HIST 1311: History of the United States to 1865 Spring 2017 Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2pm to 3:30pm Instructor: Paul Ruiz-Requena Email: paul.ruizrequena@mavs.uta.edu Office Hours: By appointment. Course Content: This course is an introduction to the history of the United States. The course will begin by looking at the continents pre-colonial past and end with the Union s civil war victory in 1865. Over the course of the semester, we will be exploring the political, cultural, and economic roots of the United States. This course will bring attention to the tensions and challenges created by diplomacy, race, and national identity. This course is designed to help you understand and evaluate the past of our present society and further develop your critical thinking skills. The course consists of lectures from content covered in America: A Concise History, Volume One: To 1877. An outline of each lecture will be made available on Blackboard the day before the class. Students are encouraged to purchase the textbook, as it will provide a good overview of material that will show up on the exam. This is especially encouraged for students who have had little or no exposure to the narrative of US History. You should also acquire a copy of Reading American Horizons: Primary Sources for U.S. History in a Global Context, as my online quizzes will be drawn from the primary sources found in this text. Students will also be required to purchase one of four books which will be used to produce their term paper near the end of the semester. Students are expected to pace themselves while reading, as they will be participating in discussion groups with other students who have selected the same title. Student Learning Outcomes: By the end of the course, you will have a basic understanding of the early history of the United States, as well as the issues that shaped the development of the nation. You will also learn how to critically analyze information and craft historical arguments.
Lastly, you will walk out of this class with the ability to confidently identify differences in source materials and be able to pass educated judgements on the quality and context of such sources. Textbooks and Other Course Materials: - America: A Concise History, Volume One: To 1877 by James A. Henretta, Rebecca Edwards, and Robert O. - Reading American Horizons: Primary Sources for U.S. History in a Global Context, Volume 1 by Oxford University Press. - Outside Reading (one of your choosing): The Saltwater Frontier: Indians and the Contest for the American Coast by Andrew Lipman. Liberty s Exiles: American Loyalists in the Revolutionary World by Maya Jasanoff. The Marketplace of Revolution: How Consumer Politics Shaped American Independence by T.H. Breen. The Problem of Emancipation: The Caribbean Roots of the American Civil War by Edward Bartlett Rugemer. Course Policies: - Attendance policy: At this university, taking attendance is not required. That said, weekly online quizzes will test how well you have kept up with the primary source readings and in-class lecture. You will not be able to do well on these assessments if you miss out on lecture and discussion. - Technology policy: The classroom is a time for lecture and discussion. Laptops and other electronic note-taking devices are acceptable as long as your activities on them do not disrupt the class or your classmates. MP3 players and other electronic entertainment devices are not acceptable and must be turned off and put away during class.
- Behavior policy: Behavior which may result in you being asked to leave the class includes, but is not limited to: sleeping; talking during lectures, movies or clips; text messaging; playing with your cellphone; and working on other things during class. - Blackboard policy: Be sure to check it regularly for assignments, updates, exam dates, grades and other pertinent information. I will also post important communications & your Book Club handout through Blackboard. I will assume you receive all sent communications so check often. Assignments: - Book Club: During the first half of the semester students will meet for three book discussion sessions outside of class. Students are expected to use the online handouts that will become available on Blackboard ahead of the meeting, to discuss their reading and exchange ideas. Students will use a sign-in sheet to record group attendance and one member of the group will record the group s answers to the online handout, which will be emailed or turned in to me during the following class meeting. (Students may use the empty classroom, a library study room, or a place of their own choosing for these meetings) - Weekly Quiz: Due online by Saturday night, the weekly quiz will consist of a ten-question multiple choice quiz over information from the primary source assigned that week and the class lectures given that week. - Exams: There will be three exams, each testing on the last section covered in class. Exams will begin with five short identifications from material covered in class, in the text, or in the assigned primary source readings. The identification section will be followed by a thirty-question multiple choice section. While not cumulative, students are encouraged to make connections to previously covered material when working on their short identifications. Grading Policy: - Book Club 10% - Weekly Quiz 15% - Course Paper 30% - Tests 45%
Course Schedule: January 17 and January 19: Intro to course, how to analyze primary sources, and first group activity (examining history/writing a history paper/what is a thesis) January 24 and January 26: Indigenous cultures of the Americas beginning with the Olmec in 2500 BCE. (No Assigned Reading this Week. Book selection is due to me by email at the end of the week) January 31and February 2: Early European colonization experiences of France, Spain, the Dutch, and England, European society, their systems of labor, and their first contacts with indigenous peoples. Assigned Reading: Jean de Brébeuf, "Instructions for the Fathers of Our Society Who Shall Be Sent to the Hurons," (1637) February 7 and February 9: Introduction to British colonies in North America and the Caribbean. Assigned Reading: Barbados Assembly, "An Act for the Better Ordering and Governing of Negroes," excerpts, (1661) February 14 and February 16: Life in the early British North American colonies and relations with Native Americans. Assigned Reading: Saukamappee, as told to David Thompson, On the advent of horses and guns to the Blackfeet, excerpts, (1787-88) February 21: Exam #1 (No Assigned Readings this Week) February 23: First Book Club Meeting. February 28 and March 2: The colonial war for independence.
Assigned Reading: Thomas Hutchinson, Letter to Great Britain Describing Popular Unrest (1768, 1769) March 7 and March 9: The constitution and its implications for Native Americans and African slaves. Assigned Reading: James Madison, The Separation of Powers (1788) March 14 and March 16: Spring Break March 21: The first administrations of the U.S. and the rise of political parties. (No Assigned Readings this Week) March 23: Second Book Club Meeting. March 28 and March 30: The impact of the market revolution, and the second great awakening. Assigned Reading: Eli Whitney and Thomas Jefferson, Correspondence about Patenting the Cotton Gin (1793) April 4 and April 6: Westward Expansion, the Jackson era, and the growing divide between the North and the South. Assigned Reading: Excerpts from Memorial and Protest of the Cherokee Nation (1836) April 11: Exam #2 notification of where each student stands in regards to their grade. (No Assigned Readings this Week) April 13: Third Book Club Meeting
April 18 and April 20: The War of 1812, the Indian Wars, and the Mexican-American War. Assigned Reading: Visual Document: Victor Hugo, The Hanging of John Brown (1860) April 25 and April 27: The institution of slavery, the antebellum south, and the north s part in the peculiar institution. Course Paper Due by Sunday, April 30. Assigned Reading: Visual Document: Sheet music covers from the Boston Minstrels (1830-1860) May 2 and May 4: The civil war and emancipation. Assigned Reading: Henry Turner, Excerpts from Reminiscences of Emancipation Day (1863) May 9: Test #3 Disclaimer: This syllabus is a template of what I would do with a large survey class of over eighty students. It is only meant as an example of the type of experience I would try to bring to the basic survey class.