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| Tryon Palace, New Bern , N.C. |
A New Government
In the meantime, North Carolinians began putting together
a new government free of Britain's influence. In August 1776, the
president of the Council of Safety read the North Carolina Declaration
of Independence in public for the first time.
After the election of a Fifth Provincial Congress, the Whigs
argued over what a new government in North Carolina should look
like. Some wanted a strong executive branch and property limits
to determine who could run for office; others wanted a strong legislative
branch and no limits on who could run.
The new government had some aspects of both. The governor
had virtually no power, and the only people who could vote or run
for office were those that had property and were Protestant. That's
why the governor did not have veto power until the General Assembly
passed a Constitutional amendment a few years ago allowing him veto
power.
The first General Assembly met on April 7, 1777 and elected
Richard Caswell as the first true North Carolina governor.
Peace
Ends in North Carolina
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