Agriculture and Textiles (Lesson Plan)

At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Use primary and secondary resources to interpret the past
• Identify two important industries in North Carolina

Students will need to view the agriculture and textile archive photos for discussion.

Agriculture and Textiles: The Interaction of Two Major North Carolina Industries

Have students read individually or aloud the historical context on textile manufacturing. Display the photographs and lead a discussion of how the photographs support the information they have read. Use the guiding questions to discuss the importance of the industry in the state.
 

• Choose one photograph from each section. Have students, working individually or in groups, complete the worksheet after examining the photographs. 
• Identify potential vocabulary words found in the historical context section and review them with students. 
• Using these photographs or others from the online collection, have students choose one of the people depicted in the photograph and write a narrative describing some aspect of that person’s life. 
• Help students understand how and why these industries have changed over the years.

Guiding questions to shape your discussion:

• What roles did North Carolinians play in growing and manufacturing cotton? 
• Why was cotton production important in North Carolina? 
• Why was the textile industry important in North Carolina? 
• How did cotton production affect the textile industry?
   

Agriculture 

From the very earliest times people have been farmers. American Indians grew crops for food and clothes. European settlers brought in new ways of farming. One important crop grown in North Carolina was cotton. Cotton was not a main crop before 1793. It required too many hours of work to separate the cotton from the seeds. But in 1793 Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, a machine that would remove the seeds. Soon cotton became a major cash crop. But cotton still had to be picked by hand. Farmers often sold cotton to manufacturers to make products.

Textile Manufacturing 

Another important industry in North Carolina was textile manufacturing. Although the state had textile factories from early in its history, textile mills became a major industry during the Civil War. Many mills made uniforms for soldiers. After the war textile mills created jobs for people in the state. Workers in textile mills would use the cotton grown by farmers. They would operate machines that would spin the cotton into yarn. The yarn could be used to make cloth for clothes and other products.