Pre-Visit Activities

  1. In order to make the most effective use of the time your students have at the site, teachers should make arrangements to have their class view the Historic Stagville orientation program prior to their arrival. This will not only give your students important historical information ahead of their visit, but will also allow time for more interactive experiences at the site. The video is available on the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources YouTube channel.
  2. Students should read the chapters of The North Carolina Civil War Experience on The Road to Secession, which offers details on slavery in North Carolina, Wartime North Carolina and War's End and Reconstruction in North Carolina, which will give vital background information on the homefront during the war and after.
  3. Students should read the Site Narratives provided in this unit, which provide background information on the residents of Stagville.
  4. Teachers may choose the Stagville Slave Narratives activity to be conducted as part of the visit or may use the Supplemental Lesson Plan: Stagville Slave Narratives as a pre-visit activity or a stand-alone classroom lesson. Classes preparing for a field trip to the site should familiarize themselves with the Site Map and the Glossary of Terms prior to their visit.