Syllabus
United States History I

Syllabus Sections

Publish Date

04/30/2012 14:05:43

United States History I

HIST-1301

Summer 2012
05/29/2012 - 08/15/2012

Course Information

Section 059
Lecture
MW 6:00PM - 7:55PM
RGC1 025
Philip Cochran
pcochran@austincc.edu
(512) 223.3403

Office Hours

No office hours have been entered for this term.

Course Requirements

COURSE SYLLABUS

History of the United States to 1877

HISTORY 1301

Section/Synonym:  025/05267

Monday/Wednesday:  6:00 to 7:55 p.m.

 

INSTRUCTOR:                         Philip M. Cochran, Ph.D.

 

OFFICE HOURS:                      May 29 thru July 6, 2012

                                                Monday and Wednesday 5:30 to 6:00 p.m. and by appointment

 

                                                July 9 thru August 15, 2012

                                                Monday and Wednesday 5:30 to 6:00 p.m.

                                                Tuesday and Thursday 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and by appointment

 

OFFICE:                                   Room 250.1, Rio Grande Annex

 

PHONE:                                   223-3403 (Office Hours ONLY)

                                                463-9183 (Weekdays 7:30 am to 4:30 pm)

                                                223-1790 (Voice Mail), enter 22086#, listen to intro, leave message

 

E-MAIL:                                   pcochran@austincc.edu

 

TEXT:                                      Robert A. Divine, America:  Past and Present, 9th Edition, Vol. I to 1877

                                                This text is required reading for this course.

 

HISTORY DEPARTMENT

WEBSITE:                               http://www.austincc.edu/history-- See this website for common course

                                                syllabus and objectives

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION:  This course is a study of the history of the United States to 1877, which surveys the currents and development of American history from the time preceding European discovery and exploration to the end of Reconstruction following the Civil War.  This survey will take into consideration various interpretations of U.S. history as well as viewing the scientific, literary, and artistic accomplishments of the time in question.  See the following course description on the ACC History Department website:  http://www3.austincc.edu/catalog/fy2008/deschist.htm.

 

COURSE RATIONALE:The Texas legislature requires students to take 6 hours of American history to graduate from all public institutions of higher learning in Texas.  This course helps fulfill that requirement.  Students taking History 1301 can expect to improve their reading and writing competencies, critical thinking skills, research skills, etc., all of which help students better succeed in life outside academia.

 

METHODOLOGY:  This course is primarily lecture and discussion based.  Students should prepare for class by reading the textbook, studying their lecture notes, and coming to class ready to ask questions.

 

BLACKBOARD:  This course uses Blackboard.  You MUST access Blackboard from the following link:

 

·        http://acconline.austincc.edu – After connecting to the website, read:  Student Support

·        You will need an ACCeID to access Blackboard.

 

On Blackboard you will find:

 

·        Course Announcements

·        Course Documents (all of them):

o   Syllabus

o   Writing Book Reviews (including a list of approved books)

o   Learning Objectives for each of the three units

o   Test Reviews for all 3 tests

·        Digital Dropbox for written work submission

·        Your Grades on all work (including tests, book reviews, and extra credit)

 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

 

1.         ATTENDANCE AND WITHDRAWALS – I take attendance each class period.  Because this course requires that you hear and participate in lecture as well as read the text, it is next to impossible for students to pass this course without attending class.

 

COURSE WITHDRAWALS:  ACC allows instructors to withdraw students from class for any one of several reasons including non-attendance, non-performance, and/or disciplinary reasons.  THE ONLY REASON THAT I WILL WITHDRAW A STUDENT FROM CLASS IS FOR DISCIPLINARY REASONS; therefore, it is your responsibility to make your decision regarding the withdrawal from this course.

 

Students may withdraw from one or more courses prior to the withdrawal deadline by submitting a request form to Admissions and Records.  Withdrawal deadlines are published in the academic calendar.  Withdrawal courses appear on the student’s record with a grade of W.  Until a student is officially withdrawn, the student remains on the class roll and may receive a grade of F for the course.

 

Students are responsible for understanding the impact withdrawing from a course may have on their financial aid, veterans’ benefits, international student status, and academic standing.  Students are urged to consult with their instructor or an advisor before making schedule changes.

