American History I, Spring 2001

HOUSATONIC COMMUNITY COLLEGE
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History 201: American History I
Anthony A. Ball, Instructor

On-Line Course Syllabus, Spring 2001

Sample Essays

Past Tests (Samples)

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Required Text:
Robert A. Divine, et al., America Past and Present, Vol. 1, 5th edition (Addison Wesley Educational Publishers, 1999).

Instructor:
Anthony A. Ball, (203) 332-5170, Office A-211. Send e-mail to TonyBall96@aol.com or click the envelope icon to the left.

Class Meetings:
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:30-1:50 p.m., Room C-232.

Office Hours:
Mondays and Wednesdays, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., Thursdays, 9:00-11:00 a.m., or by appointment.

Catalogue Course Description:
Covers the political, economic, and social development of the United States through 1865. From the earliest settlement and exploration through the Civil War, this course examines topics such as the colonial contribution to American democracy, the struggle for independence, formation of a national government, the Age of Jackson, westward expansion and the controversy over slavery.

Parallel/Prerequisite:
English 101

Course Requirements:
25% Four tests (2/15, 3/13, 4/10 and 5/1). Each test will consist of multiple choice, true/false and short essay questions. Click the Textbook Resources icon to go to practice questions.

25% A 5-7 page paper, to be assigned on 2/6 and due on 5/3. Each paper will utilize primary sources to examine a problem or issue in American history. We will discuss this assignment in greater length on 2/6.

25% A Final Examination, on 5/10, covering all material.

25% Class Attendance and Participation. This grade is based on three factors: (1) actual attendance; (2) demonstrated preparedness; (3) meaningful contributions to class discussions.

Extra Credit. I will provide 4-5 short extra credit assignments. You may use these to supplement low grades on any of the short tests. However, to receive a passing grade in the course, you must still take and pass the final examination.

Schedule of Classes and Readings
Date(s)	Topic	Assigned Reading (to be done prior to class)
1/18	Introductions, Overview of Course	None
Part I: Pre-Colonial and Colonial Period
1/23	Native American Cultures prior to European Arrival; Africa before the North Atlantic Slave Trade	Chapter 1, pages 3-14
1/25	Europe on the Eve of Conquest; French, Spanish and English Approaches to the New World	Chapter 1, pages 14-29
1/30	English Colonization: Comparison of Chesapeake Experience with Massachusetts Bay and the Middle Colonies	Chapter 2, all
2/1	Family, Social Structure and Slavery in Colonial North America	Chapter 3, pages 65-81
2/6	Economics, Politics and Social Unrest to 1700; Paper Assignments Distributed	Chapter 3, pages 82-95
2/8	Eighteenth Century America: Social and Cultural	Chapter 4, pages 98-114; 116-117
2/13	Clash of Political Cultures; Century of Imperial War	Chapter 4, pages 114-115; 118-129
2/15	Test #1, Covering Chapters 1-4; Lectures through 2/13.	None
Part II: Independence and Early Republic
2/20	The Movement Toward Independence (1763-1776)	Chapter 5, pages 131-152
2/22	The Revolution; Problems of the Early Republic (1776-1787)	Chapter 5, pages 152-162; Chapter 6, pages 165-184
2/27	The Constitutional Convention and the Struggle for Ratification	Chapter 6, pages 184-196
3/1	Democracy in Distress: The Washington and Adams Presidencies	Chapter 7, all
3/6	Jeffersonian Ascendancy: Expansion and Reform	Chapter 8, pages 231-249
3/8	The Failure of Foreign Policy and the "Strange War of 1812"	Chapter 8, pages 249-258
3/13	Test #2, Covering Chapters 5-8; Lectures from 2/20 through 3/8.	None
Part III: Nation Building and Jacksonian Democracy
3/15	Nationalism and Nation Building; Emergence of a Market Economy; the Missouri Compromise and the Brewing Controversy over Slavery	Chapter 9, all
3/20 and 3/22	Spring Break: No Classes
3/27	Andrew Jackson and the "Triumph of White Men's Democracy"	Chapter 10, all
3/29	The Second Great Awakening; Temperance, Abolitionism, Women's Suffrage and other Antebellum Reform Movements	Chapter 11, all
4/3	Westward Expansion: The Texan Revolution, Oregon Trail and Mormon Trek	Chapter 12, pages 349-358
4/5	Westward Expansion: Manifest Destiny and the Mexican-American War; Invention and Immigration	Chapter 12, pages 358-378
4/10	Test #3, Covering Chapters 9-12; Lectures from 3/15 through 4/5.	None
Part IV: Slavery, Sectionalism, Secession and Civil War
4/12	Masters and Slaves: Social Structure and the Institution of Slavery in the Antebellum South	Chapter 6, pages 198-201 Chapter 13, pages 381-397
4/17	The Black Experience Under Slavery; Free Blacks in North and South	Chapter 13, pages 397-406
4/19	The Sectional Crisis over Slavery (1846-1860)	Chapter 14, all
4/24	The Civil War: From Secession to Gettysburg	Chapter 15, pages 441-463
4/26	The Civil War: From Gettysburg to Appomattox	Chapter 15, pages 463-471
5/1	Test #4, Covering Chapters 13-15; Lectures from 4/12 through 4/26.	None
5/3	Paper Discussion; Wrap-Up	None, Final Papers Due
The Final Examination will be on 5/10, 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. The final will be cumulative, meaning it will cover material from the entire course.