Settling the Piedmont

Settling the Piedmont

​Moving to The Backcountry

​By the 1730s, many pioneers were moving to North Carolina’s backcountry. A pioneer is a person who is among the first to settle in a place.

Most pioneers moved south to the backcountry from Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.

Much of the farmland in these colonies had already been claimed. There were large amounts of inexpensive land in the backcountry.

Multiple Choice

What is a pioneer?

• a person who conquers land owned by others.

• a person who is amongst the first to settle a land.

• a person who creates an amazing invention

Multiple Select

Why did pioneers settle in the backcountry of NC?

(Choose all that apply)

• Much of the farmlands in Northern settlements were already claimed.

• The land was better than any others.

• There were large tracts of inexpensive land

• Because everyone was doing it.

​The Great Wagon Road

​Many pioneers traveling to the backcountry used an old American Indian trail. Over time it became known as the Great Wagon Road.

The Great Wagon Road began near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It passed south

through Maryland and Virginia continued into North Carolina. The road ran along the eastern side of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Travel on the Great Wagon Road was slow. It took most families several weeks to move from other colonies to North Carolina.

Open Ended

What was The Great Wagon Road?

​Life In the Backcountry

​Pioneers in the backcountry grew their own food and built their own homes. Unlike the large plantations found on the Coastal Plain, most Piedmont farms were small.

Families brought as many things as they could to their new homes. However, they also had to make many of their own goods. These goods included furniture, clothing, and tools.

​Many different groups settled in the Piedmont. Some came from European countries, including England, Ireland, Germany, Scotland, and Switzerland. Each group brought its own ways of life to the Piedmont. Each group also brought its language and religious beliefs.

Most settlers in the Piedmont belonged to Christian churches. Many were Presbyterians, Baptists, Quakers, or Lutherans. Settlers in North Carolina were free to practice their own religious beliefs. As a result, many different religions were practiced in the colony, just as in the state today. As North Carolina grew, these different religions affected life and government in the colony.

Open Ended

List three details about the type of people who settled the piedmont region of NC.

​Moravian Settlements

​In 1753, a group of Germans known as Moravians moved to the Piedmont region from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The Moravians moved to the backcountry to build their own religious community. They also hoped to share their beliefs and ways of life with American Indians.

The Moravians bought land in what is now Forsyth County. They named this land

Wachovia (wah•KOH•vee•uh). Bethabara

(bee•THAH•buh•ruh) and Bethania were the

first Moravian communities in North Carolina.

​In 1766, the Moravians built a larger town called Salem. It soon became a trading center with mills, stores, and craftworkers. People came from all over the backcountry to Salem to buy high-quality Moravian goods.

In contrast to other towns, the Moravian church governed the community and owned all property. The Moravians shared their resources and the money they earned. Every Moravian worked for the good of the whole community.

Open Ended

Describe how the Moravian people's settlement was different from others towns and settlements. 

​When Moravian children turned 14 years old, they left their homes. They went to schools to learn skills and a trade.

​Girls moved into the Single Sisters’ House. They learned to knit, weave, and sew. They also made candles, soap, gloves, straw hats, and other goods.

Boys moved into the Single Brothers’ House. Some learned how to be shoemakers, carpenters, or blacksmiths. Others learned baking, brickmaking, or tailoring.

In each house, the children worked, studied, and went to church together. They took classes in reading, writing, history, geography, geometry, and Latin. Moravian children stayed in these houses until they married.

Open Ended

How did boys and girls schooling differ from each other?