Understanding Cary's Rebellion
BY PAULINE S. JOHNSON
In this lesson plan, students use a graphic organizer and class discussion to further their
comprehension as they read the article “Cary’s Rebellion.1“
Learning outcomes
• Students will examine the importance of Cary’s Rebellion in the early Carolina
Colony.
• Students will recognize the importance of religion in the lives of early Carolina
politics.
Teacher preparation
MATERIALS NEEDED
• computer with internet access for each group of students or one computer with an
LCD projector
TIME REQUIRED
One hour (includes reading time)
Activities
1. Ask the students if religion has a direct role in our government today. Why or why
not?
2. Explain that they will read about and discuss an issue in early Carolina colonial history
that began as a struggle between two religious groups.
3. Put the students into groups of three or four. Have them read “Cary’s Rebellion2” and
fill in the graphic organizer3 as they read.
Copyright ©2010 LEARN NC. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share
Alike 2.5 License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/. The
original web-based version, with enhanced functionality and related resources, can be found at
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/6462.
4. After students read the page, lead a discussion about the article:
1. Which religions were involved?
Anglican and Quakers
2. In what way did political leaders effectively keep Quakers out of political life
immediately after Queen Anne took the throne of England?
All officials were required to take an oath of loyalty, which was against the tenets of the
Quaker religion.
3. Why do you think that political leaders were required to swear an oath when a
new monarch became King or Queen of England?
Answers will vary.
4. Why might non-Anglicans have resented the Vestry Act?
All colonists were required to pay a tax to support the Anglican church even though they
were not Anglicans.
5. Why and how was religion an important part of Cary’s Rebellion?
The tensions between the Anglicans and Quakers contributed to the conflict. Quakers
had obtained positions of political power, which Anglicans acquired upon the change of
governor and requirement of an oath. Colonists divided into two opposing parties —
Church (Anglican) party and Quaker party.
6. Who was each of the following people and what was his role in Cary’s Rebellion?
These two were the leaders of the two sides during the rebellion.
• Thomas Cary — governor, at first against the Quakers and then on their side;
Quaker party
• Edward Hyde — appointed governor by the proprietors; his policies were
unfriendly to the Quakers; Church party
7. Describe one of the armed conflicts of the Rebellion.
Answers will vary. These can be found in 8th through 10th paragraphs in the text.
8. How did Cary’s Rebellion end?
Threat of militia from Virginia and a reluctance to fire on the “British standard” made
the Cary supporters dissolve. Cary and his immediate supporters fled to Virginia where
they were captured and sent to England for trial.
9. Why do you think that Cary and his lieutenants were not prosecuted in England?
Answers will vary; students may decide that the proprietors just did not want to deal
with the issue or that his friends had a great deal of influence.
10. What were the effects of Cary’s Rebellion?
Answers will vary, but students should know: Courts and governments didn’t function
during the rebellion; property and crops were destroyed (or hadn’t been planted or
harvested); suspicion and distrust between colonists who had been on opposite sides;
while not a direct result, drought and yellow fever worsened the conditions for the colony
that had been torn apart by the unrest; some students may, by careful reading, realize
that an Indian war soon followed Cary’s Rebellion.
11. How were the events in Cary’s Rebellion affected by the geography of the region?
Many of the armed conflicts were by or on water in the Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds
and nearby rivers.
12. Why was it dangerous to have a colony in the early 1700s in such disarray?
Answers will vary, but students should note that colonists were dependent on agriculture
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and if they were not able to plant or harvest there would not be enough food. Also, the
threat of Indian attack was a fact of life during the colonial time period.
13. How did the fact that many political decisions had to go through London have an
effect on the colony during Cary’s Rebellion?
Answers will vary, but students should understand that one of the difficulties with
maintaining a stable colony was the time it took to get instructions from England.
When conflict developed in the colonies, there could not be an immediate response from
those with ultimate authority. Many issues were handled in the colonies without the
knowledge or support of the Lords Proprietors.
Assessment
The assessment for this lesson is collected from the correct answers in the graphic
organizer and from class discussion. Students should understand how religion was an
integral part in the unrest and the impact of the Cary Rebellion on the colony of Carolina.
This will lead directly to a clearer understanding of the timing of the Tuscarora War.
Understanding Cary's Rebellion | 3
Cary’s Rebellion
Religions involved
Issues with each religion that
contributed to the unrest
Causes of Cary’s Rebellion
People who were involved with a
description of them and their impact
Descriptions of armed conflict
How did Cary’s Rebellion end?
Effects of Cary’s Rebellion
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Cary’s Rebellion (teacher guide)
Religions involved
• Anglican
• Quaker
Issues with each religion that
contributed to the unrest
• Anglican: Vestry Act
• Quaker: could not swear when taking an oath
Causes of Cary’s Rebellion
Who would hold political power and control the colony
People who were involved with a
description of them and their impact
• Thomas Cary — governor; at first was against the Quakers, then joined
their side, Quaker party
• Edward Hyde — appointed governor by the proprietors, his policies were
unfriendly to the Quakers, Church party
Descriptions of armed conflict
These can be taken directly from the text beginning with the paragraph
starting, “Having resolved upon this policy…” and continuing through the next
three paragraphs.
How did Cary’s Rebellion end?
Threat of militia from Virginia and a reluctance to fire on the “British
standard” made the Cary supporters dissolve. Cary and his immediate
supporters fled to Virginia where they were captured and sent to England for
trial.
Effects of Cary’s Rebellion
•
•
•
•
Courts and governments didn’t function during the rebellion
Property and crops were destroyed (or hadn’t been planted or harvested)
Suspicion and distrust between colonists who had been on opposite sides
While not a direct result, drought and yellow fever worsened the conditions
for the colony that had been torn apart by the unrest
• Some students may, by careful reading, realize that an Indian war soon
followed Cary’s Rebellion.
Understanding Cary's Rebellion | 5
On the web
Cary's Rebellion
http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-colonial/3.1
Because North Carolina permitted religious freedom, Quakers made up a large portion of the
colony's early population and were heavily represented in its government. A division opened in
the colony between the Quaker party and supporters of the Church of England, and disputes
between the two sides led to violence in 1710–1711.
More from LEARN NC
Visit us on the web at www.learnnc.org to learn more about topics related to this article,
including Anglicans, Cary's Rebellion, Edward Hyde, North Carolina, Quakers, Thomas Cary,
colonial, government, history, religion, and religious freedom.
Notes
1. See http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-colonial/3.1.
2. See http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-colonial/3.1.
3. See #graphic.
About the author
P A ULI N E S. J O H N SON
I am currently the Director of a Teaching American History Grant for Buncombe County Schools,
Asheville City Schools, and Madison County Schools. I have taught history and English in the
seventh and eighth grades for over twenty-six years at Reynolds Middle School in Asheville, North
Carolina. I am currently doing adjunct work for Mars Hill College and Western Carolina University. I
have a Masters Degree from Western Carolina University and am Nationally Board Certified in Early
Adolescence/Social Studies-History. I am certified to teach K–12 and I also have AcademicallyIntellectually Gifted certification.
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