Before the American Revolution, North Carolina and the other 12 Colonies pretty much operated independently – the idea of a unifying federal system wouldn’t be a “thing” until the Constitution was ratified in 1789, replacing the Articles of Confederation, which largely preserved the sovereignty and independence of the 13 Colonies.
A fellow named George Sims didn’t like the way he and fellow Colonists were being treated by the government – excessive taxes, unfair payments, the average guy not getting a fair shake were just a few of the complaints lodged by a group of colonists known as The Regulators.
“George Sims was just an average guy,” said local historian Mark Pace. He was a farmer and schoolteacher from the Nutbush area, in what is now the Drewry area. But in a compelling speech delivered in 1765, Sims shared his views in a politically correct way – never criticizing existing laws or inciting violence while demanding reforms to the law of the land.
Pace has been researching Sims to prepare for an upcoming program of Granville County’s Creative Lifelong Learning program. Pace will portray Sims in a debate with one of Sims’s counterparts, Margaret Wake Tryon, the wife of Gov. William Tryon.
The program “The Regulators: Right or Wrong” is scheduled for Wednesday, Mar. 19 at 10 a.m. at the Granville County Convention & Expo Center on Hwy 15 outside Oxford. CLL members get in free; non-members may pay $12 to become members at the door.
Courtney Smith of Orange County will portray Tryon, who no doubt backed her husband’s views of government.
The debate will take place as if it were taking place in 1771, before the Colonists rose up against British rule to gain independence.
Sims will have the floor for 20 minutes and Tryon will have the floor for 20 minutes, Pace explained during Thursday’s segment of The Local Skinny!
“This is not the Revolution, but it’s planting the seed of revolution,” Pace said. People were becoming increasingly discontented with what they considered poor governance.
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