Course Description
A chronological and thematic history of the South from Spanish exploration and Jamestown's settlement through the secession crisis of l860-1861, with an emphasis on the social, cultural, economic, and political aspects of southern life in the colonial and antebellum periods.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Extra research and papers normally required for graduate level work.
Athena Title
ANTEBELLUM SOUTH
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
This course explores the history of the American South from the first European contact -- Spanish exploration and English colonization -- to the breakdown of the Union and the Civil War. It is designed to give students an understanding of the origins of the South's regional distinctiveness in terms of race, culture, economy, and relationship to the rest of the United States. A principal objective of the course is to teach students to think critically for themselves about the relationships between the past and the present, to learn to ask questions of the past that enable them to understand the present and mold the future, and to become attuned to both the limitations and possibilities of change. The course seeks to acquaint students with the ways in which past societies and peoples have defined the relationships between community and individual needs and goals, and between ethical norms and decision-making. In general students will be expected to: 1. read a wide range of primary and secondary sources critically. 2. polish skills in critical thinking, including the ability to recognize the difference between opinion and evidence, and the ability to evaluate--and support or refute--arguments effectively. 3. write stylistically appropriate and mature papers and essays using processes that include discovering ideas and evidence, organizing that material, and revising, editing, and polishing the finished papers.
Topical Outline
Introduction Spanish Exploration Southeastern Indians English Settlement Origins of Slavery The Colonial South -- Economy The Colonial South -- Culture The Revolutionary South The Frontier South The Expanding South Slavery Class Structure -- Free Blacks Class Structure -- Poor Whites Education and the Literary South Politics -- Sectional Tensions Secession
Syllabus