United States History

What a revival is

In North Carolina in the New Nation, page 3.4

Explanation by Charles Grandison Finney (1792–1875), Christian revivalist preacher, of what a revival is and why it is necessary. Primary source includes historical commentary.

Format: book/primary source

Commentary and sidebar notes by L. Maren Wood.

The Second Great Awakening

In North Carolina in the New Nation, page 3.1

The Second Great Awakening of the early nineteenth century consisted of a renewed interest in religion and a wave of social activism. New chuch denominations were created, and revivals were held across the country in the form of camp meetings.

Format: article

Rock Springs Camp Meeting

In North Carolina in the New Nation, page 3.6

The Rock Springs Camp Meeting in Denver, North Carolina, traces its origins to 1794, and has been held annually since the early 1800s.

Format: article

The Quakers and anti-slavery

In Antebellum North Carolina, page 1.4

In this excerpt from his memoirs, Levi Coffin describes the early abolition movement in North Carolina and the tensions among abolitionists over the best way to free slaves. Includes historical commentary.

Format: book/primary source

Commentary and sidebar notes by L. Maren Wood.

Preaching obedience to slaves

In North Carolina in the New Nation, page 3.8

John Jea was born in West Africa in 1773, enslaved at the age of two, and brought to New York. He was eventually freed and became a preacher. In this excerpt from his autobiography, written about 1811, Jea describes the way both his master and the white minister used Christianity to preach obedience to the slaves and to convince them of their worthlessness. Includes historical commentary.

Format: book/primary source

Commentary and sidebar notes by L. Maren Wood.

Negotiated segregation in Salem

In Antebellum North Carolina, page 1.6

In Salem, North Carolina, white Moravians and African Americans found ways to live, work, and worship separately and together.

Format: article

Levi Coffin and the Underground Railroad

In Antebellum North Carolina, page 1.5

A brief history of the Underground Railroad, an informal connection of people and homes across the United States that helped fugitive slaves reach safety in the North and elsewhere. Includes a discussion of the role of North Carolina native Levi Coffin.

Format: book

By L. Maren Wood.

Joining together in song: Piedmont music in black and white

In Antebellum North Carolina, page 6.1

This article from Carolina Music Ways discusses musical interactions between African Americans and European Americans prior to the Civil War, including African American participation in Moravian sacred music and the contributions of black and white Americans to the string band tradition in the North Carolina Piedmont.

Format: article

John Chavis

In North Carolina in the New Nation, page 3.10

John Chavis (1762?–1838), a free African American living in North Carolina, was a widely respected minister and teacher with long-reaching influence on both whites and African Americans.

Format: biography

Into the wilderness: Circuit riders take religion to the people

In North Carolina in the New Nation, page 3.2

In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, "circuit riders" preached to residents of the backcountry who were too scattered to be served by established churches.

Format: article

By N. Fred Jordan Jr. .

Elizabeth, A Colored Minister of the Gospel, Born in Slavery

In North Carolina in the New Nation, page 3.9

In this excerpt from her 1863 memoir, Elizabeth (her last name, if she had one, is unknown), a former slave, tells of her conversion to Christianity and her work as a minister. She faced opposition to her ministry both because she was African American and because she was a woman. Includes historical commentary.

Format: book/primary source

The development of sacred singing

In North Carolina in the New Nation, page 3.11

In North Carolina History: A Sampler, page 2.5

In the first half of the nineteenth century, the music of southern white churches expanded to express a broader range of emotions. To help singers, "shape-note" tunebooks were developed with easy-to-read notation. Includes audio of present-day shape-note singing.

Format: article

By Gavin James Campbell.

Descriptions of a revival

In North Carolina in the New Nation, page 3.5

Letter from Samuel McCorkle, 1802, describing a revival in North Carolina and the experiences of people he knew to have been converted. Includes historical commentary.

Format: letter/primary source

Commentary and sidebar notes by L. Maren Wood.

A camp meeting scene

In North Carolina in the New Nation, page 3.3

Description of a typical camp meeting during the Second Great Awakening of the early nineteenth century, including preaching, conversion experiences, and the physical arrangement of the meetings.

Format: book

"Be saved from the jaws of an angry hell"

In North Carolina in the New Nation, page 3.7

An 1831 letter from Thomas Whitmell Harriss to his sister, in which he begs her to accept Christ as her savior. Includes historical commentary.

Format: letter/primary source

Tracing abolitionist movements in North Carolina

In North Carolina maps, page 3.6

In this lesson, students learn about the major areas of the abolitionist movement in the state. Students will express an understanding of the major figures of the movement using presentation software skills.

Format: lesson plan (grade 11–12 Social Studies)

Slave songs

In this lesson, students learn more about the religious observances of slaves in the United States by presenting hymns from Slave Songs in the US digitized in the Documenting the American South Collection. This is a great lesson to introduce the intersection of religion and slavery in a US history or African American history class.

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–10 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By Meghan Mcglinn.

Role plays from research on Native Americans

In Teaching about North Carolina American Indians, page 10.3

Introduction Dramatic role plays make history come alive. Research has a purpose! Students select a North Carolina American Indian to research. (I find students feel more connected if they do the selecting. Drawing names from a deck of 3x5 cards adds...

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 and 11 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By Linda Tabor.

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.

Interracial "harmony" and the Great Awakening

The students will be introduced to two episodes in 19th-century American history, around the time of the Great Awakening, that show glimpses of some positive and negative consequences of interracial interaction in a religious context. The students will examine primary sources from the Documenting the American South collection to then be able to write a "sermon" from the perspective of a southern itinerant preacher during the Great Awakening arguing for or against religion as a cure for the social ill of racism and slavery.

Format: lesson plan (grade 11–12 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By Jamie Lathan.

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