importance. Swine is about the only variety of farm animal raised on a scale which permits any considerable outside shipments. There were five times as many mules and asses in 1900 as in 1850. During that period the number of sheep decreased almost two-thirds, the decrease being the most marked in the last decade. The number of horses has increased considerably since 1870, particularly since 1890. Dairying is becoming more important. ”

“ Mining. Gold-mining began early in the nineteenth century, yet the industry shows little signs of extensive development, and the annual output remains small. The State is noteworthy for its production of corundum and mica, there being few other regions in the country where these are found. In 1900 the corundum mined for the year was valued at $102,715, and represented all that was mined in the United States during that year. Both corundum and mica are found in the counties west of the Blue Ridge. ”

“ The red sandstone formation contains coal deposits, and also yields the most valuable building stones. The crystalline rocks, which are much folded, tilted, and broken, are penetrated in many places by quartz veins, some of which are auriferous. ”

“ Of the 7387 teachers employed in 1900, the men constituted 49.4 per cent. The average monthly salaries of white teachers in 1900 were $26.18 for male teachers and $23.41 for female; the average salaries of the colored male and female teachers were $21.14 and $19.82, respectively, as compared with $24.69 and $20.36, respectively, in 1884. ”