North Carolina: Change and Tradition in a Southern State

by William A. Link

In this long-awaited survey history, William Link examines the fascinating history of North Carolina through the lens of strong but seemingly contradictory historical powerful forces of traditionalism punctuated by hierarchies of class, race relations, and gender that seemingly clashed, especially during the last century, with potent forces of modernization and a “progressive” element that welcomed, even embraced, change. The result answers meaningful questions that all Tar Heels ask about the history and the future of the unique and quickly growing state they call home. Taking the North Carolina story from moments before first contact all the way to the elections of 2008, this book provides a great new resource for all college-level instructors and students of North Carolina history.

Genres: History, American History

496 pages, Paperback

First published March 12, 2009

About the author

William A. Link earned his B.A. in history from Davidson College in 1976 and his doctorate in history from the University of Virginia in 1981.
For twenty-three years, he was a professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, teaching courses in North Carolina history, the history of the American South, and twentieth-century American history. In 2004, he became the Richard J. Milbauer chair in history at the University of Florida.

Reviews

[Cami Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Link’s book is a great resources on North Carolina history, from its start to the 2008 Presidential election.

The first half of the book is notably more interesting and thorough, once the book approached the 1910s the thoroughness seemed to deteriorate.

If you’re looking to learn about North Carolina’s rich history, this isn’t a bad place to start.

[Jerry Landry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in conjunction with Lefler and Newsome's North Carolina history text and found this one to be more detailed on the period of the state's history beginning with the Civil War and up to the present day. This is a more recent book, so it provides information up to the 2008 election. It was very approachable and better stimulated interest in North Carolina's history to readers who might not be as familiar with the state's history coming into the read. However, I felt that, especially with the sections on the early republic, key figures in the pre-Civil War state history were breezed over including but not limited to Nathaniel Macon, George Badger, and James Iredell, Jr. I would have liked to have seen some of the same attention to detail given to that period of time as with the Civil War and after. However, at the same time, I recognize the difficulty of doing a state history encompassing over five centuries of material. Despite our best attempts, we all have a bias for certain parts of history than others, and I imagine that was likely the case here. Overall, though, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in North Carolina's history, whether one is somewhat knowledgeable about the state's history or is starting out from square one. I believe there's something in here for everyone to enrich their knowledge of the Tar Heel state.

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, a comprehensive history of over four hundred years in North Carolina, is by far the best 'textbook' style piece of historical writing that I've encountered so far. Avoiding the problems of over-summarizing that plagues most textbooks, along with the equally problematic approach of hyper-localizing issues in an attempt to 'draw out the story,' this book is balanced between key details and the overall journey of the state. Each sentence could be the thesis of its own essay. I found myself sparking up conversations with people about this book (often to confused stares and awkward responses) and felt the urge to read on, as I was dying "to know what would happen to North Carolina next."

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in history, issues of race, issues of agriculture, and the New South in general. Combining this book with "North Carolina Experience" by Lindley Butler, you can compare the historical assertion of facts with Butler's political perspective and source documents.

This is a MUST READ for any North Carolinian, and it's written by the foremost expert on North Carolina history.

[Wilson Hines · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic read. We used this in our North Carolina History class and it was so good I read the book through, save one chapter that I just had heard enough about in class.
I have pulled it off the shelf to read along with the Road to Guilford Courthouse, as Link gives some clarifying statements regarding Moore's Creek Bridge.

[Tina Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book about North Carolina history. I read this for my NC History class. Our class had to outline the whole book so we could pick out the most important parts to teach. It was very difficult to decide which sections to leave out. It is all very interesting. This was one of the most engaging history books I have ever read and would be the perfect book to use in teaching 8th grade NC History.

[R. G. Nairam · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful.