Sidebar

Textbooks & Teaching Home
Journal of American History

2001 Syllabi
Teaching the American History Survey


Gary J. Kornblith & Carol Lasser
Editors' Introduction | Article

US History to 1865/1877


Douglas Egerton
Le Moyne College

Karl Jacoby
Brown University

Gary Kornblith
Oberlin College

Lewis Perry
St. Louis University

Joshua Piker
University of Oklahoma

Doug Sackman
University of Puget Sound

William Scott
Kenyon College

Virginia Scharff
University of New Mexico

Maris A. Vinovskis
University of Michigan

US History since 1865/1877


Douglas Egerton
Le Moyne College

Doug Sackman
Oberlin College

Virginia Scharff
University of New Mexico

William Scott
Kenyon College

U.S. History to 1865

Lewis Perry


HS - A260 - 02 SPRING 2001

U.S. HISTORY TO 1865 Humanities 243, T TH 11-12:15


THEME OF COURSE: Citizenship and Identity in Early American History

INSTRUCTOR: Lewis Perry, John Francis Bannon, S.J., Professor of History & American Studies, Office: Humanities 323; Phone: 977-7140; email: perryl@slu.edu; office hours: T Th 1-2

A WebCT site has been created for this class. It will include a copy of this syllabus, with any revisions that are made, and will be updated with weekly questions, instructions, and information.


COURSE GOALS: This seminar will introduce students to some of the major themes in American history from European colonization to the end of the Civil War. Particular emphasis will be placed on issues related to American identity, citizenship, racial diversity, republican government, democracy, and reform. The course is designed, especially for freshmen, as an alternative to the traditional large lecture course in American history. The course aims to improve skills in reading documents, discussing significant issues, and writing analytical and interpretative essays. It fulfills all requirements for History 260.


ASSIGNED BOOKS (All should be available for purchase at the campus bookstore):


Paul Boyer et al., The Enduring Vision, Vol. 1, Concise Third Edition (Houghton Mifflin).

Michael Bellesisles, Bibliobase Custom Coursepack for History, U.S. History to 1865 (Houghton Mifflin). A collection of primary sources prepared for this class.

Thomas Paine, Common Sense and Related Writings, edited by Thomas Slaughter (Bedford Books). It is important to get this edition of Paine's works.

Theda Perdue & Michael D. Green, eds., The Cherokee Removal (Bedford Books).

Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, edited by David W. Blight (Bedford Books). It is important to get this edition of Douglass's autobiography.


CALENDAR OF ASSIGNMENTS:


WEEK OF JAN. 16: PRECOLONIAL AMERICA

Boyer, chapter one. (Bring one important question for discussion on Thursday.)


WEEK OF JAN. 22: DISCOVERY AND CONFLICT

Boyer, chapter two

Bibliobase documents 1-6


WEEK OF JAN.29: COLONIAL & PROVINCIAL AMERICA

Boyer, chapters three & four

Documents 7-13


WEEK OF FEB. 5: COMING OF REVOLUTION

Boyer, chapter five

Document 14

Declaration of Independence (Boyer appendix)

Paine, Common Sense and Related Writings


PAPER DUE ON PAINE AND REVOLUTIONARY CITIZENSHIP (1250 words)


WEEK OF FEB. 12: REVOLUTION AND CONSTITUTION

Boyer, chapter six

Documents 15-18, Constitution (Boyer appendix)


WEEK OF FEB. 19: THE NEW NATION

Boyer, chapter seven

Documents 19-22


WEEK OF FEB 26: THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC

Boyer, chapter eight

Documents 23-26


WEEK OF MARCH 5: NATIVE AMERICANS

Perdue & Green, Cherokee Removal


PAPER DUE ON CHEROKEES AND AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP (1250 words)


March 12-17: SPRING BREAK


WEEK OF MARCH 19: MARKET REVOLUTION

Boyer, chapter nine

Documents 27-28, 32, 38, 41-42


WEEK OF MARCH 26: DEMOCRACY AND THE PARTY SYSTEM

Boyer, chapter ten, to p. 218

Documents 29-31, 33-34, 39


WEEK OF APRIL 2: REFORM

Boyer, chapter ten, pp. 218-29 & chapter eleven

Documents 35-36, 44-46, 47


WEEK OF APRIL 9: THE OLD SOUTH

Boyer, chapter twelve

Documents 37, 48, 50


WEEK OF APRIL16: AFRICAN AMERICANS

Document 49

Douglass, Narrative


PAPER DUE ON DOUGLASS AND U.S. CITIZENSHIP (1250 words)


WEEK OF APRIL 23: EXPANSION AND CRISIS

Boyer, chapters thirteen and fourteen

Documents 40, 43, 51-53


WEEK OF APRIL 30: CIVIL WAR

Boyer, chapter fifteen & sixteen, pp. 342-5 & 352-5

Documents 54-59


FINAL PAPER DUE (1500 words)


ESSAYS AND WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS:


Weekly assignments (questions, quizzes, short papers)

Three essays

Final essay on either the development of American identity or the development of American citizenship to 1865


ESSAYS SHOULD BE "TYPED" AND GIVEN A TITLE AND PAGE NUMBERS. THEY SHOULD BE WELL WRITTEN AND ORGANIZED. THEY SHOULD MAKE EFFECTIVE USE OF THE DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE THE COURSE MAKES AVAILABLE.


OTHER ASSIGNMENTS:


Participation in every discussion

Presentation and leadership of one discussion

Two scheduled conferences with instructor (last two weeks of Feb., first two weeks of April)

Visit to Cahokia (to be discussed at first class)


WEIGHTING OF GRADED ASSIGNMENTS


Three essays 45 %

Final paper 20%

Presentation 15%

Other papers, quizzes, submissions 10%

Participation/discussion 10 %


PLEASE NOTE:


I WILL ADHERE TO THE STANDARDS IN THE UNDERGRADUATE CATALOG:
A = High achievement and intellectual initiative; B = Above average achievement; C = Average achievement; D = Inferior but passing achievement; F = Failure.


ATTENDANCE IS REQUIRED. READING ASSIGNMENTS ARE TO BE DONE BY TUESDAY UNLESS OTHERWISE INSTRUCTED. ESSAYS ARE DUE AT START OF CLASS ON THURSDAY. WORK MUST BE SUBMITTED ON TIME: I WILL DEDUCT A FULL GRADE FOR EACH DAY OR PART OF A DAY (BEGINNING AT THE CLASS HOUR AND INCLUDING WEEKEND AND VACATION DAYS) A PAPER IS LATE. LATE PAPERS REMAIN LATE UNTIL I HAVE RECEIVED THEM (SHOVING THEM UNDER AN OFFICE DOOR IS NOT RECOMMENDED). MY GUIDING CONSIDERATION IN ALL DECISIONS CONCERNING LATE OR RESCHEDULED WORK IS FAIRNESS TO STUDENTS WHO DO THEIR WORK ON TIME.


ACADEMIC DISHONESTY WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT THIS MEANS, PLEASE ASK IN ADVANCE.