The Working Class Uprising They Don't Teach You About

In American history classes, we only learn the big things: Columbus, the American revolution, the Louisiana Purchase, the Civil War, and oops, better skip ahead to World War II or the school year will run out. In all these eras and in between, important things were happening that shaped what America is today, but you wouldn't know about them unless you study on your own.

Before and after the revolution, various factions in the colonies had their own grievances and drama. In western North Carolina, the Regulators rebelled against excessive taxation and predatory land speculators under the leadership of Herman Husband. Husband went on to lead other rebellions in other colonies and later states, siding with the working class against the rich and powerful. These rebellions had little to do with the American Revolution, technically, but they showed the independent spirit of the people who became Americans.