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80-744: NCSB was established in 1933 by the North Carolina General Assembly as an agency of the state of North Carolina empowered to regulate the legal profession. Though operating pursuant to a legislative grant of authority, the State Bar exercises its regulatory powers under the direct and continuing supervision of the North Carolina Supreme Court , which by statute approves the State Bar's rules. Every lawyer practicing law in North Carolina must be

160-572: A biennial schedule to annual. African-American men were first elected to the state legislature in 1868, including Henry Epps , Abraham H. Galloway , and John A. Hyman in the Senate and Parker D. Robbins , Wilson Cary Nicholas , B. W. Morris, A. W. Stevens, John S. Leary , Isham Sweat , Henry C. Cherry, John H. Williamson, A.A. Crawford, Cuffie Mayo , W. T. J. Hayes , Ivey Hutchings , John S. W. Eagles , George W. Price , Thomas A. Sykes , James H. Harris, William Cawthorn, and Richard Falkner in

240-511: A body of freemen who selected 12 deputies to represent their interests. Together with the governor and his council, the deputies served as a provisional legislature for Albemarle County and eventually was named the General Court and Committee. It held its first meeting in the spring of 1665. When the governor and his deputy were absent, the assembly would designate a president or speaker to lead its sessions. Approximately two years later,

320-631: A body's respective rules committee before being brought before a full house for a vote. The constitution of North Carolina vests the state's legislative power in the General Assembly; the General Assembly writes state laws/statutes. Legislation in North Carolina can either be in the form of general laws or special/local laws. General laws apply to the entire state, while local laws apply only to specific counties or municipalities. The constitution requires that all effective laws be styled "The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:", with only

400-530: A government with a separation of powers divided amongst executive, legislative, and judicial branches, though the legislative branch retained the most power. The General Assembly was made a bicameral body, consisting of a Senate made up of one member from each county in the state and a House of Commons with two members from each county and one from each of several specially-designated towns. Property requirements stipulated that House members had to own at least 100 acres and senators at least 300 to serve. The assembly

480-652: A member of the North Carolina State Bar. The State Bar is governed by a council consisting primarily of lawyers elected by bar members from the state's 42 judicial districts, and including three public members appointed by the governor of the state of North Carolina. Admission to the North Carolina State Bar is the responsibility of the North Carolina Board of Law Examiners , which is a separate state agency from NCSB. North Carolina has 44 Judicial District Bars, which are subdivisions of

560-561: A new charter to a group of eight English noblemen, granting them the land of Carolina as a reward for their faithful support of his efforts to regain the throne of England. The eight were called Lords Proprietors or simply Proprietors . The 1663 charter granted the Lords Proprietor title to all of the land from the southern border of the Virginia Colony at 36 degrees north to 31 degrees north ; this included all

640-469: A new constitution was crafted by a convention and ratified by popular vote. The document provided for universal male suffrage and abolished all property requirements and religious tests for officeholders. It changed the name of the House of Commons to the House of Representatives. The constitution also created the office of lieutenant governor which was to be filled by popular statewide election. It replaced

720-655: A number of Bermudian families to found the town of Charlestown. In early 1670 the Lords Proprietors founded a sturdier new settlement named Charles Town (present day Charleston ) when they sent 150 colonists to the province, landing them on the south bank of the Ashley River, South Carolina. (The town moved across the river to a more defensible site on the peninsula between the Ashley and Cooper Rivers in 1680. In 1670, William Sayle, then in his eighties, became

800-403: A single speaker. Both houses appoint a principal clerk—who keeps their respective bodies' records, a reading clerk—who reads documents as required by the constitution, house rules, or the presiding officer, and a sergeant at arms —who maintains order in their house. Standing committees in each house consider introduced legislation, hold hearings, and offer amendments. All bills are examined by

