Discussion Questions about the Natchez Trace and Fighting the Devil’s Backbone Series
1. What was the Natchez Trace?
2. What was the northernmost point on the Natchez Trace and the southernmost point on the Natchez Trace?
3. What were some of the reasons people traveled on the Natchez Trace in the early 1800’s?
4. How did the Natchez Trace of 1809 compare to roads today?
5. What conditions at their home in Pennsylvania caused Sara to risk bringing her sons to the southwestern frontier to find a new home?
6. Sara heard that people could get rich by buying land in the old Southwest. Was that true?
7. Why did travelers band together in Nashville to travel the Natchez Trace?
8. Why was the Natchez Trace attractive to bandits?
9. Why did travelers call the Natchez Trace “The Devil’s Backbone?”