Of course, whenever colonial goods passed through English ports, they were taxed. In addition, certain colonial goods such as tobacco, rice, and sugar could be shipped only to England — not even to other British colonies unless they paid a tax first. To encourage settlement, the Charter of Carolina had exempted Carolinians from paying export duties, or taxes, on goods such as tobacco — but only for seven years, and in 1670, that exemption expired, and the Navigation Acts went into full force. The residents of Albemarle were unhappy with the Navigation Acts. They relied on tobacco for their income, and since Albemarle did not have a good port, they sold much of their tobacco to traders from New England, whose small ships could get through narrow inlets. They considered the tax an unfair hardship. Worse, the taxes came on top of several years of bad harvests caused by major hurricanes, drought, and wild rains. Settlers also grumbled about the quitrents they had to pay on their land, which were higher than in neighboring colonies. In 1672, the Assembly of Albemarle sent the governor, Peter Carteret, to England to ask the Lords Proprietor not to collect the taxes required by the Navigation Acts. But they refused — in part because they feared that if they did not enforce the laws, their charter might be revoked. A new governor, John Jenkins, appointed Valentine Bird as the collector for the colony’s customs duties, or export taxes, but Jenkins never really intended to enforce the laws. Two men who supported the lords, Thomas Eastchurch and Thomas Miller, complained. Miller was thrown in jail for treason, but he escaped and went to England with Eastchurch to tell the lords what was happening in Albemarle. They then appointed Eastchurch as governor and Miller as customs collector. Thomas Miller took the job of customs collector seriously. He not only collected the taxes, but also seized illegally imported goods and imposed fines. When Eastchurch was delayed in England, Miller also had himself appointed interim governor, and he used that power to interfere with elections and to imprison his opponents, including George Durant, a prominent settler who had lived in Albemarle since before 1663. For protection — or just to enhance his image — Miller traveled with a guard of armed men. In 1677, a group of about 40 men opposed to the lords decided to force Miller out of office. They were led by Durant, Valentine Bird, and John Culpeper, who had been thrown out of Charles Town and who, according to one historian, “had the reputation of a troublemaker who enjoyed a good fight.”1 They armed themselves, arrested Miller and other officials, and took over the government.