When the Jessamine Grows

When the Civil War began in 1861, North Carolina was a border state—a pro-enslavement state that remained in the Union. In her Author’s Note, Donna Everhart explains that the divisions in North Carolina were not uncommon:

You had to imagine these Border States had citizens who wondered what their state governments would do while hoping they wouldn’t become involved. It’s also probable there were individuals or families in states that did secede more quickly who held secret unbiased views (373-74).

Everhart adds that North Carolina was mostly rural, and most people in North Carolina at the time were “yeoman farmers, or skilled laborers” who worked the land, while it was the smaller percentages of middle-class and wealthy Southerners who were enslavers (374). These yeoman farmers often lived modestly, growing crops primarily for subsistence rather than profit, and were less likely to have enslaved workers compared to the wealthy plantation owners. The limited presence of enslavement among the general population fueled ambivalence about secession and the Confederacy’s broader goals, as many North Carolinians felt disconnected from the interests of the elite class of enslavers. Shortly after the Battle of Fort Sumter, North Carolina seceded from the Union and joined the Confederacy. However, North Carolina remained divided, with many North Carolinians supporting the Union, especially in the western region.