880-620: A sixty-mile-wide strip of land in North Carolina adjoining the Virginia boundary, which became known as the Granville District . This district was to become the scene of many disputes, from 1729 until the American Revolutionary War , at which time it was seized by the North Carolina revolutionary government. Governments under proprietary rule and under crown rule were similarly organized. The primary difference

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960-536: A state constitutionally-prescribed oath of office. In the event of the vacancy of a seat, the governor is constitutionally obligated to appoint a person nominated by the previous incumbent's political party's respective district executive committee to fill the seat. The assembly is styled after the citizen legislature model, with legislating considered a part-time job. Members receive a base salary of $ 13,951 per year, supplemented by per-diem payments and travel reimbursements. Increases in legislative pay adopted by

1040-562: A transitional government for the state, superseding the authority of the General Assembly and making changes to state law on its own. After the president of the convention declined to convene it to discuss issues of wartime speculation and extortion, authority returned to the state's other civil leaders and institutions. During the Civil War the General Assembly continued to meet in regular biennial sessions, but also convened in seven extraordinary sessions to address wartime issues. In 1868,

1120-696: Is a bicameral legislature, consisting of the North Carolina House of Representatives (formerly called the North Carolina House of Commons until 1868) and the North Carolina Senate . Since 1868, the House has had 120 members, while the Senate has had 50 members. There are no term limits for either chamber. Both chambers have two-year terms and are currently controlled by the Republican Party , but only

1200-411: Is also responsible for drawing the districts of its own members and the districts of the state's congressional delegation after every decennial U.S. census . The legislative power of the assembly must be exercised by the whole body and not devolved upon a portion of the whole, and actions taken during one session of the assembly can be undone by a succeeding session. The governor signs bills passed by

1280-427: Is analogous to that in the Senate, except that in place of a president and president pro tempore , the body is led by a speaker and speaker pro tempore . The speaker is in charge of appointing the body's committees. Both officers are elected by the full house from among its members, with the rest determined by party caucuses. In the event of an even political divide in the House, co-speakers may be elected in lieu of

1360-401: Is not in session. Both houses are empowered to temporarily adjourn for three days or less at their own discretion. The proceedings of each house are constitutionally-required to be reported in official journals and published at the end of each session. The records of individual lawmakers are not subject to the state's public records law. Each house chamber has a gallery from which members of

1440-460: Is taken from the Latin word for " Charles " ( Carolus ), honoring King Charles   I . On October 30, 1629, King Charles I of England granted a patent to Sir Robert Heath for the lands south of 36 degrees and north of 31 degrees , "under the name, in honor of that king, of Carolana ." Heath wanted the land for French Huguenots , but when Charles restricted use of the land to members of

1520-722: Is the bicameral legislature of the state government of North Carolina . The legislature consists of two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives . The General Assembly meets in the North Carolina State Legislative Building in Raleigh . The General Assembly drafts and legislates the state laws of North Carolina, also known as the General Statutes . The General Assembly

1600-647: The Chowanoc War . In 1669, William Sayle of Bermuda had taken over the command of the party of settlers gathered in Bermuda after Sir John Yeamans resigned while undergoing repairs of his vessel in Bermuda. Most of the party was made up of emigrants from England who had arrived in Bermuda en route to the establishment of the settlement in the Carolinas. Sayle arrived in Carolina aboard a Bermuda sloop with

1680-519: The Church of England , Heath assigned his grant to George, Lord Berkeley. King Charles I was executed in 1649 and Heath fled to France where he died. Following the 1660 restoration of the monarchy , Robert Heath's heirs attempted to reassert their claim to the land, but Charles II ruled the claim invalid. Although the Lost Colony on Roanoke Island was the first English attempt at settlement in

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1760-517: The Grand Model , or Grand Modell, it was composed of a constitution and detailed guidelines for settlement and development. The constitution, titled Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina , was drafted by the philosopher John Locke under the direction of Anthony Ashley Cooper (later made Earl of Shaftesbury ). From 1708 to 1710, due to disquiet over attempts to establish the Anglican church in

