History 7A
The African American Experience: Slavery to Freedom
History 7A is the first half of a two-part survey course in African American history. The purpose of this course is to provide a general knowledge of the social, political, and cultural history of African Americans from colonial times to the conclusion of the Civil War. The processes of enslavement, development of slave culture, formation of free communities, rise of abolitionism, and life in the immediate post-Emancipation era are all discussed with an emphasis on the action and experiences of people of African descent. The African American experience was not monolithic; location, condition of servitude, class, and gender must all be considered when analyzing the African American past.
Student grades are based on the quality of classroom discussions, written assignments. and examinations. Students are encouraged to complete the assigned reading prior to class meetings in order to promote both lively and informed discussion. Students are required to attend all classes for successful completion of the course. Unexcused absences will result in a lower grade. Two examinations, a midterm and a final, are scheduled for the class. Examinations must be taken when scheduled. Unexcused absences from examinations are considered serious infractions of course requirements and will be dealt with accordingly. Written work for the course consists of one short paper (5 pages) and a longer paper (10 pages) due on the dates listed on the syllabus.
Required Reading
The following works are required reading for the course.
- Egerton, Douglas, Gabriel’s Rebellion: The Virginia Slave Conspiracies of 1800 and 1802 (1993)
- Finkelman, Paul, Slavery and the Founders: Race and Liberty in the Age of Jefferson (1996)
- Harris, Leslie, In the Shadow of Slavery: African Americans in New York City, 1626–1863 (2003)
- Johnson, Walter, Soul by Soul: Life inside the Antebellum Slave Market (1999)
- Larson, Katherine, Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of am American Hero (2004)
- McLaurin, Melton, Celia: A Slave (1991)
- Morgan, Jennifer, Laboring Women: Reproduction and Gender in New World Slavery (2004)
- Morrison, Michael, Slavery and the American West: The Eclipse of Manifest Destiny and the Coming of the Civil War (1997)
- Stauffer, John, The Black Hearts of Men
- Werner-Lapsansky, Emma, et al., African American Lives: The Struggle for Freedom (2005)
- Wilentz, Sean, ed., David Walker’s Appeal (1995)
A few additional readings, “Reconsidering the Internal Slave Trade,” by Lacy Ford and “The Domestic Slave Trade in America,” by Steven Deyle, both in Walter Johnson’s edited volume, The Chattel Principle: Internal Slave Trades in the Americas (2004), are also part of the required readings.
Assignments & Readings
Week 1
Course Orientation
- Aug. 30 Introduction
- African Beginnings
- Reading: African American Lives, chapters 1–2
Week 2
Slavery—The New World Experience
- Sept. 5 Nature of the Slave Trade
- Origins of Racism
- Reading: African American Lives, chapters 3
Week 3
The Colonial Experience of Slavery—South
- Sept. 12 Bonded Labor
- A Black Majority
- Reading: Laboring Women: African American Lives, chapter 4
Week 4
The Colonial Experience of Slavery—North
- Sept. 19 New England and the Mid-Atlantic States
- Reading: In the Shadow of Slavery
- MIDTERM September 22
Week 5
Slavery and the Ideology of Freedom
- Sept. 26 Are All Men Created Equal?
- Are All Men Created Equal? Discussion
- Reading: Slavery and the Founders, chapters 1, 5–6
Week 6
Black Abolition
- Oct. 3
- “What’s good for the goose—” To Free Ourselves
- (FIRST PAPER DUE October 6)
- Reading: David Walker’s Appeal; “Domestic Slave Trade in America” African American Lives, chapter 5–6
--------MID TERM BREAK October 8–16 ---------
Week 7
Life in the New Republic
- Oct. 17 The Limits of Freedom
- Economic Underpinnings of Liberty
- Reading: African American Lives, chapter7
Week 8
Freedom Fighters and other radicals
- Oct. 24 To Be Men! The Bloody Sword of Freedom
- Reading: Gabriel’s Rebellion; African American Lives, chapter 8
Week 9
Slave Culture and Family
- Oct. 31 What Is Community?
- The Community of Slaves
- Reading: Soul by Soul; “Reconsidering the Internal Slave Trade”
Week 10
The role of women in Slavery
- Nov. 7 Sex and Power
- Slavery and Womanhood
- Reading: Celia, a Slave, xi–143; Slavery and the Founders, chapter 7
Week 11
Running to be Free
- Nov. 14 A Tenuous, Costly Liberty
- Reading: Bound for the Promised Land
Week 12
Slavery and the Coming of the Civil War
- Nov. 21 Achieving Liberty Through Reform?
- Reading: “The Black Hearts of Men,” African American Lives, chapter 9
THANKSGIVING BREAK
Week 13
Slavery and Western Expansion (SECOND PAPER DUE December 1)
- Nov. 28 Go West, Young (Black?) Man!
- Reading: Slavery and the American West
Week 14
Transition to Freedom
- Dec. 6 The Freedman’s Bureau
- Final class The Black War Effort
- Readings: African American Lives, chapters 10–11; H.R. 29 Reparations
A FINAL EXAM IS SCHEDULED AND WILL BE ANNOUNCED