Page 18 - Greensboro, NC-GSO 2040 Comprehensive Plan

CHAPTER 2: HISTORY OF GREENSBORO

Located in Guilford County in the heart of the central Piedmont region of North Early History
Carolina, Greensboro is approximately halfway between Washington DC and Greensboro is named after General Nathanael Greene, who was instrumental in
Atlanta, and midway between Charlotte and Raleigh. Greensboro is a forward turning the tide of the Revolutionary War at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse
looking city with a deep respect for the past. Connections to the past are evident in 1781. Today Guilford Courthouse National Military Park is a National Historic
throughout the city. Landmark and a green oasis in a rapidly developing part of the city.

A review of Greensboro’s history is vital to understanding the Greensboro of today, Guilford County was settled in the mid-1700s by English, German, and Scotch-Irish
and for guiding our future growth and development. The area saw historically immigrants. Quakers from Pennsylvania and New England brought with them
significant events before the town was incorporated and has been home to distinct deeply held convictions about the injustice of slavery and the rationality of human
communities that have come together over time as a single community. rights, and their influence is still felt today.

Greensboro’s reputation as a community where social justice and equity are strong Unlike many cities in the south and the east, “Greensborough” did not begin as
values has deep roots. Quakers were early leaders in the abolition movement a settlement on a river or at a colonial crossroads. In 1808, a political decision
and helped fugitive slaves escape along the Underground Railroad segment to move government offices to the geographic center of the county for the
that traversed the woods around the New Garden Boarding School. During the convenience of all citizens started this small town on the path to becoming the city
Civil War, New Garden Quakers were persecuted for their refusal to serve in the it is today. This spirit of cooperation is still a defining quality of Greensboro.
Confederate army, and Quaker men hid in the woods to avoid conscription.
Even though it lacked the natural advantage of a river, Greensboro became a hub
Local college and high school students led Sit-Ins at the Woolworth’s lunch counter for transportation and commerce, due in large measure to the efforts of local
in 1960, which sparked non-violent protests against racial segregation across the businessman and state governor John Motley Morehead. Morehead raised money
South. The Quaker community aided conscientious objectors during the Vietnam for a railroad that would move people and goods across the state from Morehead
War, and Greensboro has had one of the country’s largest refugee resettlement City to Charlotte. Construction began in Greensboro in 1851, and soon 60 trains
programs. Acknowledging and celebrating our history is an important element of were arriving and departing daily on tracks running in seven directions.
how Greensboro defines itself.

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