North Carolina Geography:
Sample article and assignment,
taken from session five, North Carolina Places

Courtesy of the North Carolina Office of Information Technology Services

North Carolinians take pride in the state’s one hundred counties, and many natives identify themselves by the county in which they were born. Each county has its own character, geography, and, although subtle, unique accent. The establishment of these counties occurred gradually, beginning in the colony of Carolina in 1664. Two hundred forty-seven years later, on February 23, 1911, the General Assembly established North Carolina’s last county, Avery. Although some changes have occurred in county boundaries and the spelling of county names since then, Avery County’s creation was essentially the last piece in the fascinating history of the state’s counties.

The county was similar to the English shire, which acted as the administrative arm of the national government as well as the citizen’s local government. The structure of the shire was adapted to suit the economic and geographic needs of each colony. Under proprietary rule, the county was the primary political and geographical unit of the colony. The Lords Proprietors appointed governors to counties; they, in turn, appointed justices of the peace, who performed both judicial and administrative functions. Justices assessed and levied taxes; established and maintained roads, bridges, and ferries; and erected and controlled mills. By their appointments, they supervised the work of law enforcement officers, administrative officers of the court, surveyors, and wardens of the poor.

After America gained independence from England, county governments in the state remained similar to those in colonial times, although the process of creating new counties became quite political. As more people moved into the backcountry of the Piedmont and Mountains, the new inhabitants expected that counties would be created. But those in the more populous eastern part of the state felt that adding counties in the western regions would threaten their political dominance; thus, they tried to prevent the creation of new counties. When they were forced to yield, they attempted to offset the addition of new western counties by dividing eastern counties in half. This is the reason there are so many small counties in eastern North Carolina today. Between 1777 and 1823, thirty-three counties were created: eighteen in the west and fifteen in the east. In 1830 the state had sixty-four counties, thirty-six of which lay east of Raleigh.

In 1868 the newly rewritten Constitution of North Carolina brought changes to county governments. Although the position of justice of the peace was retained, judicial responsibilities were distributed between the justices and the North Carolina Superior Court. A board of county commissioners, elected by the voters of the county, assumed administrative duties. This board of five members was responsible for public buildings, schools, roads and bridges, and the financial affairs of the county, including taxation. The positions of coroner, clerk of court, register of deeds, surveyor, and treasurer became elected posts rather than appointments. Each county was divided into townships, with the voters of each township electing two justices of the peace and a clerk, who served as the governing body of the township. Under the county commissioners’ supervision, the township board was responsible for roads and bridges and for assessing property for taxation. Each township had a constable and a school committee. The General Assembly modified this democratic arrangement of county government in 1875, amending the constitution to require that county commissioners be appointed by justices of the peace rather than elected. Twenty years later, however, the right of the people to elect county commissioners was restored in most counties.

By the end of the nineteenth century, North Carolina had ninety-seven counties; three counties were added in the 1900s. Changes to county government have continued. For instance, in response to some counties nearing bankruptcy during the Depression, Governor Angus W. McLean’s administration established the County Government Advisory Commission in 1927 to give financial advice to ailing counties. In 1931 the General Assembly created the commission’s more powerful successor, the Local Government Commission, which retains great importance in county government management today. Counties’ roles in building and maintaining roads, operating schools, conducting elections, housing lower courts and their records, maintaining property ownership and mortgage records, enforcing the state’s criminal law, and administering public health and public welfare programs have been redefined over the years and will most likely continue to evolve as needs and populations change.

Complete one of the following options:

Option 2: (If you are seeking reading credits, choose this option.)
Create a lesson plan in which your students read at least two works of fiction, poetry, drama, and/or creative nonfiction works in order to capture the essence of one or more North Carolina places. Have the students compare the perceptions of the places and the state in general that are expressed in each work; include a discussion of any differences noted. (Be sure to read Special Session 2 for a discussion on teaching geography through literature.)

Option 3: (If you are seeking technology credits, choose this option.)
Develop a virtual field trip to “take” your students on a tour of at least three North Carolina places of your choosing. You may choose several locations in one region, a few small towns or large cities scattered throughout the state, historic sites, state parks, etc. Once you’ve chosen your places, find one or more Web site to represent each one and create an activity around them using an outline or a narrative form. Include the following elements:

• an introduction explaining the purpose of the “trip” and why you chose these particular places to explore
• the address and a brief description of each Web site
• questions the students should answer after visiting each site AND/OR
• a larger assignment or activity based upon all the material
• other details you wish to include

For examples of virtual field trips, go to http://www.field-trips.org/trips.htm. These sites have elaborate formats, but they might give you ideas. The site http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr057.shtml offers simpler but still effective examples.

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