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Breaking Loose Together: The Regulator Rebellion in Pre-Revolutionary North Carolina
Ten years before the start of the American Revolution, backcountry settlers in the North Carolina Piedmont launched their own defiant bid for economic independence and political liberty. The Regulator Rebellion of 1766-71 pitted thousands of farmers, many of them religious radicals inspired by the Great Awakening, against political and economic elites who opposed the Regulators' proposed reforms. The conflict culminated on May 16, 1771, when a colonial militia defeated more than 2,000 armed farmers in a pitched battle near Hillsborough. At least 6,000 Regulators and sympathizers were forced to swear their allegiance to the government as the victorious troops undertook a punitive march through Regulator settlements. Seven farmers were hanged.
Using sources that include diaries, church minutes, legal papers, and the richly detailed accounts of the Regulators themselves, Marjoleine Kars delves deeply into the world and ideology of free rural colonists. She examines the rebellion's economic, religious, and political roots and explores its legacy in North Carolina and beyond. The compelling story of the Regulator Rebellion reveals just how sharply elite and popular notions of independence differed on the eve of the Revolution.
Using sources that include diaries, church minutes, legal papers, and the richly detailed accounts of the Regulators themselves, Marjoleine Kars delves deeply into the world and ideology of free rural colonists. She examines the rebellion's economic, religious, and political roots and explores its legacy in North Carolina and beyond. The compelling story of the Regulator Rebellion reveals just how sharply elite and popular notions of independence differed on the eve of the Revolution.
304 pages, Paperback
First published February 25, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 9, 2018
I'm briefly reviewing this book because it was such an enjoyable read it feels wrong not to leave a positive review. I was assigned to read this book in a Southern History class I'm currently taking and it was a pleasant surprise compared to some of the awful history textbooks I've had to try and read. Kars does an excellent job of delving deep into the multiple and varied reasons why North Carolina's regulator rebellion happened. She keeps the information approachable and easy for her audience to understand by dividing her argument into four parts and covering each part in detail. After reading this book, drawing conclusions about cause and effect on these particular events has been very easy for me to do and explain. I'm giving Kars 3.5 stars for creating an engaging read and giving me hope in history books again.
December 3, 2023
Marjoleine Kars is a professor emerita of History at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and currently teaches at MIT. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree and her Ph.D in History from Duke University. Dr. Kars has written extensively on slavery and North Carolina history. She has only one other book titled Blood on the River: A Chronicle of Mutiny and Freedom on the Wild Coast which was released in 2020. Dr. Kars is qualified to write on the subject. Breaking Loose Together is broken down into four parts covering the topics of economics, religion, politics, and war. Dr. Kars’ main goal in this work is to show that North Carolina Regulators were inspired by their religious beliefs to rebel against a selfish government that, in their minds, corrupted civil society with the rise of capitalism.
Dr. Kars begins describing colonization efforts in North Carolina by Europeans and their tumultuous relationship with the Native Americans. The newcomers changed the landscape and built small villages. It is in this chapter that Dr. Kars introduces us to farmer and Quaker, Herman Husband, who visited North Carolina on a reconnaissance trip to see about the land and who Kars relies on for his eye witness testimony of the events. Interestingly, Dr. Kars tells of slave owners that fought Native Americans simply to have more land to exploit their slaves on. Many settlers relocated to North Carolina for religious freedom. Due to greed of the English King and mishandling of those charged with registering and selling land like Henry McCulloh, land grievances in North Carolina were many. In this last chapter in part I, Kars examines the role the credit system had on farmers and landowners. It was under these harsh conditions that favored creditors that backcountry farmers moved to the Piedmont in hopes of attaining financial independence.
Backcountry Protestantism created a favorable environment for mass protest movements, although Kars explains that not all religious beliefs led to political activism. Some individuals, like Herman Husband, combined personal conscience with arguments from the emerging American independence movement to assert that God-fearing people had a religious duty to resist an unjust government. Protestant Europeans since the 16th century sought alternatives to the Catholic Church, resulting in different orthodoxies like Lutheranism, Calvinism, Anglicanism, and Puritanism.
Dissent emerged as believers challenged the boundaries of the Reformation using their own interpretations based on the bible, with radical notions such as antinomianism questioning state authority and promoting disobedience to unjust laws. While some radical demands were integrated into Puritan doctrine, many were punished, leading to trials and executions. The core principle of the Great Awakening was the egalitarian belief that everyone needed to undergo conversion to avoid damnation. This notion appealed to Piedmont farmers, inspiring their dislike for the Anglican Church and its privileged followers, reinforcing their sense of independence in the southern backcountry.
Kars admits that oral tradition isn’t the ideal set of primary sources she would like concerning the radicals of the backcountry. Even so, evangelicals met together regardless of denomination. These men and women of different religious, ethnic, and national backgrounds worshiped together, which strengthened their unity. Together, they threatened the elites by their explicit critiques of establishment ways. The attraction of evangelical and radical Protestantism for the poor, the self-educated, women, and enslaved African Americans became a real threat to the social order. In fact, it was their reluctance to pay parish taxes that led to their first protest. The response was a larger tax.
