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==History==
The British colony of Carolina (under the control of the “[[Lords Proprietors]]” before becoming a royal province in 1729) had a [[unicameral]] legislature from approximately 1666 to 1697, consisting of the [[List of Governors of North Carolina|Governor]], his council, and representatives of various precincts and towns, elected by male [[Freehold (real property)|freeholders]]. By 1697, this evolved into a bicameral body, with the Governor and his council as the upper house, and the House of Burgesses as the elected lower house. The House, sometimes known simply as “the Assembly,” could only meet when called by the Governor, but it was allowed to set its own rules and to elect its own Speaker. It also controlled the salary of the Governor, and withheld that salary when the Governor displeased a majority of the House. Naturally, conflicts between the Governor and the legislature were frequent. In 1774 and 1775, the people of the colony elected a [[North Carolina Provincial Congress|provincial Congress]], independent of the royal governor, as the [[American Revolution]] began. Most of its members were also members of what would be the last House of Burgesses.
There would be five Provincial Congresses. The fifth Congress approved the first [[North Carolina Constitution|constitution]] (1776). Because of the history of distrust of the executive, the constitution firmly established the General Assembly, as it was now called, as the most powerful organ of the state. The bicameral legislature, whose members would all be elected by the people, would itself elect all the officers of the executive and judicial branches. As William S. Powell wrote in ''North Carolina: A History,'' “The legislative branch henceforth would have the upper hand. The [[Governor of North Carolina|governor]] would be the creature of the assembly, elected by it and removable by it….The governor could not take any important step without the advice and consent of the 'council of state,' and he had no voice in the appointment or removal of [council of state members].” This constitution was not submitted to a vote of the people. The Congress simply adopted it and elected [[Richard Caswell]], the last president of the Congress, as acting Governor until the new legislature was elected and seated.
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