 

Per state law, students enrolling for the first time in fall 2007 or later at any Texas college or university may not withdraw (receive a W) from more than six courses during their undergraduate college career.  Some exemptions for good cause could allow a student to withdraw from a course without having it count toward this limit.  Students are encouraged to carefully select courses; contact an advisor or counselor for assistance.

 

The last day for a student to withdraw from this class is WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2012.  You may withdraw yourself by completing the proper form in the Admissions and Records Office on any ACC campus. 

 

2.         CLASSROOM DEPORTMENT OR HOW TO KEEP THE INSTRUCTOR HAPPY:

 

·        come to class on time; if late, come in quietly and take the first available seat

·        come to class prepared to listen, take notes, ask questions, and participate in class discussions

·        if for any reason you can not stay awake during class, please take your belongings and leave quietly

·        if you become ill, let me know if you need assistance -- I'll do my best to assist you

·        switch to vibrate all mobile phones; if you must answer the phone, please move to the hall to do so.

·        lectures may be recorded

·        FINALLY, if you do not want to attend class, stay away.  If you do decide to attend class, plan on staying for the entire class period.

 

3.         ACC EMAIL:    Check it and use it.  I will when I need to contact you.  All official ACC e-mail communications with students will be sent exclusively via ACC e-mail.  These messages include any important information and notifications of emergencies.  Instructions for activating your ACC email account may be found at http://www.austincc.edu/accmail/index.php.

 

4.         GRADING SYSTEM -- Students will receive a grade in this course based upon the total number of points they accumulate.  There are 500 total points available not counting extra credit points.  Grades will be distributed based on 90% for an A, 80% for a B, 70% for a C, 60% for a D, and a F for less than 60% of the total amount of points available.

 

  • Tests:                          3 tests valued at 100 point each for a total of 300 points.

 

  • Book Reviews:                        2 book reviews valued at 100 points each for a total of 200 points.

 

  • Grade Distribution:     Grades will be earned by the following accumulation of points:

 

POINTS ACCUMULATED

GRADE EARNED

450 or more

A

400 - 449

B

350 - 399

C

300 - 349

D

Less than 300

F
 

 

5.         TESTS, RE-TESTS, AND MAKE-UPS:

 

TESTS:  There are THREE (3) required examinations, which will be based on lecture material, class discussions, and reading the textbook.  These examinations are self-contained and cover only the material presented prior to each exam.  Each examination will consist of four parts:  matching, multiple choice, short answer, and essay.  You must answer all of the matching and multiple choice plus either the short answer or essay.  Short answer requires writing short paragraphs on 4 of 6 items in which the selected items are identified and their significance given; the essay consists of writing an essay on 1 of 3 essays.

 

RE-TESTS:  If you have taken the original, in-class examination and you have not passed with a minimum grade of 70, you may retest that examination.  All re-tests are in essay format requiring students to answer 2 of the 3 essays.  The highest grade you can make on a re-test is 70.

 

MAKE-UPS:  If for any reason you fail to take the original, in-class examination, you must take a make-up examination or receive a grade of zero (0) for that test.  Students may not re-test a make-up.  All make-up examinations are in essay format requiring students to answer 2 of 3 essays.

 

In either case, you must take the re-test or make-up within SEVEN (7) calendar days of the original testing.

 

ALL ORIGINAL EXAMS ARE GIVEN IN CLASS.  RE-TESTS AND MAKE-UPS ARE GIVEN IN THE RGC TESTING CENTER.

 

Information/policies related to ACC’s Testing Centers can be found at:            http://www.austincc.edu/testctr

 

6.         OUTSIDE READING AND BOOK REVIEW – All students must submit two (2) book reviews.  The book(s) you select must (1) be non-fiction, (2) pertain to the period of American history studied in the course, and (3) have my approval.  A handout covering the mechanics of the review and a list of pre-approved books will be given to each student.  If you wish to select a book not listed, you must submit it for my approval.  The book review(s) must be typed or word processed and must NOT exceed THREE (3), double-spaced pages.  Be advised that grammar and spelling are essential parts of your grade.  Your submission must include a bibliography of printed and on-line sources used.