In the wake of their strong opposition to the Stamp Act, a group of Quakers found themselves motivated to take further action. In August 1766, they made a journey to Hillsborough, a town about twenty miles east of Sandy Creek, where they stood before the county court and publicly proclaimed a carefully prepared manifesto. Tired of merely discussing their grievances amongst themselves and dissatisfied with the limited impact of individual protests, these Quakers formed a unified front known as the Sandy Creek Association. Together, they encouraged their fellow citizens to follow suit and establish local committees to investigate and address the unjust actions of Piedmont officials. The ultimate goal was to put an end to the oppressive practices they were facing. Although their initial attempt did not yield immediate success, this event is often considered the inception of what would later be known as the “Regulation.”
As time passed, the Regulators expanded their efforts to encompass a broader scope, employing both lawful and extralegal methods of protest. They managed to gain significant support and participation, drawing in a substantial majority of the inhabitants from neighboring counties. Herman Husband became a leader amongst the Regulators, who faced disownment when they rejected disciplinary actions by the church and relied on their own convictions. Disownment allowed the Regulators to attend church, but it stripped them of any political power or influence. Religious radicals like Husband, blended their religious convictions with Whig politics to shape their flavor of resistance against church and government authorities. This radical Whig movement would go on to completely upend the political norm in North Carolina after the 1760s, much to the dismay and despite the efforts of Governor Tryon. Ultimately the rebellion of the Regulators had little effect on policy in the face of the Revolutionary War.
Marjoleine Kars employs numerous primary sources including meeting minutes, journals, and records. I didn’t see that Kars included any of her own work on the subject as a secondary source. I thoroughly enjoyed Breaking Loose Together: The Regulator Rebellion in Pre-Revolutionary North Carolina. I had never heard of the Regulators but have come to admire their attempts at social justice. The book is scholarly in nature but the storytelling is fantastic. I recommend the book for anyone interested in radical thought.
Dr. Kars begins describing colonization efforts in North Carolina by Europeans and their tumultuous relationship with the Native Americans. The newcomers changed the landscape and built small villages. It is in this chapter that Dr. Kars introduces us to farmer and Quaker, Herman Husband, who visited North Carolina on a reconnaissance trip to see about the land and who Kars relies on for his eye witness testimony of the events. Interestingly, Dr. Kars tells of slave owners that fought Native Americans simply to have more land to exploit their slaves on. Many settlers relocated to North Carolina for religious freedom. Due to greed of the English King and mishandling of those charged with registering and selling land like Henry McCulloh, land grievances in North Carolina were many. In this last chapter in part I, Kars examines the role the credit system had on farmers and landowners. It was under these harsh conditions that favored creditors that backcountry farmers moved to the Piedmont in hopes of attaining financial independence.
Backcountry Protestantism created a favorable environment for mass protest movements, although Kars explains that not all religious beliefs led to political activism. Some individuals, like Herman Husband, combined personal conscience with arguments from the emerging American independence movement to assert that God-fearing people had a religious duty to resist an unjust government. Protestant Europeans since the 16th century sought alternatives to the Catholic Church, resulting in different orthodoxies like Lutheranism, Calvinism, Anglicanism, and Puritanism.
Dissent emerged as believers challenged the boundaries of the Reformation using their own interpretations based on the bible, with radical notions such as antinomianism questioning state authority and promoting disobedience to unjust laws. While some radical demands were integrated into Puritan doctrine, many were punished, leading to trials and executions. The core principle of the Great Awakening was the egalitarian belief that everyone needed to undergo conversion to avoid damnation. This notion appealed to Piedmont farmers, inspiring their dislike for the Anglican Church and its privileged followers, reinforcing their sense of independence in the southern backcountry.
Kars admits that oral tradition isn’t the ideal set of primary sources she would like concerning the radicals of the backcountry. Even so, evangelicals met together regardless of denomination. These men and women of different religious, ethnic, and national backgrounds worshiped together, which strengthened their unity. Together, they threatened the elites by their explicit critiques of establishment ways. The attraction of evangelical and radical Protestantism for the poor, the self-educated, women, and enslaved African Americans became a real threat to the social order. In fact, it was their reluctance to pay parish taxes that led to their first protest. The response was a larger tax.
In the wake of their strong opposition to the Stamp Act, a group of Quakers found themselves motivated to take further action. In August 1766, they made a journey to Hillsborough, a town about twenty miles east of Sandy Creek, where they stood before the county court and publicly proclaimed a carefully prepared manifesto. Tired of merely discussing their grievances amongst themselves and dissatisfied with the limited impact of individual protests, these Quakers formed a unified front known as the Sandy Creek Association. Together, they encouraged their fellow citizens to follow suit and establish local committees to investigate and address the unjust actions of Piedmont officials. The ultimate goal was to put an end to the oppressive practices they were facing. Although their initial attempt did not yield immediate success, this event is often considered the inception of what would later be known as the “Regulation.”
