Immigrants' experiences in colonial North Carolina
In this lesson plan, students read two primary-source documents describing the experiences of new arrivals to North Carolina during the colonial period: One is a summary of a report written by a young Moravian settler from Pennsylvania; the other is a letter from a German immigrant. Students compare and contrast the journeys and settlement of the two groups.
A lesson plan for grade 8 Social Studies
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Related pages
- The Carolina colony: Comparing three perspectives: In this lesson, students compare three different primary sources written by early colonists and consider the reasons the colonists had for moving to Carolina.
- A German immigrant writes home: Letter (c. 1710) from a immigrant to North Carolina to his family and friends in Germany, telling about his life and experiences in Carolina and giving advice to others who might follow him. Includes historical commentary.
- Discussion questions: Expanding to the west: This set of discussion questions was designed to help students understand an article about the settlement of the Piedmont region of North Carolina between 1730 and 1775.
Related topics
- Learn more about Germany, Moravian, North Carolina, Palatines, colonial, colonization, history, immigration, migration, and social studies.
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In this lesson, students will compare and contrast the experiences of two different groups who came to North Carolina during the eighteenth century. They will make inferences about the push/pull factors that led the groups to come to North Carolina. This lesson should be done after students have read and discussed “Diary of a Journey of Moravians.”
Learning outcomes
Students will:
- use graphic organizers to systematize information
- gain an understanding of the difficulties facing travelers in the colonial period
- read and interpret primary source material to gain a better understanding of a historical period
- compare and contrast the journeys and settlement of two groups of immigrants to North Carolina
- make inferences about the differences between the experiences of these two groups
- discuss the push/pull factors that led these groups to immigrate
Teacher planning
Materials needed
- computer with internet access for each group of students or one computer with an LCD projector
- graphic organizer (one copy for each student)
- graphic organizer copied as a transparency or a way to project the chart onto a Smart Board or a white board
Student handouts
Time required
One and one-quarter class periods (depending on reading level of the students) with optional homework assignments
Pre-activities
Before beginning this lesson, students should have read the excerpt “Diary of a Journey of Moravians.”
Activities
Day one
- If time is an issue, you may consider having half of the students read “Summary of a report sent to Bethlehem” and the other half read “A German immigrant writes home” as homework the night before this class. For students without computer/internet access you can print off copies of these pages.
- Preview. Ask students to share what they have learned about the Moravian journey from Pennsylvania to North Carolina from the reading “Diary of a journey of Moravians.” This can be done orally or in written form.
- Give the students or groups a copy of the graphic organizer.
- If you haven’t assigned the reading as homework, have half of the students read “Summary of a report sent to Bethlehem.” They should fill in the first column of the chart using the report and also referring back to “Diary of a journey of Moravians.” Have the other half of the students read “A German immigrant writes home,” and fill in the second column of the chart. If you did assign the reading as homework, students can fill in their part of the chart either alone or in groups.
- Project the graphic organizer onto a white board or use a transparency.
- As a class, fill in the chart having the students share what they have discovered. Allow the students time to fill in the other side of the chart that they have not already completed.
- Homework: Hand out the Venn diagram. Explain to the students that they will fill in the Venn diagram using the charts they completed in class. (You may choose to do this activity in class if there is time.)
Day two
- At the beginning of the next day’s class, project the Venn diagram. Ask students to share how they filled in their diagrams filling in the transparency as they volunteer their thinking.
- Ask the students to speculate about the differences between the two experiences and what those differences meant to the Moravians and the Germans. Possible responses:
- You may want students to understand that while the Moravians settled in the Piedmont, the Germans were in the Coastal Plain. Ask students why that geographical difference would be important. Students, particularly those that read “Summary of a report sent to Bethlehem,” may remember that the Moravians mentioned the differences between the eastern and western parts of the colony.
- Students should recognize that these two descriptions were written around forty years apart. Ask them what changes would have happened in that period. Also, the Moravians had already become adapted to life in the colonies — perhaps many of the young men who took the trip had been born in America.
