Crop loss removed the average farmer/planter's primary source of food as well as their primary means of income. This led farmers to depend on goods purchased by newly arrived traders. Local farmers and planters often fell into debt as their incomes were suppressed. As a result, traders relied on lawyers and courts to resolve their disputes. Citizens began to resent the presence of the new merchants and lawyers, as the lawsuits often led to the loss of their homes as well as their property. The sharp increase in population led to a change in politics which, in turn, led to an imbalance within the country. the courthouses of the colony. The newly arrived lawyers were well trained and used their vast 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. By 1764, a flock of about a few thousand citizens from several North Carolina counties (including Orange, Anson, and Granvill) were deeply dissatisfied with wealthy Carolina officials. They considered them “cruel, arbitrary, tyrannical and