Cary's Rebellion was a rebellion in early North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

 sparked by the removal of governor Thomas Cary. He was in charge until another governor arrived from England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. Once he arrived, he was removed under the Vestry act of 1703. This called for the removal of Quakers and other non-Church of England

Church of England

The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...

 members from having positions of power. When he was removed, this sparked a rebellion, as the new governor enforced taxes and was generally disliked.

Cary, a peace-loving Quaker, only protested until some people decided on action. They armed a small boat with a cannon

Cannon

A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...

. They sailed up the Albermarle Sound to the governor's mansion and fired one shot at it. Not having enough gunpowder

Gunpowder

Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...

, it bounced off the roof, causing servants who were dressed in red coats to come out. The rebels mistook them for soldiers, and quickly ran away, ditching their boat on the other side of the river.

Sources

• Interview - Cameron Holbrook (my history teacher). unit 4, 8th grade social studies. Hanes middle school, Winston Salem, North Carolina, 2008