1840-554: The Province of New Jersey , and William Berkeley had an interest in Virginia . The Lords Proprietors, operating under their royal charter, were able to exercise their authority with nearly the independence of the king himself. The actual government consisted of a governor, a powerful council, on which half of the councilors were appointed by the Lords Proprietors themselves, and a relatively weak, popularly elected assembly. In 1665,

1920-437: The lieutenant governor . In this capacity they direct the debate on bills and maintain order in that house, but have little influence over its workflow. They cannot cast a vote in the Senate except to break ties. The president pro tempore is elected by the full Senate. They appoint the body's committees. All other leadership positions are filled by the decision of party caucuses. The leadership of House of Representatives

2000-503: The "long session" and typically only makes modifications to it during the "short session". Typically the legislature adjourns shortly after June 30, the end of North Carolina's fiscal year , following the passing of a budget. The governor may call the General Assembly into extraordinary session after consulting the Council of State and is required to convene the assembly in specific circumstances to review vetoed legislation. A majority of

2080-456: The 1708-1710 period as the establishment of separate colonies, but that did not officially occur until 1729 when seven of the Lords Proprietors sold their interests in Carolina to the Crown , and both North Carolina and South Carolina became royal colonies. The eighth share was Sir George Carteret's, which had passed to his great-grandson John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville . He retained ownership of

2160-553: The 1980s. As a result, the legislature hired its own research staff, created an independent judicial office to review administrative affairs in the state bureaucracy, and began appointing its own members to state board and commissions, though the latter practice was ruled unconstitutional by the North Carolina Supreme Court in 1982. In 1977, the state constitution was amended to allow for governors and lieutenant governors to seek second terms. Shortly thereafter,

2240-458: The Carolina territory, the first permanent English settlement was not established until the 1653 Albemarle Settlement , when emigrants from the Virginia Colony , with others from New England and Bermuda , settled at the mouths of the Chowan and Roanoke Rivers , on the shores of Albemarle Sound , in the northeastern corner of present-day North Carolina. Within three generations of Columbus ,

2320-465: The Council of State can call the legislature into session to consider the governor's mental capacity to serve. A basic majority of the members of a house constitute a quorum to do business. When in session, both Houses of the legislature typically meet on Monday evenings and in the middle of the day on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Legislative committees usually convene in the mornings and late afternoons. Committees sometimes meet when their house

2400-481: The General Assembly of which they approve into law and are empowered to veto bills of which they disapprove. A veto can be overridden by a three-fifths majority vote of the assembly. Local bills and congressional and legislative reapportionment decisions are not subject to gubernatorial veto. Aside from regular legislation, the two houses of the General Assembly can also issue joint resolutions which are not subject to veto. The assembly wields oversight authority over

2480-521: The General Assembly to provide for the filling of executive offices not already provided for in the constitution. The body is also empowered to resolve contested elections for state executive officers by joint ballot. Its advice and consent is required for the installation of some state agency heads. The assembly can also influence the bureaucracy through its power to create for dissolve agencies or countermand administrative rules by writing laws and by its decisions in appropriations. The constitution empowers

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2560-405: The House and that all Senate districts were supposed to contain approximately equal populations, though the latter tenant was undermined by a constitutional requirement that no counties be split between different districts. As a result, by the 1960s, rural constituents were significantly overrepresented in the legislature. Following developments in federal jurisprudence in the early 1960s that led to

2640-503: The House of Representatives by the three-fifths majority necessary to override vetoes . In 1663, King Charles II of England granted a royal charter to eight lords proprietor to establish the colony of Carolina in North America. Under the terms of the charter, regular management of the colony was to be overseen by a governor and a council. An assembly consisting of two representatives from each county elected by freeholders

2720-434: The House of Representatives in 1969. The number of black legislators steadily increased in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1973, Henry Ward Oxendine became the first Native American member of the legislature. In the early 1970s, Democratic legislators, spurred in part by the election of a Republican governor in 1972, began an effort to strengthen the General Assembly's power and influence in state government which continued into

