Office: Van Dyck 222, College Avenue Campus
Phone: 732-932-6824/Main History Office: 732-932-7905
Office Hours: Hickman 404, Tues. 4:30-5:30 PM; Van Dyck 222, Wed. 2:30-3:30
PM or By Appointment
The purpose of this course is to trace social, economic, political, intellectual, and military developments in American History from the beginnings of contact between American Indians, Africans, and Europeans in the 16th and 17th centuries through the era of Civil War and Emancipation. This course will examine both national figures and events and the everyday experiences of ordinary women and men. We will explore issues through a combination of readings, lectures, discussions, and small-group projects.
Because of the participatory character of this course, it is critical that you attend all classes and that you complete assignments on time. Each student will be allowed 2 unexcused absences over the course of the semester. More absences will count against your final grade. Two late arrivals will equal one absence. If you need to be excused from a particular class, or to leave any class early, you MUST inform me before class. In case of an emergency, you MUST provide a written note regarding the reason for your absence during the NEXT class period. In unusual circumstances, where a student has compiled a large number of excused absences, it may be necessary to renegotiate the requirements for the course.
Whenever you are assigned documents to read, from the Bibliobase that accompanies your textbook or from Frederick and Jeffrey’s History in a Box, BRING THE DOCUMENTS TO CLASS—either the Bibliobase book or the appropriate folder from History in a Box. In addition, on days when a CLASS PROJECT is listed, BRING THE READINGS OR YOUR NOTES ON THE READINGS OR WEBSITE TO CLASS.
The requirements for this course include three exams (each 25% of your final grade) and class participation (25% of your final grade). Class participation involves both joining in general discussions and playing an active part in small-group projects, which are based on primary documents, secondary readings, or assigned websites. To engage in these activities, you MUST complete assignments on time and in full.
The following required books are available at the Douglass Co-op
Bookstore:
Steve Gillom and Cathy Matson, The American Experiement, vol.
1 (G&M)
And accompanying Bibliobase Custom Coursepack (Biblio)
Charles Johnson, Soulcatcher and Other Stories (Johnson)
Peter Frederick and Julie Roy Jeffrey, History in a Box (F&J)
Michael Shaara, The Killer Angels (Shaara)
Websites used in this class:
Salem Witch Trials: http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects
Stono Rebellion: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia
Expan & Conflict at Mid-Century: http://www.historymatters.gmu.edu
& http://www.museumca.org/goldrush/
& http://womhist.binghamton.edu
ASSIGNMENTS
Tues. Sept. 3 Whose American History?
Class Project: Personal and National Histories
Thur. Sept. 5 On the Eve of Colonization
Read: G&M, skim chpt. 1
Tues. Sept. 10 Worlds Collide
Read: G&M, chpt. 2, pp. 53-77 only; Biblio, Docs 1, 2, &
3;
Johnson, "Transmission"; and F&J, "Early European and Indian Encounters,"
Docs1.5,1.6a,1.6b,1.6c,1.7a and 1.7b only
Thur. Sept. 12 Early Settlement: Colonies and Conflicts
Read: G&M, chpt. 3, pp. 88-104 only; Biblio, Docs 4 & 6;
F& J, "Diversity in Colonial America,"
Docs 2.7, 2.8, and 2.9 only
Website: http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects
Go to Dr. Linder’s Famous Trials Page, and Click on Salem Witch Trials
Class project: The Salem Witch Trials
Tues. Sept. 17 Life in the Colonies: Labor in Black and White
Read: G&M, chpt. 4, pp. 121-149 (up to "The Great Awakening"); Biblio,
Docs 5 & 9; Johnson, "Confession"
Website assignment on Stono Rebellion: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia
Thur. Sept. 19 Life in the Colonies: Family, Faith and Work
Read: G&M, chpt. 4, pp. 149-154 only; Biblio, Doc 7; F&J,
"Rhythms of Early Family Life"
Class Project: The Rhythms of Colonial Family Life
Tues. Sept. 24 Political Dissenters and Colonial Resistance
Read: G&M, chpt. 5, 161-178 only
Thur. Sept. 26 Road to Revolution II
Read: G&M, chpt. 5, pp. 178-196; Biblio, Doc 10
Tues. Oct. 1 The American Revolution
Read: G&M chpt. 6, pp. 199-224 & p. 236; Biblio, Docs 11,
12 & 13;
Johnson, "Poetry and Politics" and "A Soldier for the Crown"; F&J,
"Experiencing the American Revolution"
Class Project: Experiencing the American Revolution
Thur. Oct. 3 EXAM I
Tues. Oct. 8 Governing in Revolutionary Times
Read: G&M, chpt. 6, pp. 224-230 only.
