Topic Introduction:

         The topic that I have chosen for this project is North Carolina Politics in the 20th century. There are two reasons why I have chosen to do this topic: I am interested in it and while it is easy to find lots of information about current events in this topic, its a lot harder to find information on things which happened in past decades or long-term issues. This leads directly into why I wanted to research this topic. As the State & National Editor at The Daily Tar Heel I have learned a lot of information about current events and topics in state government/politics but have been, so far, unable to gain a more long term perspective. I have been able to pickup a lot of current info just by talking people involved in state government today but even they have been unable to give me information about the events and people that came before them.
        The first question that I hope this research can help answer is what events have created the current, somewhat odd, political climate in North Carolina and who are the people who have shaped North Carolina politics over the last century?
        I believe this research can be useful to all kinds of students at this University but probably specifically history and political science majors. It will allow students to research information on not only the founding of this state but also recent events, some that may have even occurred, in their lifetime that have contributed to the government as it exists today. These resources could be useful for students in various classes who are doing research on topic about or relating to state government in North Carolina and could also be a tool for any students who are interested in that particular aspect of the history of this state.

Print Sources:

Fleer, Jack D. North Carolina Government & Politics,
Lincoln : University of Nebraska Press, 1994.
call number: JK4116 .F58 1994

Howard, Lucille. North Carolina : Our State Government,
Durham, N.C.: Carolina Academic Press, 1983
call number: JK4116 .H68 1983

Non-Paper Source:

Gentry, Warren. (1994) Dr. Frank: The Life and Times of Frank Porter
Graham. [video recording]. Research Triangle Park, NC : UNC Center for
Public Television.

Academic Universe Sources:

Walsh, Edward. (1994, November 26). North Carolina Reflects Voting Shift in
South.
The Washington Post [Online], 30 paragraphs.
Available: LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe [2001, September 18].

Broder, David. (1992, October 13). In North Carolina, Racially Coded 'Wedge
Issues' No Longer Dominate. The Washington Post [Online], 28 paragraphs.
Available: LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe [2001, September 18].

Foskett , Ken. (1998, August 28). Classic race heats up in Tarheel State.
The Atlanta Journal and Constitution [Online], 34 paragraphs.
Available: LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe [2001, September 18].

Rosenstiel, Thomas. (1993, October 23). Local Loyalities May Spare
Democrats from Disaster. Los Angelese Times [Online], 37 paragraphs.
Available: LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe [2001, September 18].

Toner, Robin. (1990, April 15). A Stillness in North Carolina Politics.
The New York Times [Online], 18 paragraphs.
Available: LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe [2001, September 18].

Herbers, John. (1984, October 6). Senate Race in North Carolina Proving a
Bitter Mix of Politics and Religion. The New York Times [Online], 23
paragraphs.
Available: LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe [2001, September 18].

North Carolina General Assembly
        This is the main Web page of the North Carolina General Assembly. It has
everything one could possibly need to know about the current legislative
session -- calendars, texts of bills, background on legislators, and
committee assignments. It also contains useful historical information such
as bills from past session, information on former legislators, background
on the operating procedures of the General Assembly and even a little bit
of its history.
Source: North Carolina General Assembly

North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research
        This is a site that provides a lot of information on various political
issues affecting the state, unfortunately it appears the site hasn't been
updated in a while. However, it does contain information on several issues
that state politicians have had to deal with in the 20th century. It also
has several online publications including legislative rankings, but also
some that deal with legislative issues over both the short and long-term.
Source: North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research - an independent,
nonpartisan think tank.

North Carolina Government Information Locator Service
        This Web page is supposed to be a locator for any kind of documents
relating to North Carolina government and politics, it is however a little
difficult to operate. The site is also in its beginning stages and it
appears that a lot more information will be added in the future. The site
can be used to search on all kind of documents relating to North Carolina
government but you really need to know what it is that you are looking for
because this site is not good for information searching.
Source: North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management

Institute of Government - The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
       This web page is a great portal for finding all kinds of information
relating to politics and government in North Carolina. It doesn't have a
ton of information in and of itself but it contains link to everything one
could possibly want relating to state government in North Carolina. It
also has a little bit of its own information in on-line publications; most
of them are not relevant to this particular topic but a couple of them. The
good thing about the publications is that they focus on a more broad
historical perspective, rather than just the last couple of years.
Source: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Institute of
Government

The Raleigh News & Observer
       Quiet simply, the archives for this newspaper are the best source for
specific government and political events in the state over the last 15
years or so. The online archives have all the news and in-depth story the
newspaper has done during that time. The News & Observer has been the best
source of news of state government for quiet some time so their archives
can be very useful.

Title: The Day of North Carolina Politics Changed - 1994 North Carolina State Elections

         One of the most significant events in North Carolina political history occurred on November 8, 1994. It was election day, but there was no race for governor or senate or numerous other statewide positions. However, that date has quickly become one of the most significant in the history of
North Carolina politics. On that date the North Carolina Republican Party, riding the coat tails of national republicans, won the number of statewide offices that they had never won since the start of the 20th century. In the elections for the House of Representative the Republicans went from being the minority party by 13 seats to a 12-seat majority -- an unprecedented gain in one election.(1)
         On January 20, 1995 -- the days the General Assembly session opened -- this resulted in the election of a Republican House Speaker, the first time such event had occurred in the 20th century. Similarly, in the Senate the Democratic advantage shrank from about 10 seats to just two. Even though, just two years later the House would go back to the Democrats and the Senate has slowly become more and more democratic, the election of 1994 gave the Republicans a permanent foothold in North Carolina government, something they were unable to establish for most of the 20th century. This election also demonstrated the tremendous strides that Republicans had made in the North Carolina political culture. For 20 years prior to that the Republican party could count on Jesse Helms as a figure head, but he was a national politician who had little influence in state government. After the 1994 elections it was obvious that the number of Republicans in North Carolina had become almost equal to the Democrats, instead of the overwhelming majority that had existed for much of the 20th century. It is important to understand, however, that while certainly political changes had occurred in North Carolina the results of the 1994 election could be attributed to the public's dissatisfaction with Democratic President Bill Clinton and the resulting national support for
Republican candidates. (2)

NOTES:
(1) Rawlins, Wade. "GOP Makes House Inroad," The News and Observer, 8
November 2000, p.A1. Also Available [Online]: News & Observer Archives
[Accessed: 17 September 2001]

(2) Guillory, Ferell. ?Message for Washington Shakes Up Raleigh Too? The
News and Observer, 11 November 1994, p.A20. Also Available [Online]: News &
Observer Archives [Accessed: 17 September 2001]

THREE WEB SITES:
Republican Revolution, R.I.P.
http://www.johnlocke.org/carolina_journal/99/Dec-Jan/cover.html
Article looking back on the 1994 N.C. Elections a couple years later.
Source: The John Locke Foundation -- a right-leaning think tank but does
not support the Republican Party

Nightline Transcripts - 'Revolution of 1994'
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/clinton/etc/11091994.html
Transcript of an in-depth new story done by ABC?S Nightline the day after
the election.
Source: ABC News

Republican Realignment? Why Now?
http://www.ashbrook.org/publicat/onprin/v2n5/nichols.html
Analysis story of the 1994 election.
Source: John M. Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs, Ashland University