In 1776, the claim in the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal” was a revolutionary ideal but not close to being a reality. At the founding, slavery flourished and political power was restricted to white male property owners.
So began the long, painful struggle.
Over the last 250 years, the concept of equality has expanded through abolition, suffrage and civil-rights movements.
Today the nation is more inclusive in part due to four amendments to the Constitution regarding voting rights. However, achieving true equality remains a “devil” in practice.
Intense debates and violent clashes over justice and voting rights prove that significant work remains to fulfill that original noble goal. That phrase delivered the spark for citizens not only to demand equality but also to step up for their rights and demand change.
Some of those efforts have received more publicity than others.
As Matt Walker said in his “Star Spangled Sandbar” story (page 12 in the July print issue), while the exploits of Gen. George Washington and others got lots of renown, here on the edge of the continent, Ocracoke played a key role to little fanfare.
Hand-drawn maps from centuries ago show that Ocracoke Inlet was the largest, most used inlet in these parts.
The Hyde County 250th committee last year published a booklet detailing the county’s history.
In the section on Ocracoke’s history, written by islander Philip Howard, Ocracoke Inlet is described as being crucial during the Revolutionary War. Ocracoke pilots supported the patriot cause by guiding friendly vessels safely through the inlet while leaving British ships stranded offshore, actions that drew the anger of North Carolina’s royal governor.
“Due to geography and the firm commitment of islanders to the cause of independence, Ocracoke Inlet continued to serve the needs of the revolutionaries until the war ended in 1783,” Howard writes.
And so, Ocracoke has continued to press for its causes.
More than 20 years ago, a local group called LegaSea, founded, in part, by islanders Mickey Baker and Ann Ehringhaus, traveled to Congressional offices in Washington, D.C., and through their efforts obtained a 20-year moratorium on offshore drilling off the Atlantic Coast.
In 2022, that prohibition was renewed for 10 more years.
Today, the big cause is the ferry service and NC12.
Back in 2016, efforts by many on Ocracoke, with friends in the N.C. General Assembly stopped an effort to toll the Hatteras ferry.
But we have an aging fleet. New ferries cost $25 to $34 million each and how to replace them is perplexing.
Enter the Ocracoke Access Alliance (OAA), formed last fall, to lobby the General Assembly to fund ferry operations and vessel replacement.
The Alliance continues to ask islanders and its friends to contact N.C. legislators to advocate that the ferries are water highways.
The N.C. ferry routes should be considered equal to any other paved highway in the state.
Isn’t this parallel to the struggle for equality that has plagued this nation since its founding?
North Carolina passes a new budget every two years, though in between, there are tweaks. That’s what happened in the last several months as the island awaited word on whether a new budget would include full funding for the ferries and a toll on the Hatteras ferry.
In anticipation of a toll for the Hatteras Inlet ferry route and a need to fund ferry replacements, this spring, OAA presented proposals to both chambers indicating that a toll on the Hatteras ferry would be OK if they would fully fund ferry operations and maintenance.
As Justin LeBlanc, OAA executive director, predicted the legislature passed a budget at the very end of June and signed by Gov. Josh Stein, and it includes tolls on all North Carolina ferry routes. In the coming months, the details will be worked on.
So, Ocracoke’s struggle for equality continues and the island honored America’s 250th anniversary with the usual array of July 4 activities.
In addition, Ocracoke Alive will show three films in July that illuminate the nation’s history: a documentary “Democracy Under Siege,” (shown June 8 and available on Kinema.com) and film versions of two Broadway musicals, “1716” (July 14) and “Hamilton” opn July 22. All are free and will be shown at 7 p.m. in the Deepwater Theater.
We are still striving to harness the ideals enumerated in the preamble to the Constitution:
“We the people of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution of the United States of America.”
Echoing the Declaration’s promise of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” these founding principles are our bedrock.
They are just as vital and worthy of embracing today as we look toward the nation’s next 250 years.
