Course Description
A survey of the history of the United States from the cultures present when Europeans arrived in the late 15th century through the Civil War and Reconstruction. Emphasis is placed on political as well as economic, cultural, and social forces which have shaped the American past. This course satisfies the U.S. Constitution requirement for graduation. IAI: S2 900.
Prerequisite(s)
Appropriate assessment score or ENGL 1422 with a grade of C or better - Must be taken either prior to or at the same time as this course.
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Distinguish between primary and secondary sources as the foundation of modern historical scholarship
- Interpret primary sources critically by analyzing their historical contexts;
- Formulate historical interpretations, both orally and in writing, and defend them critically with reference to primary and secondary sources
- Demonstrate an understanding of the various political, social, and economic movements within the United States, including the origins and development of its peoples and cultures to 1877
Topical Outline
1. Two Worlds Meet
2. Colonizing the New World
3. The Founding of New England
4. The Expansion of English North America
5. Colonial Slavery
6. The English Imperial System
7. The Battle for North America
8. The Colonial Crisis
9. The Revolutionary War
10. Building a Republic
11. Creating the Constitution
12. The Federalist Era
13. The Jeffersonian Republic
14. Western Expansion and the War of 1812
15. The New North
16. The Expanding Republic
17. The Age of Jackson
18. The Reform Movement
19. The Origins of the Women's Rights Movement
20. The Old South
21. Manifest Destiny
22. The Fate of the Union
23. Secession and Preparing for War
24. The War of the Rebellion, 1861-1863
25. The War of the Rebellion
26. Reconstruction, 1863-1865
27. Reconstruction, 1866-1867
28. Reconstruction, 1686-1877