LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Social Studies — Grade 8

Goal 2: The learner will trace the causes and effects of the Revolutionary War, and assess the impact of major events, problems, and personalities during the Constitutional Period in North Carolina and the new nation.

Objective 2.03. Examine the role of North Carolina in the Revolutionary War.

Additional related resources

We’re in the process of aligning our content for students to the Standard Course of Study. As we do, you’ll find it here.

Which side to take: Revolutionary or loyalist?
In Revolutionary North Carolina, page 3.2
During the American Revolution, people living in the American colonies had to choose whether to support the British government or fight for independence. There were many different reasons why colonists chose to be revolutionaries or loyalists. The story of Connor Dowd illustrates that the decision was often complicated.
Format: article
By Carole Watterson Troxler.
"A Society of Patriotic Ladies"
In Revolutionary North Carolina, page 2.8
In North Carolina History: A Sampler, page 7.1
1775 cartoon, published in a London newspaper, satirizing the "Edenton Tea Party" at which prominent North Carolina women signed a petition supporting the American cause. Includes historical commentary.
Format: cartoon/primary source
The Rutherford Expedition
In Revolutionary North Carolina, page 4.3
The Cherokee, hoping to protect their lands from white settlement, sided with Britain in the American Revolution. In 1776, responding to Cherokee attacks, General Griffith Rutherford led an expedition against the Cherokee, taking slaves, burning villages, and destroying crops and food stores.
Format: article
A report from the Rutherford Expedition
In Revolutionary North Carolina, page 4.4
In 1776, responding to Cherokee attacks, General Griffith Rutherford led an expedition against the Cherokee, taking slaves, burning villages, and destroying crops and food stores. This report of the expedition was written by Captain William Moore to General Rutherford. Includes historical commentary.
Format: letter/primary source
The Overmountain Men and the Battle of Kings Mountain
In Revolutionary North Carolina, page 5.4
In October 1780, in response to a British threat in the Carolina backcountry, Patriot militias gathered in the mountains of present-day North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. They marched southeast to a site near present-day Morganton, joined forces, and proceeded to defeat Loyalist militias at the Battle of King's Mountain in South Carolina. The battle helped turn the tide of the war for independence.
Format: article
By Randell Jones.
The Mecklenburg Resolves
In Revolutionary North Carolina, page 3.3
On receiving news of Lexington and Concord in May 1775, the Mecklenburg County Committee of Safety adopted these "resolves," or resolutions, declaring all royal authority to be suspended. Includes historical commentary.
Format: document/primary source
Mary Slocumb at Moore's Creek Bridge
In Revolutionary North Carolina, page 3.8
Story, perhaps fictional or embellished, of the heroism of Mary (Polly) Slocumb, who tended Patriot wounded after the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge in 1776. Includes historical commentary.
Format: book/primary source
The Halifax Resolves
In Revolutionary North Carolina, page 3.10
After the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge, North Carolina's fourth Provincial Congress met at Halifax in April 1776, and resolved that the colony's delegates to the Continental Congress should support a move to declare independence. Primary source includes historical commentary.
Format: proclamation/primary source
The Edenton "Tea Party"
In Revolutionary North Carolina, page 2.7
In October 1774, several prominent women of Edenton gathered at the home of Elizabeth King, with Penelope Barker presiding, to sign a petition supporting the American cause. This letter describing the event, which came to be known as the Edenton Tea Party, appeared in a London newspaper. Includes historical commentary.
Format: letter/primary source
"The difference is about our land": Cherokees and Catawbas
In Revolutionary North Carolina, page 4.1
During the American Revolution, American Indians living in North Carolina had to choose whether to support England or the colonists. While different groups of Indians made different decisions, most made their choices based on how they thought they could best protect their lands.
Format: article
By Jim L. Sumner.
David Fanning and the Tory War of 1781
In Revolutionary North Carolina, page 5.10
During the American Revolution, Patriots and Loyalists fought in the North Carolina backcountry. In 1781, David Fanning, commanding the Loyalist forces of five counties, terrorized residents of the Piedmont.
Format: article
A call for independence
In Revolutionary North Carolina, page 3.9
After the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge, North Carolina's fourth Provincial Congress met at Halifax in April 1776, and resolved that the colony's delegates to the Continental Congress should support a move to declare independence.
Format: article
Boundary between North Carolina and the Cherokee Nation, 1767
In Revolutionary North Carolina, page 4.2
1767 agreement between Governor William Tryon and Cherokee Indians in regard to boundary between colonial settlement and Cherokee lands. Includes historical commentary.
Format: document/primary source
The Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge
In Revolutionary North Carolina, page 3.7
In February 1776, Patriot militia companies fought an army of Loyalists, mainly Scottish Highlanders, at Moore's Creek Bridge near Wilmington, North Carolina. The Patriot victory convinced colonial leaders to push for independence.
Format: article
The Battle of Kings Mountain
In Revolutionary North Carolina, page 5.3
At the Battle of King's Mountain, fought in October 1780 in South Carolina, Patriot militias defeated Loyalists under the command of a British Army officer.
The Battle of Guilford Courthouse
In Revolutionary North Carolina, page 5.9
In North Carolina History: A Sampler, page 7.2
During the American Revolution, on March 15, 1781, American and British armies met at Guilford Courthouse, in present-day Greensboro, North Carolina. Although the British won the battle, they lost so many troops that the battle ultimately helped the American cause. Includes a slideshow of photographs from a 2008 reenactment.
Format: article

General resources

Aligned lesson plans