2800-410: The House of Representatives to impeach elected state officials by simple majority vote. In the event an official is impeached, the Senate holds a trial, and can convict an official by two-thirds majority vote and remove them from office. The General Assembly can also, by a two-thirds majority vote, determine the governor or a judge mentally or physically incapable of serving. The General Assembly has

2880-421: The House, feeling threatened by the strengthened positions of the governor and Senate leadership, broke from a decades-long trend and began electing speakers to successive terms. In the mid-1980s, the legislature ceased using multi-member legislative districts. In 1994, Daniel F. McComas became the first Latino elected to the General Assembly. The General Assembly has 170 elected members, with 120 members of

2960-461: The House. Despite efforts by Red Shirts and other white Democratic paramilitary groups to disrupt Republican meetings and suppress black voting in order to ensure the Democratic takeover, some African Americans continued to be elected in the 19th century, especially to local offices. Between 1868 and 1900, 113 blacks were elected to the House of Representatives. But shortly before the turn of

3040-570: The North Carolina House of Representatives and 50 members of the North Carolina Senate. Each represents a district. Each house has the sole power to judge the election and qualification of its own respective members. Legislators' are elected biennially in even-numbered years. Their terms of office begin at the start of the January following the year of their election. There are no term limits for legislators. All legislators swear

3120-432: The North Carolina State Bar. Active members of the State Bar who reside in North Carolina must be a member of the judicial district bar where they reside or practice. NCSB enforces the rule that North Carolina lawyers must complete 12 credits of Continuing Legal Education each year. NCSB publishes the monthly North Carolina Bar Journal . North Carolina General Assembly The North Carolina General Assembly

3200-465: The Privy Council's Board of Trade . The directives were binding upon the governor and dealt with nearly all aspects of colonial government. As they were produced by officials largely ignorant of the political situation in the colony and meant to ensure greater direct control over the territory, the instructions caused tensions between the governor and the General Assembly. The assembly controlled

3280-442: The Senate until 1835. Elections for senators were held annually. Due to the outbreak of hostilities, North Carolina's government met in various locations throughout the war. In September 1781, British forces captured the governor and several members of the General Assembly during a raid on Hillsborough . The war ended in 1783. Construction of a North Carolina State House began in the planned capital of Raleigh in 1792 and became

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3360-536: The Spanish from their Florida base had started to emigrate up the coast of modern North Carolina. A Virginia tribe defending their resources and families drove them back to Georgia. A Scottish contingent had meanwhile settled in South Carolina only to be extirpated by the Spanish, who inhabited Parris Island as late as 1655. The Spanish were again beaten back to Georgia. On March 24, 1663, Charles II issued

3440-500: The State Senate in 1930. Female representation slowly increased in the following decades. The General Assembly began increasing the length of its sessions and hiring more support staff in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1959, the General Assembly organized a commission to design and fund a new, larger meeting place to accommodate the body, its staff, and improve the delivery of services to the legislators. Construction began in 1961 and

3520-420: The assembly cannot take effect until after a succeeding election. Each house of the legislature has eight leadership roles. The Senate's leadership is made up of the president of the Senate, president pro tempore , majority leader, majority whip, majority caucus chair, minority leader, minority whip, and minority caucus chair. Per the constitution, the office of president of the Senate is held ex officio by

3600-538: The century, the Democrats regained control of the state legislature (after a biracial coalition between Republicans and Populists had briefly held power) and passed laws to create barriers to voter registration through poll taxes , literacy tests and other devices. Applied subjectively by white administrators, these methods effectively disenfranchised most black people in the state. Black voters were eliminated by 1904. An estimated 75,000 black male citizens lost

