Buies Creek–They were the inventors of the Moravian star and the Moravian cookie, but the religious sect who came to North Carolina in the mid 1700s also played an important role in the settlement of the state. Historian Daniel Thorp, associate professor of history and chair of the Department of History at Virginia Tech University, will present an alternative view of Colonial North Carolina’s Moravian community at the annual Anne T. Moore Humanities Lecture on Thursday, Mar. 13, at 7:30 p.m. in Lynch Auditorium of the Lundy-Fetterman School of Business. Sponsored by the Department of Government, History and Justice, the lecture is free and open to the public.In 1749, the British Parliament passed an act by which the Moravian sect, a protestant faith begun in what is now known as the Czech Republic, could freely exercise all of its rights as a church because of its superior example as a sober, quiet and religious people. The sect was also encouraged to make settlements in other countries and about 300 Moravians eventually settled in western North Carolina in the vicinity of Winston-Salem and other areas. In his book, “The Moravian Community in Colonial North Carolina: Pluralism on the Southern Frontier,” Thorp uses the Moravian community as a case study in frontier pluralism, in which he argues that it successfully maintained cultural and ethnic boundaries, while having peaceful contact with outside communities. The title of Thorp’s talk is, “‘Recabites Among the People of Israel’: An Alternative View of Colonial North Carolina’s Moravian Community.” Thorp is also the author of the book, “Lewis and Clark: An American Journey.”For more information on the Anne T. Moore Humanities Lecture series, contact Vicki Crowell at 910.893.1480 or 800.334.4111, ext. 1480.
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