 

The first review is due on or before WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012.  The second review is due on or before MONDAY, JULY 30, 2012.  Ten (10) points will be deducted for each calendar day that the review is late.

 

7.         EXTRA CREDIT – Students may earn up to 50 additional points in an optional extra credit exercise.  Extra credit points are over and above points earned through the required work (tests and two book reviews).

 

·        Pay a visit to the Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art (http://www.blantonmuseum.org/) on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin.  The museum is located at the intersection of North Congress Avenue and Martin Luther King Blvd (200 East MLK).  The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday and charges an entry fee ($5 to college students with a valid ID; UT students are free) but is free to everyone on Thursdays.  Students must present their student ID.  Visit the entire museum.  Pay attention to all galleries and the art within each.  Pay particular attention to the two American galleries:  C.R. Smith Collection of American Western Art and the Gallery of America and the Americas – especially those pieces of art executed during the time period under study in this course (U.S. History to 1877).  As you are viewing the art in all galleries, consider the question:  How does art reflect and help to explain history?  After completing your tour of the Blanton,  write a paper, not exceeding three (3) type-written, double-spaced pages in which you discuss the question.  You must give examples of art seen during your tour.  You must also hand in proof of your visit.  Finally, you should include in your paper a list of published and online sources you used in the development of your paper.  If you have questions, see me.

 

The extra credit is due Wednesday, July 11, 2012.  Extra credit may NOT be submitted late.

 

8.         SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN WORK(S) – All written work (book reviews/extra credit) must be submitted in either hard copy or electronically through email or the Digital Dropbox function in Blackboard.  Digital Dropbox works in a 2 step process:  (1) add file and (2) send file.  Add your document and then send it to me.  If you do not send it, I will not get it.  Digital Dropbox automatically date/time stamps your submission.

 

9.         INCOMPLETES -- Generally, it is my policy not to give incompletes; however, some circumstances do necessitate exceptions. To receive an incomplete, a student (1) must contact the instructor to document the reason for an incomplete and (2) must have made sufficient progress in the course to be near completion.  For example, a student may only need to take one (1) test or submit the second, required book review.  In any case, before giving an incomplete, the student MUST have a conference with me.  Regardless of the circumstances, if a student does not complete the course and, thereby, remove the incomplete, that incomplete automatically becomes an F.

 

10.       STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES – Each ACC campus offers support services for students with documented physical and psychological disabilities.  Students with disabilities must request reasonable accommodations through the Office for Students with Disabilities on the campus where they expect to take the majority of their classes.  On the Rio Grande Campus, the Students with Disabilities Office is located in room Annex 150 – phone 223-3142; (TTY 223-3061; Fax 223-3429).  Please note that students seeking accommodations for this course, must present their requests for accommodations NO LATER THAN the end of the 2nd week of the semester.

 

11.       SAFETY – ACC is concerned about student safety and will make every effort to insure a safe and healthy environment.  Students are encouraged to sign-up for safety alerts from the college.  Please visit http://www.austincc.edu/emergency and follow the instructions for students.

 

12.       ACADEMIC FREEDOM – Each student is strongly encouraged to participate in class.  In any classroom situation that includes discussion and critical thinking, there are bound to be many differing viewpoints.  These differences enhance the learning experience and create an atmosphere where students and instructors alike will be encouraged to think and learn.  On sensitive and volatile topics, students may sometimes disagree not only with each other but also with the instructor.  It is expected that faculty and students will respect the views of others when expressed in classroom discussions.

 

13.       PRIVACY POLICY – The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) protects confidentiality of educational records.  Students wanting to know their grades must contact me.

 

14.       SCHOLASTIC DISHONESTY -- Scholastic dishonesty will not tolerated.  Any student who cheats on a test or plagiarizes his/her book review will be given a grade of 0(zero) on that item and an Ffor the course.

 

ACC POLICY REGARDING SCHOLASTIC DISHONESTY READS:  "Acts prohibited by the College for which discipline may be administered include scholastic dishonesty, including but not limited to cheating on an exam or quiz, plagiarizing, and unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing outside work.  Academic work submitted by students shall be the result of their thought, research or self-expression. Academic work is defined as, but not limited to tests, quizzes, whether taken electronically or on paper; projects, either individual or group; classroom presentations, and homework."

