🛶 BHM 2026 by QCT | Post #3

🛶 BHM 2026 by QCT | Post #3

Mecklenburg County: Power, Plantations, and People Enslaved

📍In 1764, slavery officially began in what is now Mecklenburg County, NC.

By 1860, nearly 40% of the population—over 6,800 people—were enslaved, a staggering figure that reshaped the region’s economy, demographics, and legacy.

In early North Carolina, true power was measured in land and human ownership. Only the wealthiest were called “planters”—defined as owning 1,000+ acres and 50+ enslaved people. Most whites were small‑scale farmers.

🧱 Examples of elite planter class dominance and their operational areas:

• Thomas Pollock – ~40,000 acres, 100 enslaved people (primarily in present‑day Bladen & Lumber River counties)

• Edward Moseley – ~35,000 acres, 100 enslaved people (based around the Lower Cape Fear and New Hanover regions)

• Roger Moore – ~35,000 acres, 200 enslaved people (centered on the Brunswick County and Orton Plantation tract near present-day Wilmington)

These three men alone owned over 110,000 acres and 400 human beings—a stark reflection of how wealth and racialized power were consolidated.

💡 Only 1 in 25 white North Carolinians held such status. Their plantations were built on the backs of Black labor—and their influence shaped laws, politics, and land distribution.

This isn’t just about dates—this is about people, power, and the untold cost of privilege.

---

🎟️ Participate in the Experience:

✨ 28th Annual QCT Charlotte Pilgrimage Tour
🗓️ February 2026 – Black History Month
🔗 50% OFF Seats Expire 1/1/2026: https://charlottepilgrimagetour.com

#BHM2026 #MecklenburgHistory #CharlotteNC #BlackHistoryMatters #PlantationEconomy #HiddenHistory #QCTours #PeopleOverProperty #UnsanitizedHistory #KnowYourRoots