Course Description
History of the U.S. from the early republic through the antebellum period, with emphasis on territorial expansion, industrialization, the first and second political systems, and the emergence of the sectional crisis.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Additional research and/or writing is normally required of graduate students.
Athena Title
JEFFERSONIAN AMER.
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
To introduce students to the developments of the early republic and antebellum period that helped shape the political, social, economic, racial, and ethnic identification of America in its formative years as a nation. The 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
- Jeffersonian-Hamiltonian Politics - War of 1812 - Era of Good Feelings - Jacksonian Democracy - Slavery and Abolitionism - Northern Urbanization/Industrialism - Manifest Destiny/Westward Expansion - Mexican War - Sectional Crisis COURSE REQUIREMENTS - Two exams: midterm and final - Quizzes and in-class writing assignments based on assigned readings - Research paper (12 to 15 pp.) - Attendance and class participation ASSIGNED READINGS (subject to change) McCoy, "The Elusive Republic" Watson, "Liberty and Power" Perdue, "Cherokee Removal" Stowe, "Uncle Tom's Cabin" Lerda, "The Grimke Sisters"