 


READINGS AND EXAMINATIONS

 

This schedule is provided to assist you in keeping your readings current with the lectures.  Please be advised that the instructor may modify this schedule as needed to meet time demands.  (NOTE:  Unless otherwise specified, the dates are Monday of any given week.)

 

            UNIT:                           WEEK OF MONDAY:               MATERIAL COVERED:

 

      I.                                        May 28                                     Introduction and Chapter 1

 

                                                June 4                                      Chapters 2 and 3

 

                                                June 11                                    Chapters 4 and 5

 

                                                June 18                                    Monday, June 18 – Chapter 5

                                                                                                Wednesday, June 20 – Test #1

 

      II.                                       June 27                                    Chapters 7 and 8

 

NOTE:  WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012 -- FIRST BOOK REVIEWS ARE DUE*

 

                                                July 2                                       Chapters 8 and 9

 

WEDNESDAY, JULY 4, 2012 – ACC CLOSED

 

                                                July 9                                       Chapters 9 and 10

 

NOTE:  WEDNESDAY, JULY 11, 2012 – EXTRA CREDIT DUE

 

                                                July 16                                     Monday, July 16 – Test #2

                                                                                                Wednesday, July 18 – Chapter 11

 

                                                July 23                                     Chapters 12 and 13

 

III.                                            July 30                                     Chapters 14 and 15

 

NOTE:  MONDAY, JULY 30, 2012 -- SECOND BOOK REVIEWS ARE DUE*

 

NOTE:  WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2012 -- LAST DAY TO DROP A CLASS AT ACC

 

                                                August 6                                   Tuesday, August 10 – Chapter 15

 

                                                August 13                                 Monday, August 13 – Chapter 16

                                                                                                Wednesday, August 15 – Test #3

 

*You may submit your book reviews any time prior to their due dates on WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27 and MONDAY, JULY 30.

Readings

Required Readings – U.S. History I

History of the United States to 1877

 

Section 025/05267

Monday and Wednesday

6:00 pm to 7:55 pm

 

 

 

Required Textbook:  Robert Divine, et.al., America:  Past and Present, Volume I, to 1877.  (Ninth Edition)

 

 

Unit I:  From Discovery and Exploration to the American Revolution

 

            Readings in Divine:  Chapters 1 thru 5

 

 

Unit II:  From Independence to the Rise of the Common Man

 

            Readings in Divine:  Chapters 6 thru 9

 

 

Unit III:  From Jacksonian Democracy to Reconstruction

 

            Readings in Divine:  Chapters 10 thru 16

 

 

 

 

Required Book Reviews:  All students are required to read two (2) outside readings readily available from any ACC Library, Austin Public Library, the University of Texas at Austin Library, and/or any other major library.  A handout discussing the requirements of the book review and providing a list of approved books is available on Blackboard once you have registered for the course.

Course Subjects

United States History I

To 1877

Summer 2012

 

LECTURE SUBJECTS

 

 

 

            UNIT:                           LECTURE DATE:                     LECTURE TOPIC:

 

               I.                               May 30                                     Introduction and Course Material

 

                                                June 4                                      Renaissance and Technology

                                                June 6                                      Exploration and Discovery

 

                                                June 11                                    Colonial Settlement

                                                June 13                                    Colonial Development and Empire

 

                                                June 18                                    Imperial Stress and Colonial Tensions

                                                June 20                                    Coming of the Revolution

 

                                                June 25                                    Test #1

               II.                              June 27                                    Freedom Gained and The Articles Lost

 

                                                July 2                                       The New Constitution

                                                July 4                                       July 4th – Independence Day Holiday

 

                                                July 9                                       The Federalists and the New Republic

                                                July 11                                     Jeffersonian Revolution

 

                                                July 16                                     War of 1812 – Turning West

                                                July 18                                     Era of Good Feelings/The Corrupt Bargain

 

                                                July 23                                     Test #2

               III.                             July 25                                     The Age of the Common Man

 

                                                July 30                                     Jacksonian Democracy

                                                August 1                                   Manifest Destiny

 