As time passed, the Regulators expanded their efforts to encompass a broader scope, employing both lawful and extralegal methods of protest. They managed to gain significant support and participation, drawing in a substantial majority of the inhabitants from neighboring counties. Herman Husband became a leader amongst the Regulators, who faced disownment when they rejected disciplinary actions by the church and relied on their own convictions. Disownment allowed the Regulators to attend church, but it stripped them of any political power or influence. Religious radicals like Husband, blended their religious convictions with Whig politics to shape their flavor of resistance against church and government authorities. This radical Whig movement would go on to completely upend the political norm in North Carolina after the 1760s, much to the dismay and despite the efforts of Governor Tryon. Ultimately the rebellion of the Regulators had little effect on policy in the face of the Revolutionary War.
Marjoleine Kars employs numerous primary sources including meeting minutes, journals, and records. I didn’t see that Kars included any of her own work on the subject as a secondary source. I thoroughly enjoyed Breaking Loose Together: The Regulator Rebellion in Pre-Revolutionary North Carolina. I had never heard of the Regulators but have come to admire their attempts at social justice. The book is scholarly in nature but the storytelling is fantastic. I recommend the book for anyone interested in radical thought.
May 17, 2021
Great book, well-written, tremendous research and analysis, and a great read about the pre-Revolutionary war period in North Carolina where a battle was fought between farmers known as regulators and Imperial Britain in 1771. An interesting note is that many of the soon-to-be North Carolina revolutionaries in 1776 fought against the regulators on the side of the British. In one case, one of the well off future revolutionaries was quoted as saying when he fought against the farmers in 1771 he was fighting to determine who would be the leaders of the future and he did not want it to be them. So much for a classless post revolutionary war United States.
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March 3, 2016This is a very well written and enlightening book about a volatile period of time in North Carolina,
I assumed the economic reasons for the Battle of Alamance, but the religious undertones were very interesting.
I assumed the economic reasons for the Battle of Alamance, but the religious undertones were very interesting.
Read
September 13, 2024 READ
As this was used as a textbook for one of my Revolutionary America classes, I don't feel that it would be right for me to give it a star rating.
That being said, the Regulators of North Carolina are an often overlooked group that sought massive governmental change in the years leading up to the Revolution. I was in awe of their tenacity, their perserverance, and their grit. The Regulators were put to death for what they believed in and they are still not taught as a part of the history cirriculum in NC. What a shame.
Kars makes some great points about the Regulators, especially when speaking about the ways that religion influenced their political behavior. The book, at times, did feel extremely repetitive and could have been improved with another round of editing.
As this was used as a textbook for one of my Revolutionary America classes, I don't feel that it would be right for me to give it a star rating.
That being said, the Regulators of North Carolina are an often overlooked group that sought massive governmental change in the years leading up to the Revolution. I was in awe of their tenacity, their perserverance, and their grit. The Regulators were put to death for what they believed in and they are still not taught as a part of the history cirriculum in NC. What a shame.
Kars makes some great points about the Regulators, especially when speaking about the ways that religion influenced their political behavior. The book, at times, did feel extremely repetitive and could have been improved with another round of editing.
November 26, 2025
Fantastic! This is the most thorough account and analysis of the Regulator Movement, a failed rebellion that sought redress for injustice and oppression at the hands of Royalist officials supported by the very coastal elites who later justified the Independence Movement on the grounds of similar grievances they themselves endured at the hands of Parliament. Not surprisingly, Regulators generally abstained from participating in the Independence Movement or swearing allegiance to the United States.
January 13, 2025
A Solid Work About the War of the Regulation
Marjoleine Kars' "Breaking Loose Together," is a fine work on the War of the Regulation in North Carolina from 1768 to 1771. Kars takes a deep look at the economic, religious and political background of the war, and how it led to the final confrontation at the Battle of Alamance. If you're interested in American and North Carolina history, I highly recommend this book! Grade: A-
Marjoleine Kars' "Breaking Loose Together," is a fine work on the War of the Regulation in North Carolina from 1768 to 1771. Kars takes a deep look at the economic, religious and political background of the war, and how it led to the final confrontation at the Battle of Alamance. If you're interested in American and North Carolina history, I highly recommend this book! Grade: A-
January 25, 2018
Comprehensive look at the Regulator Uprising
The Regulator uprising preceded the Revolutionary war and is a mostly unknown battle not taught in history books, but as this book illustrates, it was so important to our nation's founding.
The Regulator uprising preceded the Revolutionary war and is a mostly unknown battle not taught in history books, but as this book illustrates, it was so important to our nation's founding.
May 29, 2018
Well written and specific to the area of North Carolina where we live. Will leave it on my list and pick it up again sometime.
March 18, 2010
A must read for anyone interested in the history of NC building up to the Revolutionary War.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews