Exploring the Fight for Freedom: North Carolina’s United States Colored Troops (USCT)

For enslaved people throughout the history of North Carolina and America, freedom was not something that was simple or gained overnight, nor was it something that they waited for. Before and during the Civil War, many enslaved people and free Blacks engaged in the fight for freedom in numerous ways, including service in the Union army. They put their lives at risk repeatedly to first earn the right to fight, and then on the battlefield itself, where they demonstrated talent, courage and commitment.

8^th – 12^th grade teachers are invited to join Carolina K-12 and the NC African American Heritage Commission at Tryon Palace on Saturday, Nov. 12 for a full day exploring the rich history of the United States Colored Troops, including North Carolina’s own 35^th USCT.

CLICK HERE to review the tentative agenda for Saturday, Nov. 12 (9:00 am – 4:30 pm).

Participating teachers in this FREE event will receive:

1.0 CEUs (with the completion of pre-readings; these will be provided at least two weeks prior to the event)
A travel stipend (determined based on the amount of roundtrip miles traveled:
- $50 stipend for teachers traveling up to 80 roundtrip miles
- $100 stipend for teachers traveling up to 175 roundtrip miles
- $200 stipend for teachers traveling over 176 roundtrip miles (These funds are meant to assist teachers in covering the cost of a hotel reservation the evening before our 9:30 am start if desired. Hotel reservations must be made on your own.)
Access to lesson plans for teaching about the struggle for freedom during the Civil War, including plans addressing NC’s USCT, Black naval service, contributions of Black women, and more.
A continental breakfast and lunch
You can request a free ticket to tour Tryon Palace if you are arriving the day before the event, or staying a day later. Details for requesting a ticket will be shared upon acceptance of your application. (Please note there will not be time during the Nov. 12 event to tour the grounds.)

Application Requirements:

This event is open to any currently practicing 8^th -12^th grade teacher in North Carolina who teaches North Carolina and/or American history.
Teachers must be able to attend ALL HOURS of the event in order to register. (Conflicts that require leaving early or arriving late cannot be accommodated.)
BEFORE applying, please ensure you have checked your schedule and are committed to attending if accepted. Cancellations create additional administrative work and can result in materials/funding waste.Please also make sure you can be in New Bern in time for our 9:30 am start on Sat. Nov. 12.
Approximately 2-3 hours of required pre-readings will be assigned prior to the workshop. This helps increase your CEU increment, as well as ensure everyone comes with a common foundation of knowledge. (These will be provided at least two weeks prior to the event.)
Due to high demand, enrollment is not guaranteed. If your application is accepted, you will receive notice via the e-mail address provided. (Please ensure you have added @unc.edu to your safe senders list.) A response to the acceptance e-mail will be required to confirm your intent to attend & finalize your enrollment.
Expect a response to your application within 2 weeks of your application, and no later than Oct. 24.
Please make sure you add the domain “@unc.edu” to your safe senders list to ensure notification of acceptance or wait-list goes through.
If after Oct. 24 you have not received a response, and a message is not in your junk/spam folder, please contact us at CarolinaK12@unc.edu.

APPLY HERE. (Applications are rolling; the deadline to apply is Oct. 24.)

Credit Card & Cancellation Policy

If your application is accepted, you will receive notice via e-mail. (Please make sure you have added the domain “@unc.edu” to your safe senders list, as failure to receive/reply to your acceptance e-mail can result in your spot going to the next teacher on the list.) A response is required to confirm your intent to attend. This event is entirely FREE, but you will need to provide a credit card number via phone or fax to secure your space. YOUR CARD WILL NOT BE CHARGED and NO HOLD is placed on your card to participate in this FREE event.

In the event that a cancellation is unavoidable, we request that you provide us as much time as possible to fill your spot. We are committed to providing services to hardworking teachers for free, but last minute cancellations, and “no shows” result in extreme waste and prevents wait-listed teachers from attending. This event is valued at over $500 per teacher. Thus, failure to cancel/participate may result in a $75 “no show” fee applied to your credit card (except in the case of emergencies or sudden illness.)

This charge is ONLY applied for a registrant who does not cancel their registration and/or does not show up. (This charge is not applied in the cases of unavoidable emergencies and sudden illness.) We take your privacy very seriously; all credit card information is kept in a locked safe and then shredded after the training date. Credit card information should NOT be sent via e-mail.

If you have any questions, or do not have access to a credit card, please contact Paul Bonnici at bonnici@unc.edu or 919.962.1544.

Thank You to Our Funders

This event is hosted by the NC African American Heritage Commission, Carolina K-12, & Tryon Palace, and is made possible by a grant from the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), funded by the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Additional funding was provided by the North Caroliniana Society.