Poverty and isolation combined to delay the state's educational development. Although North Carolina had the first state university in the United States - students were accepted at Chapel Hill in 1795 - nearly a half-century passed before public elementary schools were opened. Culturally, too, North Carolina was slow to develop until the 20th century.
Elementary and Secondary Education.
Private schools were exceedingly rare in colonial and early statehood years, and it was only with subsidies from the state government that counties committed themselves to public education in the 1840's. Best in the South in 1860, that system deteriorated after the Civil War and was resuscitated only during the administration of Gov. Charles B. Aycock in the opening years of the 20th century. First provided only in the more progressive cities, high schools were established gradually in all counties. Segregated schools for blacks were measurably inferior to those for whites. Although private schools multiplied following court-ordered integration, public schools now enroll well over a million students. About two thirds of the state's high school graduates go on to college. Standardized test scores below the national average, however, cause deep concern among citizens, who demand improved performance by the educational system. The state supports two prestigious special institutions for high achievers - the School of Science and Mathematics in Durham and the School of the Arts in Winston-Salem.
Higher Education.
The University of North Carolina produced graduates before the second oldest state university (Georgia) opened its doors, but the expansion of higher education was slow. Not until the 1830's were other colleges established, including Wake Forest, Davidson, and Union (now Duke University), all three now nationally recognized for their high academic standards. Several private colleges for blacks were opened following the Civil War, including Shaw, Johnson C. Smith, and St. Augustine's. A proliferation of state-supported colleges and the resulting competition for funds led in 1972 to a consolidated 16-campus University of North Carolina System. The state provides grants to private colleges attended by in-state students, and it supports a great many community and technical colleges serving mostly part-time students.
Libraries and Museums.
The libraries of Duke University in Durham, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and North Carolina State University in Raleigh - located only a short distance apart - together form a major research resource. Substantial libraries are also maintained by other institutions of higher learning and by counties and municipalities. At Chapel Hill are located the Southern Historical and North Carolina collections, the largest regional and state collections in the nation. The State Division of Archives and History in Raleigh administers a celebrated archival and records-management program.
North Carolina was the first to establish a state-funded Museum of Art (in 1947), which now exhibits an internationally recognized collection in Raleigh. The Ackland Art Museum in Chapel Hill, the Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte, and an increasing number of institutional and community art museums provide exhibitions of both classical and modern paintings and sculpture. The State Division of Archives and History's mammoth Museum of History in Raleigh portrays four centuries of the state's past; its holdings include the original colonial charter of 1663. The division also operates several branch museums and many historic sites. The Museum of the Cherokee Indian commemorates that tribe's successful efforts to protect its identity. The State Museum of Natural History in Raleigh preserves the story of the state's flora, fauna, and natural resources, as do the Museum of Life and Science in Durham and the Science Museums of Charlotte. Other specialized exhibits are offered by the Maritime Museum at Beaufort, the Country Doctor Museum at Bailey, the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts in Winston-Salem, and the Museum of North Carolina Minerals at Spruce Pine. The Morehead Planetarium in Chapel Hill regularly presents programs on the solar system.
Other Cultural Resources.
The North Carolina Symphony, founded in 1932 and the first state-supported orchestra in the nation, is based in Raleigh but performs throughout the state. Charlotte, Greensboro, and Winston-Salem are among the cities with their own orchestras.
North Carolina is also the birthplace of the outdoor symphonic drama, pioneered by Paul Green (1894-1981), whose first pageant, The Lost Colony (1937), is staged nightly each summer on the site of Fort Raleigh on Roanoke Island. Other popular summer drams include, at Cherokee, Kermit Hunter's Unto These Hills, about the tribulations of the Cherokee Indians; at Boone Hunter's Horn in the West, about Daniel Boone's western exploits; and at Snow Camp, William Hardy's word of Peace, about the Quakers during the Revolution.
The Flat Rock Playhouse near Hendersonville offers performances each summer; and most of the colleges and municipalities enjoy presentations by local dramatic groups.
Literary Activity.
Once noted for only a few writers, such as William Sydney Porter (o. Henry), Thomas Wolfe, Jonathan Daniels, and Paul Green, North Carolina by the late 20th century was home to an impressive number of authors, including novelist Reynolds Price and historian William S. Powell. Creative writing courses in several universities and an annual North Carolina Writers Conference encourage aspiring authors.
