H105- American History to 1877
TR 1:30-2:45
Call/Section: 3665/11
Kettler Hall
Instructor: Elizabeth Kuebler-Wolf
Email: [email protected]
Office: Classroom Medical 271
Phone: 481-6955
Office Hours: after class, or by appointment, or via email.
H105 is an introductory survey of the history of America from European contact in the 16th century to the end of Reconstruction in 1877. While some attention will be paid to the major political events which have shaped this nation, we will also focus what life was like for different kinds of people in the emerging nation; to wit, black and white Americans, men and women, Native and European alike. In the process, we will learn how different groups have contributed to the American story.
After successfully completing this course, students should:
3 quizzes @ 150 points each (450 total)
3 short position papers: (300 total)
Unit I paper = 50 points
Unit II paper = 100 points
Unit III paper = 150 points
Attendance & active participation =100 points
In class assignments, “pop” quizzes, etc. = 150 points total (6 of 7 total @ 25 points each)
Total points possible for class: = 1000
On any assignment or exam, grades are awarded on the standard percentage scale:
90-100% = A range (student demonstrates outstanding grasp of material)
80-89% = B range (indicates above average familiarity with concepts of class)
70-79% = C range (student has achieved minimum acceptable performance)
60-69% = D range (indicates student has made some effort)
59% or below = F (performance is below minimum passing standard)
1. Definition of attendance: physical presence in class, awake and alert, having read the material to be discussed, and prepared to make comments, ask questions, and participate in the life of the class.
2. Attendance in this class is expected, and required to achieve passing grades on the course exams and assignments. There is no substitute for lecture and in-class discussion; the books in this class are complementary but not identical to course material. In addition, the class is structured to incorporate a large measure of in-class discussion; the success of the class (as well as individual student success) depends upon students’ regular attendance.
3. Absences are at your own discretion. I do not require nor will I accept excuses or explanations for absences; however, attendance is noted and excessive absences (generally more than 2 in a semester) may result in the reduction of final course grade by up to 3 full letters (or 30 points) depending on severity of the case, or compulsory withdrawal from class per IPFW policy.
4. We cover something important in every class meeting. If you happen to miss a class, please check with another student for lecture notes.
5. Make-up
exam (aka “quiz”) and assignment policy:
There will be NO make up exams offered in this course. Exam dates are noted in the Reading and
Assignment Schedule below. Plan to be
here for each scheduled exam. If you
happen to miss an exam and have a legitimate excuse such as a medical
emergency (NOT a routine doctor’s appointment or work conflict), a comprehensive
essay worth 150 points will be offered in the second hour of the final exam
period- this may be taken to make up for one missed exam. More than one missed exam cannot be made up.
The pop-quizzes that comprise part of the attendance grade cannot be made
up.
Unit papers are due on the dates listed in the syllabus. Late assignments will be accepted with the following penalty: 2 letter grades (or 20%) every 24 hours past the due date. [E.G., if the paper is due on Tuesday, dock 2 letters (20%) from the grade until Wednesday at 1:30 pm, then 4 letter grades (40%) until Thursday at 1:30 pm. Unit papers will NOT be assigned a failing grade for lateness alone.] All unit papers and exams must be completed in order to pass the course.
Incompletes are not given.
When noted, specific activities in the class may require you to work in collaboration with other students; however, all take-home projects and in-class exams are expected to be the product of your individual effort.
Plagiarism (including uncredited use of Internet resources), cheating, and all varieties of academic dishonesty are serious offenses and will be dealt with according to University policy. If you are in doubt about what constitutes plagiarism, cheating, or academic misconduct, please consult the Code of Student Rights & Responsibilities. Cheating on any test or other assignment will result in a zero for that assignment. Further action may be taken according to university policies if warranted.
As a courtesy to other students, please turn off your cell phone ringer before class. If you forget to do so, please do not answer your phone during class. Answering your phone and engaging in a phone conversation during lecture or class discussion will automatically result in the reduction of your final course grade by one full letter.
LEP = Liberty, Equality, Power
WEB = http://www.geocities.com/kueblerwolf/H105
(Web-based readings appear as underlined text in the printed version of the syllabus.)