                                                August 6                                   Texas/Oregon/Mexico and Slavery

                                                August 8                                   The Peculiar Institution

 

                                                August 13                                 Civil War and Reconstruction

                                                August 15                                 Test #3

Student Learning Outcomes/Learning Objectives

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

History of the United States to 1877

HISTORY 1301

Section/Synonym:  025/05267

 

 

Unit I:  From Discovery and Exploration to the American Revolution

 

In this unit, you will be studying the European reawakening of classical ideas and knowledge known as the Renaissance and how it resulted in a spirited reorganization and reinvigoration of Europe and European civilization during the 14th through the 16th centuries.  The impact of this movement resulted in European nations, especially the Western European nations of Portugal, Spain, France, and England, extending their influence far beyond the borders of Europe.  The opening of the Age of Discovery and Exploration brought Europeans into contact with parts of the world known and unknown to them.  In large measure of the new technologies, Europeans were able to advance their own economic and political interests even at the distinct disadvantage of the peoples with whom they came in contact.  Europeans established them selves in all parts of Asia and Africa, and even opened the doors to discovery and colonization in the New World.  In the Americas, Europeans largely reestablished European civilization while overthrowing the thriving civilizations of pre-Columbian America.  The English established themselves along the Atlantic seaboard of North American.  English colonists came to the New World for various reasons, primarily in search of land and for religious freedom.  Land was plentiful.  The New World, unlike England, was land rich. Through the use of headright, indenture, and township, the English settled the Atlantic coast of the future United States.  Religious persecution also led the English of various beliefs (Catholic, Separatist, Quaker, Jew) to try to find sanctuary in this New World.  Society developed in large measure along well-established English grounds.  The structures of society included all aspects of English life, though the colonists began to enjoy a greater degree of freedom than their English counterparts.  As the English colonies expanded the imperial Parliament in London tried to exercise more control through developing mercantilist policies.  The control of trade and the basic belief that colonies existed for the benefit of the mother country brought London and the various colonies into occasional conflict.  That conflict was limited because of the presence of the French to the west.  The French limited colonial expansion, and as the colonial population grew the tensions with the French also grew.  As France attempted to gain dominance in Europe, wars broke out, which were duplicated on the American continent.  Nearly a century of Anglo-French wars ultimately brought the English (now the British following the union of England and Scotland in 1707), control of all American land in Canada and west of the Mississippi River.  Free of French control of the West, the American colonists desired to move across the Appalachian Mountains; however, the British refused to permit such a move.  Financially overburdened from the wars for empire with the French, the British restricted movement west and imposed new taxes to reduce the war debt.  Parliament taxed the American colonists to pay for imperial government in the America; however, the colonists struggled against such because they had no say in the decision making process.  As the British pressed the colonists with new taxes and more regulations, the colonists grew weary and rebellious.  Despite the protests of the First and Second Continental Congresses, the British continued to exert more control until they were faced with open rebellion.  The Second Continental Congress declared independence, and after a long and bitter struggle the colonies emerged as a free and independent nation.

 

