Was North Carolina a Slave State?

Yes. North Carolina was a slave state from its colonial founding (1663) until the 13th Amendment abolished slavery in 1865. In 1860, 331,000 enslaved people (33% of the population) lived there. The state seceded in 1861 (last but one), citing slavery as a primary cause. Major Civil War battles occurred on its soil. Post-war, it underwent Reconstruction and the long struggle for civil rights.