Important dates:
1/29 = 1st Unit paper
2/14 = 1st Unit exam
3/7 (changed from 3/5) = 2nd Unit paper
3/26 = 2nd Unit exam
4/30 = 3rd Unit paper
5/ 9 = 3rd Unit exam (Finals week)
Week 1: (1/15, 1/17) Introduction to the Course, First Contacts and the short-lived Middle Ground
Readings:
· LEP Chapter 1 (Skim pp. 1-31, read p. 31-43, starting with section titled “Contact and Cultural Misunderstanding”)
· LEP Chapter 2 (“New France” pp. 47-54)
· WEB: Bartolome de Las Casas, A Brief Account of the Devastation of the Indies
· WEB:Franco de los Cobos, Instructions to the Conquered
· WEB: browse through The Habitant in New France
Week 2: (1/22, 1/24) Cavaliers & Puritans, or Patterns of Settlement in Virginia and Massachusetts
Readings:
· LEP Chapter 2 & 3 (pp. 54-87, pp. 90-125)
· WEB: The Mayflower Compact
· WEB: List of passengers on the Mayflower
· WEB: Lists of Settlers by Occupation taken from John Smith’s writings
Week 3: (1/29, 1/31) Patterns of Settlement cont’d, The Great Awakening
Readings:
· LEP Chapter 3 &4 (pp. 90-125, pp. 126-171 )
· WEB Benjamin Franklin describes hearing George Whitefield preach
Week 4: (2/5, 2/7) Battling for control of the Continent, the Revolution
Readings:
· LEP Chapter 4 & 5 (pp. 126-171)
· WEB: Declaration of Independence
Week 5: (2/12, 2/14) The Revolting English, the Slave Trade
Readings:
· LEP Chapter 5 &6 (pp. 172-211, pp. 212-253)
· WEB The Middle Passage
o Alexander Falconbridge, “The men Negroes are fastened together by handcuffs…”
o Olaudah Equiano, “A multitude of Black people…chained together…”
Week 6: (2/19, 2/21) A New Republic, the Jefferson enigma
Readings:
· LEP Chapter 7 & 8 (pp. 256-287, pp. 289-320)
· WEB: Letter from Thomas Jefferson to Benjamin Banneker, transcription or digital copy of original
· WEB: Thomas Jefferson to Charles L’Enfant, on planning the city of Washington DC
· WEB: Plan of the City of Washington by Charles L’Enfant, 1792
· WEB: The Getting Word project at Monticello
Week 7: (2/26, 2/28) Patterns of Life the New Republic
A Midwife’s Tale
Readings:
·
LEP Chapter 9 & 10 (pp. 322-352, 353-384)
· WEB: Martha Ballard’s diary online
·
WEB: Primary
docs on Lowell Mill girls
Week 8: (3/5, 3/7) Patterns of Life in North and South, cont’d & begin Jacksonian America, an Age of Reform
Readings:
· LEP Chapter 10 & 11 (pp. 354-385, pp. 386-417)
· WEB: Declaration of Sentiments, Seneca Falls, NY, 1848
· WEB: Extract from a temperance address by Dr. J. S. Wilson
· WEB: Illustrations from Anti-Slavery Almanac for 1840
*****Due 3/7: Short Paper
#2******(changed from 3/5)
****** Spring Break Week of 3/11*****
Week 9: (3/19, 3/21) Jacksonian Politics/The Jacksonian Age:
Readings:
· LEP Chapter 12 (pp. 418-451)
· WEB: The Removal Act of 1830
· WEB: Images of bank notes from the Second Bank of the United States
Week 10: (3/26, 3/28) Manifest Destiny and the Trouble with Slavery
****EXAM #2 (unit 2) on 3/26
Readings:
· LEP Chapter 13 (pp. 452-482)
· WEB: Comments from contemporaries of John Brown, from John Brown’s Holy War
Week 11: (4/2, 4/4) The Turbulent 1850’s,
Readings:
· LEP Chapter 14 (pp. 482-517)
· WEB: Gallery of Images, from Uncle Tom’s Cabin and American Culture
· WEB: Harriett Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Chapter 6, “The Jealous Mistress”
· WEB: Mary Norcott Bryan, A Grandmother’s Recollections of Dixie, Letter I, Letter III, Letter, IV, Letter V, and Letter IX
Week 12: (4/9, 4/11) The Civil War, Part I
Readings:
· LEP Chapter 15 (pp. 518-557)
· WEB: Abraham Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address, March 7, 1861
· WEB: Richmond Enquirer, March 7, 1861, “Let us hear from the people”
· WEB: Staunton, Virginia Spectator, March 12, 1861 “The chief object—the preservation of the union”
· WEB: New York Tribune, March 9, 1861, “From Virginia: The effect of the inaugural”
Week 13: (4/16, 4/18) The Civil War, Part II
Readings:
· LEP Chapter 16 (pp. 558-595)
· WEB: Abraham Lincoln, The Emancipation Proclamation
**** Due 4/30: Short Paper #3******
Week 14: (4/23, 4/25) Aftermath & Reconstruction I
Readings:
· LEP Chapter 17 (pp. 596-626)
· WEB: Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address
Week 15: (4/30, 5/2) Reconstruction Part II
****** QUIZ #3 Final Exam Week 5/6-5/12 *******
Scheduled for Thursday, May 9,
1-3 pm
Check the Final Exam schedule to make sure you do not have conflicts.
