what is a tar heel definition

The term "Tar Heel" is a nickname applied to the U.S. state of North Carolina and its people. The nickname originated during the Civil War when North Carolina soldiers began calling themselves "Tar Heels" as an expression of state pride. The term "tar heel" dates back to North Carolinas early history when the state was a leading producer of naval supplies such as tar, pitch, and turpentine, extracted from the sap of pine trees. Workers who distilled turpentine and burned pine boughs to produce tar and pitch often went barefoot during hot summer months and collected tar on their heels. To call someone a "rosin heel" or "tar heel" was to imply that they worked in a lowly trade. During the Civil War, North Carolina soldiers flipped the meaning of the term and turned an epithet into an accolade. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill adopted the nickname for its athletic teams, students, alumni, and fans, and they have been known as the Tar Heels ever since.