United States History

Reform movements across the United States

In North Carolina in the New Nation, page 11.2

In the 1830s and 1840s, a wave of social and political reform swept the United States. Various groups of reformers, often inspired by religion, worked to expand the vote, promote equal rights for women, improve labor conditions, build free public schools, limit alcohol use, and improve treatment of criminals and the insane.

Format: article

The Raleigh Female Benevolent Society

In North Carolina in the New Nation, page 11.9

Constitution and managers' report of the Raleigh Female Benevolent Society, 1823, describing the society's efforts to educate poor children and provide work for poor women. Includes historical commentary.

Format: report/primary source

Commentary and sidebar notes by L. Maren Wood.

North Carolina's first public school opens

In North Carolina in the New Nation, page 11.5

Announcement of the opening of the first free public school in North Carolina, 1840. Includes historical commentary about the North Carolina Public School Act of 1839.

Format: newspaper/primary source

Dorothea Dix pleads for a state mental hospital

In North Carolina in the New Nation, page 11.8

In this excerpt from her "memorial" to the North Carolina General Assembly, New England reformer Dorothea Dix lays out her arguments for building a state hospital for the mentally ill. Includes historical commentary.

Format: report/primary source

Commentary and sidebar notes by L. Maren Wood.

Dorothea Dix Hospital

In North Carolina in the New Nation, page 11.7

Dorothea Dix, a reformer from New England, came to North Carolina in the 1840s to campaign for a state mental hospital that would provide humane care to the mentally ill. Her efforts resulted in the construction of Dix Hill Asylum (now called Dorothea Dix Hospital) which opened in 1856.

Format: article

Criminal law and reform

In North Carolina in the New Nation, page 11.6

In the early nineteenth century, North Carolina had more than two dozen crimes punishable by death, and the state kept a variety of physical and humiliating punishments on the books as well. Reformers tried to make the criminal code clearer and more humane, but they made little progress before the Civil War.

Format: article

By David Walbert.

Mid-1800s reform era group presentations

Students will work in groups to present information on the reforms of the mid 1800's. Topics could include the Unitarians, abolition, women's rights, growth in education, treatment of the mentally ill, temperance, and utopian communities.

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 Social Studies)

By Angie Panel Holthausen.

Resources on the web

Tracing abolitionist movements in North Carolina

In this United States history lesson, students read about major figures in the abolition movement in North Carolina. They then read documents written by these figures and create a PowerPoint presentation analyzing the information they read. (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 11 Social Studies)

Provided by: UNC Libraries

Perspectives on the slave narrative

This lesson plan introduces students to one of the most widely-read genres of 19th-century American literature and an important influence within the African American literary tradition even today. The lesson focuses on The Narrative of William W.... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Provided by: EDSITEment

John Brown and the Underground Railroad

In this lesson from Xpeditions, students will analyze John Brown's attitudes and actions against slavery. They will then compare Brown's views with those of other people who were active in the Underground Railroad and the abolitionist movement. They will... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 11 Social Studies)

Provided by: Xpeditions

Cultural change

Political developments leave a clear trace in the life of a nation, usually marked by legislative mileposts like the Fourteenth Amendment, which dictates equal protection for all, and the Nineteenth Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. But such... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9 and 11 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Provided by: EDSITEment