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AMERICAN HISTORY I
On-Line Syllabus & Course Web Site
Section
1 (CRN 3349), Anthony A. Ball, Instructor |
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E-Mail
Tony Ball
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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 A-228.
Office Hours:
Mondays and Wednesdays, 3:30-5:00 p.m., Tuesdays, 8:00-9:30
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 (9/26, 10/19, 11/9
and 12/5). Each
test will consist of multiple choice and short essay questions. Click the Textbook
Resources icon to go to practice questions.
25% A 5-7 page paper, to be assigned on
9/14 and due on 12/7. Each paper will utilize primary sources to examine a problem
or issue in American history. We will discuss this assignment in
greater length on 9/14.
25% A Final Examination, date to be announced,
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.
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Textbook
Resources
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History Links
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Lecture
Notes
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Assignments
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Sample Papers
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Model Essays
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Search the Web
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Schedule of Classes
and Readings |
| Date(s) |
Topic |
Assigned
Reading (to be done prior to class) |
| 8/29 |
Introductions, Overview of Course |
None |
| Part I: Pre-Colonial and Colonial Period |
| 8/31 |
Native
American Cultures prior to European Arrival; Africa before the North Atlantic Slave Trade |
Chapter
1, pages 3-14 |
| 9/5 |
Europe
on the Eve of Conquest; French, Spanish and English Approaches to the New World |
Chapter
1, pages 14-29 |
| 9/7 |
English
Colonization: Comparison of Chesapeake Experience with Massachusetts Bay and the Middle
Colonies |
Chapter 2, all |
| 9/12 |
Family, Social
Structure and Slavery in Colonial North America |
Chapter 3, pages
65-81 |
| 9/14 |
Economics,
Politics and Social Unrest to 1700; Paper Assignments Distributed |
Chapter 3, pages
82-95 |
| 9/19 |
Eighteenth
Century America: Social and Cultural |
Chapter
4, pages 98-114;
116-117 |
| 9/21 |
Clash of
Political Cultures; Century of Imperial War |
Chapter
4, pages 114-115;
118-129 |
| 9/26 |
Test
#1, Covering Chapters 1-4; Lectures through 9/21. |
None |
| Part II: Independence and Early
Republic |
| 9/28 |
The
Movement Toward Independence (1763-1776) |
Chapter
5, pages 131-152 |
| 10/3 |
The
Revolution; Problems of the Early Republic (1776-1787) |
Chapter
5, pages 152-162;
Chapter 6, pages 165-184 |
| 10/5 |
The
Constitutional Convention and the Struggle for Ratification |
Chapter
6, pages 184-196 |
| 10/10 |
Democracy
in Distress: The Washington and Adams Presidencies |
Chapter
7, all |
| 10/12 |
Jeffersonian
Ascendancy: Expansion and Reform |
Chapter
8, pages 231-249 |
| 10/17 |
The
Failure of Foreign Policy and the "Strange War of 1812" |
Chapter
8, pages 249-258 |
| 10/19 |
Test
#2, Covering Chapters 5-8; Lectures from 9/28 through 10/17. |
None |
| Part III: Nation Building and
Jacksonian Democracy |
| 10/24 |
Nationalism
and Nation Building; Emergence of a Market Economy; the Missouri Compromise and the
Brewing Controversy over Slavery |
Chapter
9, all |
| 10/26 |
Andrew
Jackson and the "Triumph of White Men's Democracy" |
Chapter
10, all |
| 10/31 |
The
Second Great Awakening; Temperance, Abolitionism, Women's Suffrage and other Antebellum
Reform Movements |
Chapter
11, all |
| 11/2 |
Westward
Expansion: The Texan Revolution, Oregon Trail and Mormon Trek |
Chapter
12, pages 349-358 |
| 11/7 |
Westward
Expansion: Manifest Destiny and the Mexican-American War; Invention and Immigration |
Chapter
12, pages 358-378 |
| 11/9 |
Test
#3, Covering Chapters 9-12; Lectures from 10/24 through 11/7. |
None |
| Part IV: Slavery, Sectionalism,
Secession and Civil War |
| 11/14 |
Masters
and Slaves: Social Structure and the Institution of Slavery in the Antebellum South |
Chapter
6, pages 198-201
Chapter 13, pages 381-397 |
| 11/16 |
The
Black Experience Under Slavery; Free Blacks in North and South |
Chapter
13, pages 397-406 |
| 11/21 |
The
Sectional Crisis over Slavery (1846-1860) |
Chapter
14, all |
| 11/23 |
No
Class -- Thanksgiving Holiday |
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| 11/28 |
The
Civil War: From Secession to Gettysburg |
Chapter
15, pages 441-463 |
| 11/30 |
The
Civil War: From Gettysburg to Appomattox |
Chapter
15, pages 463-471 |
| 12/5 |
Test
#4, Covering Chapters 13-15; Lectures from 11/14 through 11/30. |
None |
| 12/7 |
Paper
Discussion; Wrap-Up |
None, Final
Papers Due |
FINAL EXAMINATION, DATE TBA (EXAM WEEK BEGINS 12/13, ENDS 12/19)
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