3680-620: The charter was revised slightly (see Royal Colonial Boundary of 1665 ), with the northerly boundary extended to 36 degrees 30 minutes north to include the lands of settlers along the Albemarle Sound who had left the Virginia Colony . Likewise, the southern boundary was moved south to 29 degrees north , just south of present-day Daytona Beach, Florida , which had the effect of including the existing Spanish settlement at St. Augustine . In 1663, Captain William Hilton noted

3760-591: The colony's finances and used this as leverage by withholding salaries and appropriations, sometimes forcing the governors to compromise and disregard some of the Board of Trade's instructions. Particularly after 1760, the lower house increasingly viewed itself as the representative of the colonists' interests in opposition to the British Crown's interests as relayed by the governor and the council. Frequent tensions between Governor Josiah Martin —a firm supporter of

3840-462: The colony. There would be five provincial congresses. The fifth Congress approved the first constitution in 1776. This constitution was not submitted to a vote of the people. The Congress simply adopted it and elected Richard Caswell , the last president of the Congress, as acting governor until the new legislature was elected and seated. Per the terms of the constitution, North Carolina had

3920-423: The creation of the principle of one man, one vote , in 1965 a U.S. District Court panel ruled that the state's legislative districts were unconstitutional. As a result, in the 1960s and 1970s the legislature designed districts in a manner which significantly rebalanced the representation of the state in a more equitable manner. Henry Frye became the state's first black legislator in the 20th century when he joined

4000-670: The first Colonial Governor of the colony of Carolina . Many of the other colonists were planters from Barbados . The " Charles Town " settlement, as it was known then, developed more rapidly than the Albemarle and Cape Fear settlements due to the advantages of a natural harbor and expanding trade with the West Indies . Charles Town was made the principal seat of government for the entire province; Lord Shaftesbury specified its street plan. The nearby Ashley and Cooper rivers are named for him. Due to their remoteness from each other,

4080-433: The governor with the consent of the lords, and an elected assembly. It also stipulated that the assembly's consent was required for taxes to be levied and that vacancies in the assembly were to be filled by elections called by the governor and his council. A new royal charter for Carolina was granted in 1665 and required the forming of an assembly. After receiving his commission, Carolina Governor William Drummond summoned

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4160-536: The land between these northerly and southerly bounds from the Atlantic westward to the shores of the Pacific Ocean . The King intended for the newly created province to serve as an English bulwark to contest lands claimed by Spanish Florida and prevent their northward expansion . The Lords Proprietors named in the charter were: Of the eight, the one who demonstrated the most active interest in Carolina

4240-654: The legislative services officer. Every legislator is assigned at least one legislative assistant or clerk, who manage legislators' schedules, relay communications with constituents, and offer advice on policy issues. Some legislators employ additional staff. The General Assembly's members and facilities are guarded by the North Carolina General Assembly Police . 35°46′59.53″N 78°38′20.24″W  /  35.7832028°N 78.6389556°W  / 35.7832028; -78.6389556 Province of Carolina The Province of Carolina

4320-622: The lords. The lords could refuse to ratify laws and let them expire. From 1692 to 1712, North Carolina and South Carolina were organized as one Province of Carolina . The colony had one governor but North Carolina retained its own council and assembly. After 1731, the members of the governor's council were chosen by the Privy Council and were responsible to the British king. During the period of royal control after 1731, North Carolina's governors were issued sets of secret instructions from

4400-416: The meeting place for the General Assembly in 1794. It was enlarged in 1820 and burnt down in 1831. The North Carolina State Capitol was completed in 1840. The Constitutional Convention of 1835 retained the 1776 Constitution, but made several amendments to it. Going forward, the governor would be elected by the people, but the legislature elected all other officials, including US Senators. Amendments set

4480-487: The northern and southern sections of the colony operated more or less independently until 1691, when Philip Ludwell was appointed governor of the entire province. From that time until 1708, the northern and southern settlements remained under one government. The north continued to have its own assembly and council; the governor resided in Charles Towne and appointed a deputy-governor for the north. During this period,

4560-514: The number of senators at 50 and the number of commoners (representatives to the House) at 120. Senate districts were no longer required to be limited to individual counties, but instead be coterminous with which counties were to be included in it and based on a judgement of approximate wealth measured by tax receipts. Sessions for the legislature were changed from annual to biennial. The terms of senators were also changed accordingly. In May 1861, at

4640-401: The power to levy taxes and adopts the state budget. The constitution enumerates a unique procedure for the passing of revenue legislation; all revenue bills must be read three times with each reading occurring on a different day, journal records of votes must include the name of each legislator and how they voted, and all revenue bills must appropriate money for a specific purpose. The assembly

4720-702: The presence of a wooden cross erected by the Spaniards that still stood before the town meeting house of the Indians living at what later became Port Royal . In 1665, Sir John Yeamans established a second short-lived English settlement on the Cape Fear River , near present-day Wilmington, North Carolina , which he named Clarendon. From 1675 to 1677, the Province fought the Chowanoc Natives in

4800-656: The province, the people were unable to agree on a slate of elected officials; consequently, there was no recognized and legal government for more than two years, a period which culminated in Cary's Rebellion when the Lords Proprietors finally commissioned a new governor. This circumstance, coupled with the Tuscarora War and the Yamasee War , and the inability of the Lords Proprietors to act decisively, led to separate governments for North and South Carolina. Some identify

4880-639: The public can attend and observe sessions. Administrative support of the General Assembly is overseen by the Legislative Services Commission, a panel comprising five members of each house. As of October 2023, the assembly relies on over 600 support staff who work in the Legislative Building and the Legislative Office Building. Daily operations of the legislature's facilities are directed by

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4960-571: The secret instructions—and the Assembly in the 1770s led the latter to establish a committee of correspondence and accelerated the colony's break with Great Britain. In 1774, the people of the colony elected a provincial congress , independent of the royal governor, as the American Revolution began. Inspired by the structure of the lower house of the general assembly and organized in part by House Speaker John Harvey , its purpose

5040-456: The sole power to propose amendments to the state constitution. If a proposed amendment receives the support of three-fifths of the House and the Senate, it is scheduled for ratification by a statewide referendum. State constitutional amendments and state legislative votes on the ratification of federal constitutional amendments are not subject to gubernatorial veto. The General Assembly's sessions are convened according to standards prescribed by

5120-479: The southern half, a deputy governor was appointed to administer the northern half of Carolina (Albemarle province) in 1691. In 1712, the two provinces became separate colonies, the colony of North Carolina (formerly Albemarle province) and the colony of South Carolina (formerly Clarendon province). Carolina was the first of three colonies in North America settled by the English to have a comprehensive plan. Known as

5200-428: The speaker of the Senate as that body's presiding officer and assumed the former office's role in succeeding to the governorship in the event it became vacant. Property qualifications for holding office were abolished in order to enlarge opportunity. Finally, the legislature made executive officers and judges subject to popular election rather than appointment by the legislature. It also reverted legislative sessions from

5280-472: The state constitution and state statute. The General Assembly meets in regular session—or the "long session"—beginning in January of each odd-numbered year, and adjourns to reconvene the following even-numbered year for what is called the "short session". Though there is no limit on the length of any session, the "long session" typically lasts for 6 months, and the "short session" typically lasts for 6 weeks. The legislature crafts its biennial state budget during

5360-457: The state's administrative bureaucracy. It can alter gubernatorial executive orders concerning the organization of state agencies by joint resolution. Its Joint Legislative Commission on Governmental Operations has the authority to seize state agency documents and inspect facilities of agencies and contractors with the state. All legislative committees are empowered to subpoena the testimony of witnesses and documents. The constitution allows for

5440-460: The temporary assembly divided the county into four precincts: Chowan, Currituck, Pasquotank, and Perquimans. The freemen in each county were to convene at the beginning of every year to elect five representatives for the permanent assembly. The first election occurred on January 1, 1668. While required to abide by the Concessions and support the interests of the lords proprietor, the assembly

