Overview
In this series of activities, students will learn about Princeville, NC, the oldest town in the United States incorporated entirely by African Americans. Students will learn about the challenges that faced newly freed enslaved people as they built lives on an unwanted piece of swamp land along the Tar River, which they eventually founded as the town of Princeville. Through reading and class discussion, students will explore how African Americans in Princeville, NC have faced overwhelming adversity for nearly 150 years, continuously exhibiting self-determination and survival in the face of slavery, prejudice, and numerous floods (the most devastating of which occurred with Hurricane Floyd in 1999.) Students will exhibit their understanding and respect of this under–taught piece of history through various creative writing, art, and drama activities.