Cultural Event Report

I never knew that North Carolina was rich of American History until I visited the North Carolina Museum on Saturday of November 12, 201. It is located at the center of Raleigh, North Carolina. The lecturer of World Culture enhanced my curiosity of the origin of our history as well as heritage. The visit to the museum I learned that the state of North Carolina is a rich source of history of the USA. To begin with, it was among the original 13 colonies. Furthermore, it was the first one to be declared independent of the British rule. The state has been known for the large slave plantations, which were used to crop tobacco and cotton specifically for export. When I reached the museum at around 1 pm, I found it was not crowded, and that gave me ample time to evaluate the cultural artifacts keenly. The most attractive exhibits were at the location of the The Story of North Carolina. It was an inspiration and I believe it would inspire any new member in the city willing to learn the history as well as the cultural communities within the state.

The first exhibit that attracted my eye was The Story of North Carolina: An Indian House. The artifact was about the rich history of the American Indians who were considered to be the native of America. It has been nearly 400 years since the first English men landed and settled on Roanoke Island, which was inhabited by Native America. I learned that the native spoke only three language groups inclusive of Iroquoian, Siouan, and Algonquian. I got a chance to see inside the home of a typical American Indian. Inside the home, we watch a brief video of the history of Indians in North Carolina. Among many, more were tools used for farming by the Indians. I was glad to learn that in some of the beaches in have frequently been visiting were used by the Native American to fish. I saw a 3000 years dugout canoe that was used for fishing as well as transportation by the Indians in Lake Phelps. In 1550, Once the European settlers came in the number of the Native American dropped from nearly 100, 000 to 20,000. They were forced out to create room for the huge plantations. I found the exhibit to be so fascinating since the Indians holds a section of our history because they can be considered as the original inhabitants of the land. In addition, there was an exhibition of various artifacts, which can vary by the European. The advanced weaponry, which overpowered the American Indians.

The second exhibit was the Democracy Betrayed which was based on the on the Wilmington Race Riot on Nov. 10, 1898 (Williams, 2013). The march provided significant help in enabling the Jim Crow period of segregation in the State of North Carolina. Any African American had the right to understand their history and this was a great exhibit to provide that and the reason for the Civil rights movements. The whites attacked the racial protest politically. At this time, the Democrats majorly controlled North Carolina Legislature. It was the new legislature that sanctioned the first Jim Crow Regulation in the state, which dealt with the separation regarding race in passenger trains as well as vehicles (Williams, 2013). The artifact was a surprise piece of information to me. I was forced to visit the library the next Monday to look up for details of the story. Honestly, North Carolina is part of the rich history of the United States of America.

To conclude, it is evident that the cultural event offered a great experience to me. The assignment gave me a sense of purpose even though I was not aware of what I was going to find in the museum. I learned much of what happened in the past to influence the culture of North Carolina today.

Reference

Williams, R. M. C. (2013). A war in black and white: The Cartoons of Norman Ethre Jennett & the North Carolina Election of 1898. Southern Cultures, 19(2), 7-31.