- Obviously, it is essential that students note that the Germans were coming across the Atlantic while the Moravians were traveling down the Great Wagon Road, an established migration route.
- The Germans came into the New Bern area in the early days of the settlement of that region. The Moravians had more established neighbors that helped them make the transition. The Moravians also benefited from trade routes that were already in place.
- Some of the students may have noticed that the Germans were dealing with Indians. By the time the Moravians moved to North Carolina, the Indians had been moved out of the east and most of the Piedmont.
- Finish the discussion by asking students to evaluate the push/pull factors that influenced each group. Answers will vary, but should include hopes for economic success, religious freedom, and owning land either communally or individually.
Assessment
Assessment for this lesson is from teacher observation of class discussion and the completed graphic organizer and Venn diagram.
Graphic organizer
| Moravian report (date _______) | German letter (date _______) | |
|---|---|---|
| Describe the trip to their new settlement | ||
| Crops | ||
| Livestock/animals | ||
| Neighbors (groups — not individual names) | ||
| Geography of the area | ||
| Economics (how people make and spend money) | ||
| Way of life in the new area |
Graphic organizer (teacher guide)
| Moravian report (date _______) | German letter (date _______) | |
|---|---|---|
| Describe the trip to their new settlement | The brothers came down from Pennsylvania along the Great Wagon Road. They experienced difficult and dangerous routes, troubles with wagons, and adverse weather conditions. They also had good experiences with people along the way who helped them | Went from Germany to Holland and then to England. Took a ship to Virginia. Went “about a hundred hours by water and land” to their settlement in North Carolina. Everywhere they stayed people were friendly and refused payment when they stayed — no inns. |
| Crops | Salad (greens), cucumbers, sugar peas, beans, cabbage, squash, corn | Corn, beans, grapes, “all sorts of crops” |
| Livestock/animals | Deer, bears, cows, bull, steers | Cattle, hogs, sheep, goats |
| Neighbors (groups — not individual names) | Good, pleasant neighbors | Other Palatines, Indians, English, Swiss |
| Geography of the area | Fresh air, fresh water, near the mountains | Forest with many types of trees, soil is black dirt and rich, along the Neuse River |
| Economics (how people make and spend money) | Farming, raising livestock, one brother is a doctor | Farming, shoemaker, raising cattle, he hopes to start brewing beer, can sell materials from the Old World (linen cloth and glass) |
| Way of life in the new area | Farm, work in the community, trade with others all the way to the Cape Fear, very religious — three services a day and special services Saturday night and Sunday | Many people have died, quickly remarrying, land is free and then will be very cheap, stronger houses than the English, very religious — wish to have a pastor, ask people at home to send them supplies, want more people to come — especially women |
North Carolina curriculum alignment
Social Studies (2003)
Grade 8
- Goal 1: The learner will analyze important geographic, political, economic, and social aspects of life in the region prior to the Revolutionary Period.
- Objective 1.01: Assess the impact of geography on the settlement and developing economy of the Carolina colony.
- Objective 1.05: Describe the factors that led to the founding and settlement of the American colonies including religious persecution, economic opportunity, adventure, and forced migration.
- Objective 1.07: Describe the roles and contributions of diverse groups, such as American Indians, African Americans, European immigrants, landed gentry, tradesmen, and small farmers to everyday life in colonial North Carolina, and compare them to the other colonies.
- Common Core State Standards
- English Language Arts (2010)
History/Social Studies
- Grades 6-8
- 6-8.LH.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
- Grades 6-8
- English Language Arts (2010)
- North Carolina Essential Standards
- Social Studies (2010)
Grade 8
- 8.H.1 Apply historical thinking to understand the creation and development of North Carolina and the United States. 8.H.1.1 Construct charts, graphs, and historical narratives to explain particular events or issues. 8.H.1.2 Summarize the literal meaning of...
- 8.H.3 Understand the factors that contribute to change and continuity in North Carolina and the United States. 8.H.3.1 Explain how migration and immigration contributed to the development of North Carolina and the United States from colonization to contemporary...
- Social Studies (2010)
