New Historical Book about 'Farming Dissenters' Examines Colonial N.C. Regulator Movement

June 20, 2011 - PRLog -- RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Historical Publications Section of the N.C. Office of Archives and History announces publication of the landmark new book, “Farming Dissenters: The Regulator Movement in Piedmont North Carolina,” by Dr. Carole W. Troxler. This is the story of local government more interested in its needs than those of its constituents — and of settlers steeped in the Dissenter religious culture who drew on its political orientation to risk activism often cited as a prelude to the American Revolution.

The Regulator Movement in mid-18th-century North Carolina grew from frustration.  The frustration was with local officials who ran their offices for personal gain, disregarding the rights of the residents; frustration with a complicated land grant system that did not guarantee clear ownership of land; and finally, frustration with a colonial legislature that was dominated by eastern political and economic interests.

In this new study, Troxler steps back more than two decades before the pivotal Battle of Alamance (May 16, 1771) to examine the issues and their cultural context that fostered the Regulator Movement and determined both its progress and political aftermath.

Troxler is professor emeritus of history at Elon University and holds a Ph.D. in history from the University of  North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has published extensively on the American Revolution in the southern backcountry and the migration of loyalists after the war.

“Farming Dissenters: The Regulator Movement in Piedmont North Carolina” (paperbound; pp. xiii, 221; illustrations; index; 2011) sells for $24.79, which includes tax and shipping. Order from the Historical Publications Section (P), Office of Archives and History, 4622 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-4622. For credit card orders call (919) 733-7442, ext. 0, or visit the secure online store at http://nc-historical-publications.stores.yahoo.net/.

“Farming Dissenters” is also available through local bookstores and Amazon.com.

The Historical Publications Section (www.ncpublications.com) is part of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, the state agency with the mission to enrich lives and communities, and the vision to harness the state’s cultural resources to build North Carolina’s social, cultural and economic future. Information on Cultural Resources is available 24/7 at www.ncculture.com.

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The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources is the state agency with the mission to enrich lives and communities, and the vision to harness the state’s cultural resources to build North Carolina’s social, cultural and economic future. www.ncculture.com