Film: An Empire of Reason
Thur. Oct. 10 The Constitution and Early National Politics
Read: G&M, chpt. 7, pp. 259-281 only; Biblio, Docs 14 &
15; F&J, "Creating a New Nation,"
Docs 6.1a, 6.1b, 6.2, and 6.3 only
Tues. Oct. 15 Blacks in the New Nation
Read: Johnson, "Martha’s Dilemma," "The Plague," A Report from San Domingue,"
and
"The People Speak"; F&J, "Creating a New Nation," Docs 6.5, 6.6, 6.7,
and 6.9 only
Class Project: The Meanings of Citizenship
Thur. Oct. 17 American Expansion I: Geographical and Imperial
Read: G&M, skim chpt. 8; F&J, "Early Expansion," Docs 7.1, 7.2,
7.3, & 7.4 only
Tues. Oct. 22 American Expansion II : Economic
Read: G&M, chpt. 9, pp. 322-347; Biblio, Doc 20
Class project: The Cotton Gin
Thur. Oct. 24 Republican Culture and Modern Politics
Read: G&M, chpt. 9, pp. 347-357 and chpt. 10, pp. 363-378; Biblio,
Doc 19
Tues. Oct. 29 A More Democratic Nation?
Read: G&M, chpt. 10, pp. 379-399, and Competing Voices, pp. 401-403
Handout: Documents on Cherokee Removal
Class Project: The Meanings of Cherokee Removal
Thur. Oct. 31 Regional Patterns of Development: The North
Read: G&M, chpt. 11, pp. 404-426; Biblio, Docs 24, 26 &
28; F&J, "Remaking American Life"
Tues. Nov. 5 EXAM II
Thur. Nov. 7 The South: A Slave Society
Read: G&M, chpt. 12, pp. 453-479
Tues. Nov. 12 Competing Views of Slavery
Read: G&M, Competing Voices, pp. 482-484; F& J, "Changing Views
on Slavery" [all but Doc 9.1]
For more Slave Narratives, Go to http://www.historymatters.gmu.edu
Class project: Competing Views of Slavery
Thur, Nov. 14 Northern Responses to Change
Read: G& M, chpt. 11, pp. 427-440, and chpt. 12, pp. 445-452; F&J,
"Perfecting America"
Class Project: Religion and Reform
Tues, Nov. 19 Westward Expansion and Social Conflicts
Read: G&M, chpt. 13
Assigned Websites on Gold Rush, Mexican-American War, Irish Famine/Migration,
Woman’s Rights, Fugitive Slaves, Native Americans
Website Project: Expansion and Conflict at Mid-century
Thur, Nov. 21 Expansion and Sectionalism
Skim: G&M, chpt. 14; Biblio, Doc 30, 32, & 33; Johnson,
"Soulcatcher" OR "A Lion at Pendleton"
OR "The Mayor’s Tale" OR "Murderous Thoughts"
Tues, Nov. 26 Civil War I: Battlefields and Homefronts
Read: Shaara, pp. 1-155
Thur, Nov. 28 THANKSGIVING: NO CLASS
[FINISH READING SHAARA]
Tues. Dec. 3 Civil War II: Experiences of War
Read: Shaara, pp. 156-352; F&J, "The Civil War"
Class Project: What Are We Fighting For?
Thur. Dec. 5 Emancipation and Reconstruction I: Politics
Read: G&M, chpt. 16, pp. 607-638
Tues. Dec. 10 Emancipation and Reconstruction II: Is Freedom Just Another
Word?
Read: F&J, "Reconstruction, 1865-1868"; Biblio, Doc 36; G&M,
"Competing Voices," pp. 650-652
Class Project: The Meanings and Limits of Freedom
FINAL EXAM: Fri., December 20, Noon-3:00 PM