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History Timeline

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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1831 - Turner Rebellion

August 21, 1831 - Near North Carolina's border with Virginia, plantation slave Nat Turner leads an armed revolt of his fellow slaves. In this uprising, 50 whites and an untold number of blacks die at each other's hands. Turner and others are captured and put to death. North Carolina will now pass laws to exert more control over slaves. Under the new laws, a slave cannot defend himself, even if his master tries to kill him.

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1812 - WAR!

June 18, 1812 - The United States of America declares war on Great Britain, its former ruler!

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1850 - Lay of the Land

There are 678 slave-holders in North Carolina, owning 2,713 slaves. Most owners have fewer than five. On the coastal rice and cotton plantations, affluent landowners need many household and farm-hands. But it is different in the hilly piedmont of Mecklenburg County, where most settlers work their own farmland.Tobacco Harvest

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1840 - Bustling Town

Doctors and lawyers, printers and teachers, miners and tradesmen all make their homes in Charlotte. In the surrounding Mecklenburg county, flour and grain are milled and gold is mined. Taverns welcome travelers, and a weekly newspaper keeps citizens informed. There are now more than 11,000 white and 6,800 black residents of the county.

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1800 - Latta Plantation

Eight years ago, James Latta's wife died, leaving two sons for her husband to raise. Now remarried, Latta builds a beautiful plantation home on the banks of the Catawba River near Hopewell Church. Since there are no schools for proper young ladies in North Mecklenburg, Latta's three daughters will attend Salem Academy, nearly 100 miles away.

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1830 - Indian Sorrows

Many Indians have perished from diseases they contracted from white settlers. Some tribes have only a few surviving members. Tribal leaders negotiate with the U.S. government, trying to keep from losing their ancestral lands and their native traditions. The Catawba Indians agree to sell some of their land near the North-South Carolina border. Many will move west and settle near their long-time enemies, the Cherokees.

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