  1. Describe the social and cultural sophistication of the American native civilizations, such as the Aztec, Inca, Maya, etc.
  2. Explain the importance of the Viking discovery of America.
  3. Explain the significance of the rise of the nation-state.
  4. Discuss the impact of the Renaissance upon the Age of Discovery.
  5. Discuss the Technological Revolution of the 15th Century.
  6. Describe the importance of the development and/or improvement in design of the caravel, the astrolabe, the compass, lateen sail, guns and gunpowder, cartography, etc.
  7. Describe Portuguese, Spanish, and French colonization efforts.
  8. Explain the impact the Reformation on English colonial expansion.
  9. Discuss early English attempts at colonization.
  10. What were the issues that drove English colonization?
  11. What problems did the colonists face in the settlement of Virginia and how were they over come?
  12. Discuss the settlement of New England.
  13. What role did headright, indenture, and townships play in the settlement of the colonies?
  14. Discuss the growth and development of social stability in the colonies.
  15. Discuss the Catholic settlement of Maryland and the Quaker settlement of Pennsylvania.
  16. Describe the impact of William Penn’s thinking on the issue of religious freedom.
  17. Discuss the growth and development of slavery and the slave trade in the English colonies.
  18. Differentiate the role of slaves in the southern and New England colonies.
  19. What was the position of women in colonial America?
  20. Discuss the causes of the Salem witch trials.
  21. Explain the reasons for the growth of colonial population.
  22. Explain the patterns of colonial settlement.
  23. Compare the economic growth of the New England, Middle, and Southern colonies.
  24. Describe the Great Awakening and explain its influence on the development of American colonial society and religion.
  25. Discuss the problems of governing the colonies, especially, the rise of the colonial assemblies.
  26. Explain mercantilism.  What was its role in the governance of the English colonies?
  27. Describe the role of the Navigation Acts in the mercantilist structure.
  28. Discuss the colonial reaction to the mercantilist structure.
  29. Describe the Anglo-French struggle for power in Europe and North America.
  30. Discuss the British strategy and the American role in that plan.
  31. Describe the British victory and what was gained.
  32. What was the impact of the wars on the colonies?
  33. Discuss the American attitude toward the British victory.
  34. Explain the British financial position at the end of the Anglo-French wars.
  35. Discuss the actions of the British at the end of the French and Indian War.
  36. How did the American colonists react to British belt tightening?
  37. Discuss American reaction to the Stamp Act.
  38. What was the importance of the Declaratory Act?
  39. What were the Townsend Duties and how did Americans react to them?
  40. How did Lord North’s ministry react to the Boston Massacre?
  41. Discuss the Tea Act and the American reaction, including the First Continental Congress.
  42. Describe the British actions prior to the Declaration of Independence.
  43. Assess the American military situation on the eve of the American Revolution
  44. Discuss the importance of the Battle of Saratoga.
  45. Explain the impact of the French entry into the American Revolution.

 

 

Required Readings:

 

Robert Divine, et.al,, America: Past and Present, Volume I, Chapters 1 thru 5

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

History of the United States to 1877

HISTORY 1301

Section/Synonym:  025/05267

 

 

Unit II:  From Independence to the Rise of the Common Man

 

In this unit, you will study the emergence of the United States as an independent republic.  From the Articles of Confederation to the establishment of a new Constitution, the republic struggled to hold itself together.  Following the ratification of the Constitution, Americans turned their attention to the problems of finding our way amid domestic growth and a fast changing and dangerous international situation.  The early days of the republic saw the rise of the two-party political system, the impact of building national institutions, a perilous international situation in which the United States found itself caught between the Great Britain and the new French republic.  Americans struggled to maintain their identity and independence without compromising their founding principles in the name of security.  The country doubled in size; firmly established its independence from British and French interference; and opened the west to exploration and massive internal and external immigration.  The two-party political system developed and changed with the rise and fall of both the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans.  Americans found themselves a newly invigorated people as the Age of Jacksonian Democracy opened the vast arena of public life to the likes of the common man.  As bright as the future looked, there loomed on the horizon the storm clouds of sectionalism – driven by the fast growing differences over the institution of slavery.

 

