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The first national government: The Articles of Confederation

In Revolutionary North Carolina, page 6.1

The Articles of Confederation served as the written document that established the functions of the national government of the United States after it declared independence from Great Britain. It established a weak central government that mostly, but not entirely, prevented the individual states from conducting their own foreign diplomacy.

Format: article

Cherokee relocation

Using primary sources from the Documenting the American South collection, students will investigate the boundaries of the Cherokee lands set for North Carolina after the Revolutionary War.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)

By Donna Hernandez.

The War of 1812

In North Carolina in the New Nation, page 8.3

During its wars with France in the 1790s and early 1800s, Great Britain refused to respect the rights of U.S. ships and sailors on the high seas. When diplomacy and trade restrictions failed, President James Madison declared war. The two nations fought for two years before agreeing to a treaty, and historians debate who really "won" the war.

Format: article

Revolutionary North Carolina

Primary sources and readings explore North Carolina in the era of the American Revolution. Topics include the Regulators, the resistance to Great Britain, the War for Indpendence, and the creation of new governments.

Format: book (multiple pages)

Antebellum North Carolina

Primary sources and readings explore North Carolina in the antebellum period (1830–1860). Topics include slavery, daily life, agriculture, industry, technology, and the arts, as well as the events leading to secession and civil war.

Format: book (multiple pages)

Nationalism and Americanism

Speech by Warren G. Harding, Senator from Ohio and Republican candidate for President, recorded during the 1920 election campaign.

Format: audio/speech

North Carolina in the New South

Primary sources and readings explore North Carolina in the decades after the Civil War (1870–1900). Topics include changes in agriculture, the growth of cities and industry, the experiences of farmers and mill workers, education, cultural changes, politics and political activism, and the Wilmington Race Riot.

Format: book (multiple pages)

Dashed hopes for the frontier

In Revolutionary North Carolina, page 2.2

The British won vast territory in North America after the Seven Years’ War, but with that territory came the problem of governing it. British officials tried -- and failed -- to balance the interests of colonists and American Indians, and the conflicts that resulted made the colonists increasingly unhappy with British rule and led, ultimately, to the American Revolution.

Format: article

North Carolina in the New Nation

Primary sources and readings explore North Carolina in the early national period (1790–1836). Topics include the development of state government and political parties, agriculture, the Great Revival, education, the gold rush, the growth of slavery, Cherokee Removal, and battles over internal improvements and reform.

Format: book (multiple pages)

Expansion and empire, 1867–1914

In North Carolina in the New South, page 6.1

The United States expanded its economic influence and added overseas territory in the last decades of the nineteenth century, but the drive for empire was tempered by a strong anti-imperialist strain in American politics.

Format: article

The Spanish-American War

In North Carolina in the New South, page 6.2

The Spanish-American War of 1898 ended Spain’s colonial empire in the Western Hemisphere and secured the position of the United States as a Pacific power.

Format: article

Native peoples of the Chesapeake region

In Prehistory, contact, and the Lost Colony, page 2.9

The Chesapeake Bay has been home to Native Americans for over 10,000 years. Throughout their histories — even to the present day — these societies have adapted to difficult circumstances and unforeseen changes. Chesapeake natives have faced wars, epidemic diseases, loss of land, and treaty violations.

Format: article

Timeline of the Revolution, 1775–1779

In Revolutionary North Carolina, page 3.1

Timeline of events of the American Revolution from the outbreak of war in 1775 to the end of 1779.

Format: article

Spain and America: From Reconquest to Conquest

In Prehistory, contact, and the Lost Colony, page 3.1

In 1491, no European knew that North and South America existed. By 1550, Spain -- a small kingdom that had not even existed a century earlier -- controlled the better part of two continents and had become the most powerful nation in Europe. In half a century of brave exploration and brutal conquest, both Europe and America were changed forever.

Format: article

By David Walbert.

Resources on the web

Future State: US Department of State for Youth

Information for students about the US Department of State, living and traveling abroad, fun activities, and a "This Day in History" page. (Learn more)

Format: website/activity

Provided by:

Unions and alliances

In this lesson from the National Geographic Xpeditions website, students focus on the United Nations, learning about this organization's functions, purposes, and the broad geographical range of its members. Then students are asked to apply the concepts... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Social Studies)

Provided by: Xpeditions

Embassy Web

Find links to Web pages of embassies and consulates in the U.S. and around the world. (Learn more)

Format: website/general

Provided by: Stapleton-Gray and Associates, Inc.

Lewis & Clark: The National Bicentennial Exhibition

Get ready for an adventure! Captivating images and engaging activities will leave you no choice but to join the 1804 journey across North America with Lewis & Clark. (Learn more)

Format: website/lesson plan

Provided by: Missouri Historical Society