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1868 - A New Constitution

July 4, 1868 - North Carolina is accepted back into the United States of America. As part of the agreement, the state now approves, or ratifies, the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. Blacks are now granted the same liberties white citizens have enjoyed, including the right to own property. The 15th Amendment would later address the right to vote.

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1825 - Charlotte, Mining Town

Samuel McComb finds gold at Irwin Creek, near what will be the intersection of West Morehead and Graham streets one day. He is the first to follow a deposit called a vein of gold. Other Charlotteans are now hunting in streams and hillsides for the precious metal, hurrying through their daily chores so they can devote hours to a pastime that will make some of them rich.

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1863 - Death of Stonewall

May 2, 1863 - Confederate General Thomas J. Jackson dies after being mortally wounded at the battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia. Thousands of men on both sides have been killed. The leader who stood with his men in battle like a stone wall has been accidentally shot by Confederate soldiers from North Carolina. His widow, Anna Morrison Jackson will eventually settle in Charlotte, North Carolina and raise their daughter, Julia.

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1865 - End of the Confederacy

April 17, 1865 - The Confederate government collapses. President Jefferson Davis and other officials flee Richmond, Virginia. The fighting ends in North Carolina. At Bennett House near Durham, Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston surrenders to Union General William T. Sherman. The two military leaders sit down and discuss how to heal the torn nation.

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1869 - Keep the Presses Rolling

At least four newspapers were circulated during the Civil War era. Some were used to promote a particular idea or point of view, a practice called propaganda. Charlotteans now get their news from the Daily Charlotte Observer. It will be followed in 1886 by a competitor, the Charlotte Chronicle, and the old Observer will cease to exist. Industrialist D.A. Tompkins and editor J.P. Caldwell will buy the Chronicle in 1892 and change its name to the Daily Observer. It will evolve into the modern-day Charlotte Observer.

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1812 - War of 1812 Begins

Decades after the end of the Revolutionary War, Britain still tries to control U.S. trade. Indians are attacking settlers in the Northwest Territory, and some Americans believe the British are giving weapons to the Indians. While the Revolutionary War was fought to win freedom from British rule, the War of 1812 will earn the U.S. its economic place in the world.

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1830 - Indian Removal Act

Congress passes the Indian Removal Act. The U.S. government can now force tribes off their land. President Andrew Jackson supports the Act.

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1822 - School for Young Ladies

The Charlotte Female Academy opens. Miss Leavenworth teaches young ladies not only academic, or literal, subjects, but those such as needlework, called ornamental subjects. Tuition is $6 to $11 per term.

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1780 - Mecklenburg Communities

With the Revolutionary War now over, citizens work hard for a better life in the growing Charlotte- Mecklenburg communities. Schools are established in Sugaw Creek, Rocky River, Poplar Tent, Steele Creek, Hopewell, Beatties Ford, Providence, Clear Creek and Charlottetown communities.Old-Field Schools

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1837 - College in Davidson

March 1, 1837 - Davidson College models its curriculum after Princeton University. When the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill closes due to lack of funds in the years after the Civil War, Davidson will remain open. In 1874, Woodrow Wilson will attend the school for his freshman year, and will go on to become the nation's 28th president.

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