  1. Describe the conflict between Americans over the issues of order and liberty.
  2. Discuss the types of political and social changes brought about by the American Revolution.
  3. Discuss the roles of American women following the Revolution.
  4. Discuss the basic principles of the Articles of Confederation.
  5. Explain the failings of the Articles.
  6. Describe the importance of the Land Ordinances of 1784, 1785, and 1787.
  7. Explain the causes of Shay’s Rebellion.
  8. Discuss the issues leading to the calling of the Philadelphia Convention.
  9. Discuss the Virginia and New Jersey Plans.  What were the concerns that drove the supporters of each?
  10. Outline the Connecticut Compromise and explain what it sought to achieve.
  11. Who were the Federalists and Anti-Federalists?  What did each want?  What were the contributions of each?
  12. What were the major economic issues facing Washington’s first administration?
  13. What were the three economic plans put forward by Alexander Hamilton and what problems did each propose to solve?
  14. What issues separated Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton?
  15. Discuss the importance of Jay’s Treaty.
  16. Assess the importance of Washington’s Farewell Address and its impact on future American international development.
  17. Explain the impact of the Wars of the French Revolution on the Washington and Adams Administrations.
  18. Describe the XYZ Affair and its impact on domestic politics.
  19. Explain the Alien and Sedition Acts and the subsequent adoption of the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions.
  20. Discuss the “Revolution of 1800.”  Why is it known as the “peaceful revolution?”
  21. Explain the issue of the “midnight appointments.”
  22. What were Jefferson’s goals as president?  Was his presidency a success?
  23. Discuss the issues surrounding Marbury v. Madison.  Explain the importance of judicial review.
  24. Describe the background, results, and significance of the Louisiana Purchase.
  25. Explain the importance of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
  26. Explain Jefferson’s decision to end the African slave trade.
  27. Discuss the move toward the War of 1812 including the Embargo Act, the Non-Intercourse Act, and Macon’s Bill #2.
  28. Explain the impact of the Congress’s failure to re-charter the Bank of the United States.
  29. Analyze the causes, conduct, and results of the War of 1812.
  30. Explain the importance of the Hartford Convention and its relationship to the collapse of the Federalist Party.
  31. Discuss the factors that lead to the rise of American nationalism after the War of 1812.
  32. Discuss the processes and issues leading to western expansion, the sell of western lands, and the admission of new states.
  33. Describe the necessities, which led to the British Treaty of 1818 and the Spanish or Adams-Onis Treaty of 1819.  What was the result of these two treaties?
  34. Explain the role of cotton and its importance in Southern agriculture.
  35. Discuss the move toward industrialization in the New England states.
  36. Discuss the issues related to the Missouri Compromise.
  37. Explain the importance of the Monroe Doctrine and relate its pronouncement to the breakup of the Spanish and Portuguese Empires in Central and South America.
  38. Discuss the impact of John Marshall as Chief Justice of the United States on the Supreme Court and analyze his major decisions:  Marbury v. Madison; Gibbons v. Ogden; Fletcher v. Peck; Dartmouth College v. Woodward; and McCulloch v. Maryland.
  39. Discuss the issues related to the elections of 1824 and 1828, the breakup of the Democratic-Republican Party, and the rise of the Democratic Party.
  40. Explain the American System.
  41. Describe the rise of Jacksonian Democracy as the age of the common man.
  42. Discuss the issues related to the Nullification Crisis of 1832.
  43. Analyze Jackson’s attack on the Bank of the United States.  What was the impact of this decision?
  44. Discuss and explain Jackson’s (and Van Buren’s) expulsion of the Indians from the southeastern United States.
  45. What was the Specie Circular and what was its impact on the U.S. economy?

 

 

Required reading:

 

Robert Divine, et.al., America:  Past and Present, Volume I, Chapters 6 thru 9

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

History of the United States to 1877

HISTORY 1301

Section/Synonym:  025/05267

 

 

Unit III:  Jacksonian Democracy to Reconstruction

 

In this unit, you will study the continuing growth and development of the American nation.  As America developed its own institutions, old ones associated with the colonial and early years of the republic were slowly but surely changed and/or modified as new thinking and new institutions replaced those of the past.  Education, women’s rights, institutional development, and social issues such as alcoholism figured in the nation’s desire for reform.  But of all the issues, which rose to dominate America’s thinking, the issue of slavery tore at the fabric of society like no other.  At every turn Americans faced the issue of slavery:  the organization of the territories, the admission of new states, the cause of runaway slaves, economic development.  Slavery was the issue of the day, which brought the nation and its political establishment to crisis after crisis.  Western expansion as exemplified by the acquisition of Oregon, the annexation of Texas, and the war with Mexico only added fuel to the sectional fire.  The resulting Compromise of 1850 only temporarily quieted the drums of discontent before the demands of Southern firebrands grew louder and louder at every turn.  First Kansas-Nebraska then Dred Scott then Bleeding Kansas then Harper’s Ferry then Fort Sumter, nothing satisfied the paranoid and avaricious South.  The election of Abraham Lincoln drove Southerners to secession and then war as Lincoln led the North first to preserve the Union and then to abolish slavery.  The war went badly at first for the Union as it struggled to preserve its footing.  But the South could not match the North’s overwhelming population and industry and wealth and war-making capacity.  As the South collapsed, followed shortly by Lincoln’s assassination, the North turned first to vengeance and then to reconstruction.  The North demanded the abolition of slavery, the granting of citizenship to the African-American, the right to vote for Black males, the punishment of the Southern leadership.  But the North’s interest in reforming the South and protecting the rights of the freedman began to wane as Northern minds began to focus on the new and growing industrial revolution that would change America forever.