5520-480: The two-halves of the province began increasingly to be known as North Carolina and South Carolina. In 1669, the Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina divided the colony of Carolina into two provinces, Albemarle province in the north and Clarendon province in the south. Due to dissent over the governance of the colony, and the distance between settlements in the northern half and settlements in

5600-647: The urging of the governor, the General Assembly passed a resolution calling for the establishment of a convention to consider seceding from the United States. Later that month the convention met in Raleigh and adopted an Ordinance of Secession and adopted the Constitution of the Confederate States . The convention met several times from then until November 1862, during which time it served as

5680-491: The vote. African Americans were closed out of politics in North Carolina for decades, with most not regaining the ability to vote until after passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 , and federal overview and enforcement. Lillian Exum Clement became the first female member of the General Assembly when she joined the House of Representatives in 1921. Gertrude Dills McKee became the first woman to be elected to

5760-451: The words following that phrase being legally operative. The legally valid language of each passed bill is punctuated by the ratification certificate, consisting of the obligatory signatures of the presiding officers of each house. Most laws have an "effective date" which stipulate the time they go into effect. Those that do not have an explicit stipulation go into effect 60 days after the assembly's adjournment sine die . The assembly has

5840-491: Was Cooper, Earl of Shaftesbury. Shaftesbury, with the assistance of his secretary, the philosopher John Locke , drafted the Grand Model for the Province of Carolina (which included the Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina ), a plan for government of the colony heavily influenced by the ideas of the English political scientist, James Harrington . Some of the other Lords Proprietors also had interests in other colonies: for instance, John Berkeley and George Carteret held stakes in

5920-531: Was a province of the Kingdom of England (1663–1707) and later the Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1712) that existed in North America and the Caribbean from 1663 until the Carolinas were partitioned into North and South in 1712. The North American Carolina province consisted of all or parts of present-day Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. "Carolina"

6000-441: Was completed by early 1963. The General Assembly held its first session in the new North Carolina State Legislative Building on February 6. In 1968, the General Assembly, in tandem with national trends towards state legislative professionalization, hired its first legislative services officer. For hundreds of years North Carolina's legislative representation was apportioned such that each county had at least one representative in

6080-414: Was powerful and largely left to manage itself. It decided the length and locations of its own sessions, when it adjourned, and its own quorum. It wrote laws, levied taxes, created courts, incorporated towns, determined the sites of ports and forts, regulated the militia, allotted land, and granted citizenship. Laws passed by the legislature held effect for 18 months and were sent to England for ratification by

6160-490: Was responsible for electing the governor, other executive officers, and all judges. The first North Carolina General Assembly was convened on April 7, 1777, in New Bern, North Carolina. It consisted of Senate with one member from each county and a House of Commons with two members representing each of the existing 38 counties, plus one member from each of some select "borough towns". Districts continued to be represented in

6240-540: Was to chose delegates to send to the Continental Congress . In addition to this, the congress adopted punitive measures against Great Britain for its Intolerable Acts and empowered local committees to govern the state as royal control dissipated. A second congress in April 1775 adopted additional economic measures against Great Britain, leading Governor Martin to dissolve the colonial assembly before fleeing

6320-405: Was to have the power to write laws with the approval of the governor, his council, and the lords proprietor. This system of government was ultimately never implemented in the area which eventually became North Carolina. In early 1665 the lords proprietor promulgated a constitution for Carolina, the Concessions and Agreement . The document provided for a governor, a council of six to 10 men chosen by

6400-596: Was who was to appoint the governing officials: the Lords Proprietors or the Sovereign. Although the division between the northern and southern governments became complete in 1712, both colonies remained in the hands of the same group of proprietors. A rebellion against the proprietors broke out in Charlestown, South Carolina (as it was now spelled) in 1719, which led to the appointment of a royal governor for South Carolina in that same year. North Carolina would become

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