History 161
U.S. History to 1865
Fall 2007
M W 9:00am-9:50am
Hochstetter 114
Prof. Erik Seeman
seeman@buffalo.edu
Park 534, 645-2181 x534
Office hours: Mon 1-3
Goals: This course will
provide students with a foundation for better understanding the origins
of the country in which we live. Many of the themes that we will
cover in this class are themes that resonate throughout the history of
America to the present day: the interactions--sometimes
cooperative, sometimes conflictual--among people of different races and
ethnicities; the growth of a society in which religion plays a central
role; the creation of a distinctly American form of government in which
ordinary people have a say; and the place of the family in negotiating
changes occurring in the workplace and economy. At the same time
that students are learning about early America they will also be
working to improve their reading, writing, and critical thinking skills.
Assignments: There are
several assignments required of students in addition to attending
lecture and participating in weekly discussion sections: two
three-page papers; ten Going to the Source charts; a midterm; and a
final exam.
The Going to the Source charts are found in each chapter of that book
and must be submitted in recitation. They will be graded either
as “check” (acceptable) or “check minus” (unacceptable). Each
“check” is worth one point toward the possible total of ten.
Because these charts will be used to encourage class participation, a
student who submits six or fewer will get no higher than a D for class
participation, and a student who submits four or fewer will get an F
for class participation.
UB Learns: Go to the UB
Learns page for study questions and other handouts, the syllabus, and
links to other history web pages.
Grading: Note that
because participation in section discussion is very important, it will
count for 20% of your final grade.
Class participation:
20%
Going to the Source charts: 10%
total (1% each)
Three-page papers:
10% each
Midterm:
15%
Final exam:
35%
Plagiarism Policy:
According to the UB Undergraduate Catalog, "Students are responsible
for the independent and honest completion and representation of their
work, for the appropriate citation of sources, and for respect for
others' academic endeavors. By placing their name on academic
work, students certify the originality of all work not otherwise
identified by appropriate acknowledgments." A student found to be
in violation of these guidelines will receive a sanction appropriate to
the severity of the infraction, up to and including receiving an "F"
for the course.
Readings: The following
books may be purchased at the University Bookstore and are available on
reserve at the Undergraduate Library. There are also two required
articles on the web. These are labelled "BISON" and can be
downloaded for free at any campus library through the UB Library online
course reserve system.
Eric Foner, Give Me Liberty: An American History, vol. 1, Seagull
Edition (New York, 2006), ISBN 0-393-92783-0
Victoria Bissell Brown and Timothy J. Shannon, Going to the
Source: The Bedford Reader in American History, vol. 1 to 1877
(Boston, 2004), ISBN 0-312-40204-X
Richard Godbeer, Escaping Salem: The Other Witch Hunt of 1692
(New York, 2005)
Hannah W. Foster, The Coquette, ed. Cathy N. Davidson (New York, 1986)
Week One: Before Contact
Aug. 27: Introduction
Aug. 29: American Indian Societies
Readings: Foner, 1-10
Week Two: Old World Interactions
Sept. 3: no lecture – Labor Day
Sept. 5: Portugal and Africa
Readings: Going to the Source, ch. 1
Week Three: Early Exploration
Sept. 10: Spanish and French Empires
Sept. 12: English Colonization
Readings: Going to the Source, ch. 2
Foner, 10-35
Week Four: The Chesapeake
Sept. 17: Life and Death in the Chesapeake
Sept. 19: Transition to Slavery
Readings: T.H. Breen and Stephen Innes, “Patriarch on Pungoteague
Creek” (BISON)
Foner, 36-54
Week Five: New England
Sept. 24: Puritans and Indians
Sept. 26: Women and Witchcraft
Three-page paper due in lecture
Readings: Godbeer, Escaping Salem
Foner, 54-70
Week Six: Convergences
Oct. 1: Middle Colonies
Oct. 3: Convergence of American Regions
Readings: Going to the Source, ch. 3
Foner, ch. 3
Week Seven: Precursors to Revolution
Oct. 8: Revivalism and Enlightenment
Oct. 10: Seven Years War and Imperial Crisis
Readings: Going to the Source, ch. 4
Foner, ch. 4
Week Eight: Revolution
Oct. 15: Ideals of 1776
Oct. 17: Midterm
Readings: Going to the Source, ch. 5
Declaration of Independence, Foner A35-A38
Foner, ch. 5 and 6
Week Nine: Constitutions
Oct. 22: State Constitutions
Oct. 24: U.S. Constitution and Ratification
Readings: Going to the Source, ch. 7
James Madison, Federalist Papers 10 and 51 (BISON)
U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, Foner A39-A49
Foner, ch. 7
Week Ten: Early Republic
Oct. 29: Gender and Virtue
Oct. 31: Politics and War
Three-page paper due in lecture
Readings: Foster, The Coquette
Foner, chs. 8 and 9
Week Eleven: The North
Nov. 5: Industrialization
Nov. 7: Revival and Reform
Readings: Going to the Source, ch. 11
Foner, chs. 10 and 12
Week Twelve: The South
Nov. 12: Slaves and Slavery
Nov. 13: Masters and Poor Whites
Readings: Going to the Source, ch. 9
Foner, ch. 11
Week Thirteen: Jacksonian Era
Nov. 19: Democracy and Land
Nov. 22: no lecture – Thanksgiving break
Readings: none
Week Fourteen: The 1850s
Nov. 26: Crisis
Nov. 28: The Road to Disunion
Readings: Going to the Source, ch. 12
Foner, ch. 13
Week Fifteen: War
Dec. 3: The Civil War
Dec. 5: War and Society
Readings: Going to the Source, ch. 13
Foner, ch. 14
Final Exam: TBA (sometime during exam period, Dec. 11 to 18)
Students are responsible for being available on all possible exam dates.