Major Immigrant Groups of Colonial North Carolina 1

Major Immigrant Groups of Colonial North Carolina 1. Scotch-Irish 2. Scottish Highlanders 3. Germanic Groups 4. English What groups helped North Carolina grow in the 1700’s and how did they develop the colony?

Scotch-Irish • Traveled through Pennsylvania and other northern colonies by the Great Wagon Road into North Carolina where they settled mainly in the Piedmont region of the state.

Scottish Highlanders Most of this group came directly from Scotland to the Cape Fear valley in the Southern Piedmont of North Carolina.

Germanic Groups • The various Germanic people of North Carolina traveled through the various northern and middle colonies to get to North Carolina. A large number of this groups settled in the mountains and backcountry.

English • Mainly from the other colonies, especially from Virginia and directly from across the ocean, people from English descent were mainly concentrated in the eastern part of the state.

Social Classes in Colonial North Carolina • Gentry/Planters • Yeoman Farmers • Indentured Servants • Free Blacks • Slaves

Gentry • The planter elite, located mainly in the South, consisted of less than 5% of the total population.

Yeoman Farmers • The small landholders, with an average of less than 50 acres, that consisted of the vast majority of the population.

Indentured Servants • This group included voluntary servants who were paying off debts; involuntary servants and apprentices were also included in the category.

1. List the four major immigrant groups of colonial North Carolina. 2. List the five social groups. 3. Explain why so many immigrants settle in the rural and remote western part of North Carolina? 4. Which SOCIAL GROUP helped to push the frontier west? 5. An apprentice is best defined as ____. 6. Why do you think there were several different categories of social classes during colonial times?