As the United States prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution in 2026, this podcast explores North Carolina’s pivotal role in the nation’s founding — from the War of Regulation to the Battle of Guilford Courthouse and beyond.
This 10-episode series, hosted by John Locke Foundation CEO Donald Bryson, features guests with expertise on the American Revolution in North Carolina who answer questions such as: Is the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence real or just a myth? Who were the women of the Edenton Tea Party? And why did North Carolina take YEARS to sign the Constitution?
Learn more about North Carolina's revolutionary history at NC250.org.
Episode 10: From Holdout to Union – Hillsborough, Fayetteville, and Ratification
North Carolina wasn’t just late to ratify the Constitution—its opposition practically forced America to add the Bill of Rights.
In this episode, host Donald Bryson and Guest Paul Newby, Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, discuss the Hillsborough Convention (where anti-federalists refused to ratify the Constitution), the years that the state was in limbo, and the Fayetteville Convention, where North Carolina is the second-to-last state to join the Union.
6 Nov 2025
Episode 9: From Fragile Union to Federal Vision — North Carolina under the Articles of Confederation
What happens when a revolution stops short of real governance?
In this episode, Host Donald Bryson and guest Dr. Andrew Taylor, professor of American politics at NC State University, explore how debt pressures, disunity, and weak national institutions shaped North Carolina’s politics—and how those strains paved the way to ratification.
6 Nov 2025
Episode 8: Clash at the Crossroads — The Battle of Guilford Courthouse
Blood-soaked fields near Greensboro. Cornwallis wins the day, but at a devastating cost. Examine the strategic brilliance of Nathanael Greene and the path to Yorktown that followed.
In this episode, host Donald Bryson welcomes Thomas Sobol, Supervisory Park Ranger at Guilford Courthouse National Military Battlefield, to explore the pivotal Southern Campaign of the American Revolution and how the Battle of Guilford Courthouse set the stage for ultimate victory at Yorktown.
29 Oct 2025
Episode 6: Founding a State – North Carolina’s First Constitution
Host Donald Bryson and Jeanette Doran, Executive Director of the North Carolina Institute for Constitutional Law, explore how North Carolina created its first Constitution and Declaration of Rights in 1776. They discuss the influence of John Adams, John Locke, and Enlightenment ideas — and how this bold experiment in self-government still shapes the state today.
29 Oct 2025
Episode 7: Divided Allegiances – King’s Mountain, the Backcountry, and the Home Front
As the American Revolutionary War drags on, internal strife intensifies. In this episode, host Donald Bryson and guest John Hood, author of the "Mountain Folk" historical fantasy series and president of the John William Pope Foundation, discuss the Battle of King’s Mountain—a stunning Patriot victory—and the vicious civil war between neighbors in the backcountry.
21 Oct 2025
Episode 5: From Resolutions to Revolution – The Halifax Resolves
The Halifax Resolves predated the Declaration of Independence as the first official colonial action calling for independence from Great Britain.
In this episode of Revolutionary Roads, host Donald Bryson speaks with Bob Rosser, historian and project coordinator for the NC 250 Project at the John Locke Foundation, about the bold actions that made North Carolina "first in freedom."
21 Oct 2025
Episode 4: Watershed at Moores Creek – The First Battle for Liberty
In this episode, host Donald Bryson speaks with Jim McKee, historian and site manager at Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site, about one of North Carolina’s earliest and most decisive Revolutionary War battles — the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge.
15 Oct 2025
Episode 3: The Myth and Meaning of May – The Mecklenburg Declaration
Fact or folklore? Explore the debate over the Mecklenburg Declaration and the very real Mecklenburg Resolves that followed. A bold stand—or the birth of a legend?
In this episode, host Donald Bryson is joined by Dan Gibson, attorney and adjunct law professor at Wake Forest University, to explore the mystery of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. In May 1775, citizens of Mecklenburg County may have boldly declared independence from Britain—more than a year before Jefferson’s famous document. Was it fact, myth, or misremembered history? Bryson and Gibson unpack the evidence, the controversy, and how this moment helped cement North Carolina’s claim as “First in Freedom.”
15 Oct 2025
Episode 2: Protest in Petticoats – The Edenton Tea Party
A daring act of political defiance by North Carolina’s women shocks Britain. Learn how Penelope Barker and her allies staged one of the earliest organized female protests in American history.
On our second episode, our guest, Donna King — Executive Vice President of the John Locke Foundation and Editor-in-Chief of Carolina Journal — joins host Donald Bryson to explore the remarkable story of the Edenton Tea Party of 1774. More than fifty women, led by Penelope Barker, gathered in Edenton to sign a declaration boycotting British tea and goods — openly defying royal authority and risking charges of treason. This courageous act of protest, carried out in broad daylight and signed with their real names, shocked London and inspired the colonies. The Edenton Tea Party became one of the earliest organized political actions by women in America and a powerful symbol of North Carolina’s spirit of independence.
15 Oct 2025
Episode 1: The Spark Before the Flame – The War of Regulation
The War for Independence was hardly an isolated event. For more than a decade before the fight for liberty reached its apex, North Carolina was engaged in its own battle against tyranny.
Our first guest, Nathan Shultz, is the site manager at Alamance Battleground. He speaks to host Donald Bryson about the Regulator Movement and the Battle of Alamance — the rebellion that set the stage for North Carolina’s fight for independence.
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