American History I 4219-AW101
This lecture has three central topics: the origins and development of European colonies in North America, the causes and consequences of the American Revolution, and the 19th century development of American society leading to the Civil War. Woven into these topics will be a consideration of place and fate of Native Americans, the origins and growth of slavery, and the evolving role of women.
Type of course
Learning outcomes
1. Students will gain an understanding of the general themes of American history from the earliest explorations and colonies through Reconstruction.
2. Students will learn to read critically the contributions of historians to our understanding of American history.
3. Students will learn how to analyze primary sources for what they reveal about the era in which they were produced.
4. Students will learn to synthesize this material to make arguments that demonstrate their understanding of American history.
Assessment criteria
Students will be required to take a final, written exam consisting of three short essays on assigned texts (40% of the grade) and one long essay addressing a main theme of the course (60% of the grade). The short essays will be evaluated on how accurately the answer summarizes the argument and evidence of the assigned reading. The long essay will be evaluated on the essay’s comprehensiveness (how well it addresses the various aspects of the question), accuracy (how well the main theme of the essay answers the question and how well the evidence used in the essay supports the essay’s argument), argument (how well the essay develops a coherent, logical argument answering the question), and evidence (the essay’s synthesis of relevant information from the lectures and assigned readings).
Bibliography
Required textbook: American Journey, v1
Various scholarly essays and primary sources such as
Breen and Foster, “Moving to the New World”
Kerber, “The Republican Mother”
Welter, “The Cult of True Womanhood”
Morgan, “Puritans and Sex”
Breen, “Horses and Gentlemen”
Isaac, “Dramatizing the Ideology of the Revolution”
Maier, “Popular Uprisings and Civil Authority”
Merrell, “The Indians’ New World”
Martin, “Commodities of the Hunt”
Johnson, “The Modernization of Mayo Greenleaf Patch”
Nash, “Transformation of Urban Politics”
Dublin, “Women, Work, and the Family”
Pierson, “The Escalation of Republican Anti-Slavery Rhetoric”
Grant, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”
Selections from the Federalist Papers
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: