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by William L. Byrd (Author), William L. III Byrd (Author)
The General Assembly Sessions Records are comprised of a vast collection of manuscripts bulging with a wealth of historical documents. Many original documents in this collection are torn, faded, or unreadable, but they show quite clearly the plight of the Native American at that time. "The attempts by whites to control Indians by using cruel and violent methods is similar to the cruel treatment of the Moors by the Spaniards in seventeenth century Spain. Indian slavery was also not uncommon in North Carolina... The practice of enslaving Indians in 'Just Wars, ' was endorsed by North Carolina law into the late 1700s." Between 1685 and 1790, the Native American population in eastern North Carolina and South Carolina declined by nearly 97%. Transcripts are arranged chronologically and by record type: Colonial Court Records (1675-1775); General Assembly Sessions records (1709-1776); and General Assembly Sessions records (1777-1789). A wide variety of intriguing documents are represented here-Indian records and records relating directly to Indians that are filled with warfare, murder, massacres, revenge, deceit, first person narratives, petitions, Indian traders, lists of people killed, Indian slavery, and hundred of names! Pertinent documents from the University of North Carolina, the University of Virginia, and Duke University are also included here. Appendices containing North Carolina laws and a list of the early Native American tribes of North Carolina, and a full name plus subject index enhance this excellent reference work.
