Crop loss eliminated the average farmers/planters' main source of food, as well as their primary means of income. This led to farmers having to rely on goods purchased from newly arrived traders. Local farmers and growers often fell into debt as income was cut. As a result, merchants relied on lawyers and the court to resolve disputes. Citizens began to dislike the presence of the new merchants and lawyers as court cases often led to the loss of their homes and property. The large increase in population led to a change/shift in politics which, in turn, led to an imbalance within the colony's courts. The newly arrived lawyers were well educated and used their extensive knowledge of the law to sometimes unfairly turn things in their favor/advantage. The group was called the 'courthouse ring': a small group of officials who held most of the political power for themselves. In 1764, a herd/mass of about a couple thousand citizens from several counties in North Carolina (including Orange, Anson, and Granvill counties) were deeply dissatisfied with Carolina's wealthy officials. They considered them “cruel, arbitrary, tyrannical and...