# 1644 - 1976 13c State Flags: North Carolina

U.S. 1644
1976 North Carolina Flag
State Flags
American Bicentennial Series

• First time a sheet 50 had all different stamp designs
• Part of the American Bicentennial Series

Stamp Category: Commemorative
Series: American Bicentennial Series
Value: 13¢ First-class postage rate
First Day of Issue: February 23, 1976
First Day City(s): Washington, DC
Quantity Issued: 8,720,100 (panes of 50)
Printed by: Bureau of Engraving and Printing
Printing Method: Photogravure
Format: Sheet of 50
Perforations: 11

Why the stamp was issued:
The United States Postal Service celebrated the American Bicentennial with a full pane of the Union’s fifty state flags.

About the stamp design:
    The belief that America’s most celebrated document, the Declaration of Independence, is the first of its kind expressing America’s break with England is false, according to some North Carolina historians. They say the nation’s most famous document was written a year after the true first separation from England was declared – the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence.

    The Mecklenburg Declaration, called “Mec Dec,” was signed on May 20, 1775, in reaction to the Battles of Concord and Lexington. The group wrote, “...we the citizens of Mecklenburg County, do hereby... absolve ourselves from all bonds to the British Crown.”

    Controversy arose about which document came first. The “Mec Dec” was reconstructed following an 1800 fire, and there are many similar phrases to the 1776 Declaration. It was published in the Raleigh Register newspaper in 1819. Most historians believe the “Mec Dec” arose from faulty memories of the participants, who in trying to recreate it after the fire confused it with the Mecklenburg Resolves, a different document protesting British tyranny that was written 11 days later. Still, the North Carolina State Flag proclaims May 20th, 1775, as an important day in state history.

    The date of May 20th, 1775 is listed on a gold ribbon on a blue vertical field and above the yellow letters N and C with a white star in between the two letters. Below that in another ribbon with April 12, 1776 date of the Declaration of Independence. To the right of the blue field the flag is half red in the upper section and white in the lower section.

     About the printing process: Printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing on their seven-color Andreotti gravure press (601) which was their work horse for multicolored stamps.

About the American Bicentennial Series:
    In the 1970s, America celebrated its 200th anniversary with hundreds of national events commemorating the heroes and historic events that led to our nation’s independence from Great Britain. The U.S. Postal Service issued 113 commemorative stamps over a six-year period in honor of the U.S. bicentennial, beginning with the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission Emblem stamp (U.S. #1432). As a group, the Bicentennial Series chronicles one of our nation’s most important chapters, and remembers the events and patriots who made the U.S. a world model for liberty.

    Several of the stamps honored colonial life – craftsmen and communication. Other stamps honored important battles including Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill, and Saratoga. Significant events such as the Boston Tea Party, the meeting of the First Continental Congress, and the Declaration of Independence were featured as well. The stamps also honored many significant people such as George Washington, Sybil Ludington, Salem Poor, and the Marquis de Lafayette.

    Many of the stamps feature classic artwork. For instance, the set of four souvenir sheets picture important events recreated by noted artists such as John Trumbull. The Bicentennial Series also includes an important US postal first – the first 50-stamp se-tenant – featuring all 50 state flags. The format proved to be popular with collectors, and has been repeated many times since.

    The American Bicentennial Series is packed with important US history – it tells the story of our nation’s fight for independence through stamps.

History the stamp represents:
On November 21, 1789, North Carolina was admitted as the 12th state of the union.

    Historians believe about 35,000 Indians lived in the North Carolina region when the first Europeans arrived. Early explorers in the area included Giovanni da Verrazano, Lucas Vásquez de Ayllón, and Hernando de Soto.

    In 1585, England’s Sir Walter Raleigh established a colony at Roanoke Island – the first English colony in America. These settlers were forced to return to England in 1586. Raleigh attempted settlement of Roanoke Island again in 1587, with John White as its governor. On August 18, 1587, White’s daughter gave birth to the first English child born in America, Virginia Dare.

    The North Carolina colonists endured many hardships. In 1710, Swiss and German colonists crossed the Neuse River and established a settlement on Tuscarora Indian land. On September 22, 1711, the Tuscarora launched an attack destroying most of the settlements between the Neuse and Pamlico Rivers. Hundreds of settlers were killed. The Tuscarora War ended on March 25, 1713, with a victory for the colonists. Blackbeard and other pirates terrorized the North Carolina coast. Most piracy ended in 1718 when Blackbeard was killed in a battle. In 1760, North Carolina troops defeated the Cherokee Indians at Fort Dobbs. The Cherokee signed a treaty in 1761, opening vast amounts of land in Virginia and the Carolinas to settlement.

    The colonists of North Carolina were especially opposed to Britain’s policy of taxation without representation. Members of the Sons of Liberty led demonstrations and even took up arms in opposition to the taxes. In the west, farmers opposed taxes imposed by the colony’s more established and wealthy planters. The western rebels, known as Regulators, were not defeated until more than a thousand troops were sent to fight them at the Battle of Alamance on May 16, 1771.

    When the Revolutionary War started in Massachusetts in April 1775, North Carolina’s citizens were divided over the conflict. Those who opposed British rule were called Whigs, those who supported the British were Tories. Violent confrontations between the groups resulted in a great deal of bitterness. On February 27, 1776, Whig forces defeated the Tories at the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge. This marked the first battle of the Revolutionary War in North Carolina. On April 12, 1776, North Carolina became the first colony to vote for independence in the Continental Congress. Soon after, it adopted its first constitution.

    North Carolina opposed a strong federal government and refused to ratify the Constitution until the Bill of Rights was added. On November 21, 1789, North Carolina became the 12th state to join the Union.