LEARN NC

11.4 Early American Indian history: Colonization to 1800

By Kathryn Walbert

Provided by The North Carolina Humanities Council.


The First People of North Carolina
This article, by Dr. Joseph C. Porter, discusses the American Indian people who were already living in what is now North Carolina by the 1500s, providing important information for students wishing to understand the interactions between these people and English explorers and colonists. It appeared in the North Carolina Museum of History’s Tar Heel Junior Historian magazine 45:1 (fall 2005).
First English Settlement
This information about the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site focuses on the first English settlement in North Carolina and the fate of the Lost Colony. The article, from the North Carolina ENCyclopedia from the North Carolina State Library, includes references to interactions between English colonists and American Indians.
Roanoke Revisited: Heritage Education Program from the National Park Service
Unit 4 of this resource includes information about American Indian life in the Roanoke region in the 1580s. Sections include Indian Towns and Buildings of Eastern North Carolina, Indian Canoes of Eastern North Carolina, Indian Fishing and Hunting, Indian Agriculture in Eastern North Carolina, Indian Food and Cooking in Eastern North Carolina, Indian Religion, and Indian Dress and Ornaments in Eastern North Carolina.
The Colony of Carolina
This article was written by RaeLana Poteat and appeared in the North Carolina Museum of History’s Tar Heel Junior Historian magazine 44:2 (spring 2005). It addresses place names in colonial North Carolina, including some of the many North Carolina communities and natural features that retained the names used by American Indians or evolved into adapted forms of those American Indian names.
Profile of the Past: Nancy Ward: “War Woman” of the Cherokee
Nanye’hi, (later known as Nancy Ward) was born around 1738 and worked to establish positive communication between the Cherokee and white settlers. This interesting overview of her life would be an excellent starting place for students conducting research on Ward or on relationships between American Indians and white settlers during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. This article was written by Emily Herring Wilson and appeared in the North Carolina Museum of History’s Tar Heel Junior Historian magazine 33 (spring 1994).

Fort Dobbs
Fort Dobbs is a state historic site in Statesville, NC that focuses on the French and Indian War, including the 1760 attack on Fort Dobbs by more than 70 Cherokee. A detailed history of the fort can be found on their website. Events throughout the year recreate life in the mid-1700s and may provide interesting field trip possibilities. The site includes an Educators’ Packet with a variety of resources that teachers can use in the classroom, particularly if they plan on visiting Fort Dobbs or inviting a member of the Fort Dobbs staff to speak to their students.
American Indians and the American Revolution
This short article by Collin G. Calloway can be found on the National Park Service’s site about the American Revolution. It provides useful information that teachers can use to incorporate American Indian history into discussions of the Revolution.