As we celebrate July 4th you may not realize how much a small Triangle town had to do with America's independence.

In the 1760's, taxation without representation had colonies questioning authority, including farmers and merchants in Orange County, North Carolina.

Joel Turner with the Orange County Historical Museum explained the issue of taxes led to an uprising called the "War of Regulation."

"Everything was in upheaval, people knew something was going to change, they weren't really sure how."

After the war, six "Regulators" or rebels, were convicted and hanged in Hillsborough.

"At least in North Carolina it was kind of the first little tremor before the revolution," Turner said.

On July 4, 1776 the colonies broke away from the crown by signing the Declaration of Independence. One of North Carolina's three delegates to sign the declaration was from Hillsborough, William Hooper, whose house still stands today.

And in the heart of Hillsborough is the original site of where North Carolina's delegates debated the Constitution of the United States, and helped change it, to how we know it today.

"They sent it back to Philadelphia and said no we're not going to ratify it until you guarantee us certain rights," Turner explained. "It's because of North Carolina because of the delegates that met here in Hillsborough that we have the Bill of Rights, so, it's something you should be proud of."