Although many traditional textbooks begin with European “discovery” of the New World, we know that the Americas was home to thriving indigenous groups at the time of contact with Europeans and others (in some cases including enslaved Africans).  This module explores the cultures of the indigenous people that resided within the boundaries of present day North Carolina and traces the impact of contact on native peoples and Europeans. Although the English were not the first European people to explore North America and the Carolinas, they certainly had the greatest impact.  This module will analyze the motives and actions of English settlers, as well as the response of native groups directly affected by their settlement. It will also examine the mystery of the Lost Colony.

Over the course of this module, students will have to determine whether the early history of the Carolinas can best be described as cultural diffusion or a “clash of cultures” (Reddy, 2005). At the culmination of this module, students are encouraged to research the contemporary history and civic activism of Native Americans in North Carolina to better understand the long history of these groups.