Texts
America: A Narrative History, George B. Tindall and David E. Shi, W.W. Norton & Company, 2016, 10th edition
A More Perfect Union, vols. 1-2, Story & Boller (primary source readings)
Economic Episodes in American History, Schug & Wood
Supplementary reading
FALL SEMESTER
Unit 1 – The Emerging Giant, 1880-1908
The Souls of Black Folk, DuBois Devil in the White City, Larson (summer)
Unit 2 – Reform, War, and Depression, 1900-1932
How the Other Half Lives, Riis
Unit 3 – The American Age, 1932-1952
The New Deal: Hope for the Nation, Edwards
World War II: On the Homefront, Emert
The Manhattan Project, Deitch
Unit 4 – Prosperity and Tumult, 1952-1980
The Vietnam Reader, O’Nan
The Cuban Missile Crisis, Valois
Civil Rights Movement, Yamasaki
Unit 5 – The Modern Era, 1980-present
SPRING SEMESTER
Unit 1 – Our Colonial Background, Prehistory-1763
American Colonies, Taylor
The Jesuit Relations: Natives and Missionaries..., Greer
Unit 2 – Forming a New Nation, 1763-1800
Common Sense, Paine
Unit 3 – Growing Pains, 1800-1840
The Lowell Mill Girls, Deitch
Unit 4 – A New Birth of Freedom, 1840-1865
When I Was a Slave, Yetman
This Mighty Scourge, McPherson
Unit 5 – Reshaping a Nation, 1865-1880
Assignments, projects, and links are on the Web site at www.tcamb1.com
Grading Policy
Short-answer tests and quizzes = 50%
Papers/Essays/Projects (at home and in class) = 35%
Class discussion/class work/group work = 15%
Tests, brief papers and essay assignments will be announced ahead of time quizzes may be announced or unannounced. Major papers that are late and unexcused will be graded down a letter grade for each day late. One-page writing assignments that are late will be given a zero. Plagiarism will result in academic consequences.
Goals and Purpose
The purpose of this course is to acquaint students with the ideas, events, values, conflicts, and achievements of the United States from its earliest beginnings to the modern period. This course is to be viewed not as an end -- not as the last course in American history you will ever take -- but rather as a beginning -- your first detailed look at the people and ideas that have shaped this nation. As a result of our readings, discussions, and writing, I hope you will develop a lifelong interest in history.
Facts, names, and events are important, but they are not the sum total of history. This course is designed to move beyond that to look at other issues, including these:
• How does historiography (the writing of history) affect our understanding of the United States? What difference does it make who writes history? How do primary sources enrich the information found in textbooks?
• How and why do certain issues and themes recur in our history? How have issues of race played out at various times in our history? What has been the role of faith and religion for Americans? Have differences in class, national origin, and gender affected our perceptions of what it is to be an American? How have we changed our definition or view of freedom over the centuries?
• How have issues in other related social science fields shaped the development of our national history? How has economic policy reflected the national character? How has the geography of this expanse influenced people and events? Have art, literature, and popular culture reflected or effected change?
Our goal is to examine these and other ideas in the context of readings and discussions. You must be committed to reading with diligence and openness, thinking with a critical mind, and speaking with insight and a willingness to listen to others. This is a college-level course, and I will expect your work and efforts to reflect that.
FALL SEMESTER (one exam at the end of each unit)
Unit 1 – The Emerging Giant, 1880-1908
Chap 17 – Business and Labor in the Industrial Era (748-795)
SKIP CHAPTER 18
Chap 19 – Political Stalemate and Rural Revolt (846-891)
Chap 20 – Seizing an American Empire (898-933)
Unit 2 – Reform, War, and Depression, 1900-1932
Chap 21 - The Progressive Era (936-983)
Chap 22 - America and The Great War (986-1025)
Chap 23 – A Clash of Cultures (1028-1059)
Chap 24 – The Reactionary Twenties (1062-1101)
Unit 3 – The American Age, 1932-1952
Chap 25 – The Great Depression (1104-1147)
Chap 26 - The Second World War (1150-1207)
Chap 27 – The Cold War and The Fair Deal (1214-1250 ONLY – NOT 1251-1255)
Unit 4 – Prosperity and Tumult, 1952-1980
Chap 27 – The Cold War and The Fair Deal (1251-1255 ONLY)
Chap 28 – Cold War America (1258-1305)
Chap 29 – A New Frontier and a Great Society (1308-1359)
Chap 30 - Rebellion and Reaction (1362-1411)
Chap 31 - A Conservative Revival (1414-1423 ONLY – NOT 1423-1455)
Unit 5 – The Modern Era, 1980-present
Chap 31 - A Conservative Revival (1423-1455 ONLY)
Chap 32 – Twenty-first Century America (1458-1513)
SPRING SEMESTER (one exam at the end of each unit)
Unit 1 – Our Colonial Background, Prehistory-1763
Chap 1 - The Collision of Cultures (4-51)
Chap 2 – England’s Colonies (54-105)
Chap 3 - Colonial Ways of Life (108-143)
Chap 4 – From Colonies to States (146-166 ONLY, NOT 166-193)
Unit 2 – Forming a New Nation, 1763-1800
Chap 4 – From Colonies to States (166-193 ONLY)
Chap 5 - The American Revolution (200-241)
Chap 6 – Strengthening a New Nation (244-299)
Unit 3 – Growing Pains, 1800-1840
Chap 7 - The Early Republic (302-343)
Chap 8 – The Emergence of a Market Economy (350-389)
Chap 9 – Nationalism and Sectionalism (392-419)
Chap 10 - The Jacksonian Era (422-461)
SKIP CHAP. 11
Chap 12 – Religion, Romanticism, and Reform (504-547)
Unit 4 – A New Birth of Freedom, 1840-1865
Chap 11 - The South, Slavery, and King Cotton (464-501)
Chap 13 – Western Expansion (554-595)
Chap 14 – The Gathering Storm (598-635)
Chap 15 - The War of the Union (638-697)
Unit 5 – Reshaping a Nation, 1865-1880
Chap 16 – The Era of Reconstruction (700-741)
SKIP CHAPTER 17
Chap 18 – The New South and the New West (798-843)