 

  1. Discuss the Second Great Awakening.
  2. Explain the relationship between religious revivals and political and institutional reform.
  3. Describe the condition of women in the era of Jacksonian Democracy.
  4. Discuss the importance of the Seneca Falls Convention.
  5. Explain the impact of reformers such as Horace Mann, Dorothea Dix, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Sojourner Truth upon American institutions and thinking.
  6. What were the goals of the American Colonization Society?
  7. Describe the American frontier of the 1830s and its attraction to American settlers.
  8. Discuss the Texas Revolution and explain its impact on U.S. relations with Mexico.
  9. Explain the impact of the Oregon Country upon domestic American politics.
  10. Analyze the impact of the Mormons’ western movement and settlement in Utah.
  11. Explain the issues surrounding the presidential election of 1844 and discuss the results of that election.
  12. Explain the issues surrounding the Annexation of Texas.
  13. Discuss the causes, progress, and results of the Mexican War.
  14. Discuss the issue of Manifest Destiny.
  15. What is the Wilmot Proviso and what was its impact on Southern attitudes toward Manifest Destiny and the Mexican War?
  16. Explain the issues related to Free Soil and its impact on the growth and expansion of slavery.
  17. Discuss the terms of the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo.
  18. Why is the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo viewed by Mexicans and other non-American nationals as the “rape of Mexico?”
  19. Discuss the issues related to the growth of American industrialization and the importance of the railroad.
  20. Discuss slavery as it existed in the Old South and the New South.
  21. Explain the importance of the cotton gin and the growth in production of short-staple cotton.
  22. Discuss the profitability of slavery.
  23. Describe the lives of southern slave owners and yeomen farmers.
  24. Analyze southern arguments for and against slavery.
  25. Describe the life of free African-Americans in the ante-bellum South and North.
  26. Discuss the role that African-American leaders such as Frederick Douglass, William Whipper, and Harriet Tubman played in the rising discussion of slavery.
  27. Explain the importance of religion in the life of the African-American slave.
  28. Discuss the role of family in the slave community.
  29. Who were the candidates of the 1848 presidential election and what were their positions regarding slavery and the territories gained from Mexico.
  30. Describe the position of Zachary Taylor regarding slavery in the Mexican Cession.
  31. Analyze the importance of the Nashville Convention.
  32. Explain the positions proposed by Henry Clay and Stephen Douglas in the Compromise of 1850.
  33. Discuss the Kansas-Nebraska Acts and their impact on the Whig and Democratic Parties in the election of 1854.
  34. What is the Ostend Manifesto and what was its impact on the political crisis surrounding the Kansas-Nebraska debates?
  35. Discuss the rise and fall of the American (Know Nothing) Party.
  36. Discuss the rise and success of the Republican Party.
  37. Describe the impact of the presidential election of 1856 upon the sectional debate.
  38. Explain and analyze Dred Scott v. Sandford.
  39. Describe and explain the events of “Bleeding Kansas.”
  40. Discuss the issues related to the Lincoln-Douglas Debates in the Illinois senatorial election of 1858.
  41. Discuss southern paranoia as it relates to the presidential election of 1860 and the candidacy of Abraham Lincoln.
  42. Analyze the issues relating to the secession of the Southern states.
  43. Describe the efforts of Southern moderates to win adoption of the Crittenden Compromise.
  44. Discuss Lincoln’s opposition to the Crittenden Compromise.
  45. Discuss the concept of “total war” and how both North and South adopted efforts to put it into effect.
  46. Discuss the military leadership of both North and South.
  47. Explain Lincoln’s decision to turn the cause of war by announcing the Emancipation Proclamation.
  48. Describe the role of African-American troops in the Civil War.
  49. Discuss the advantages of the North that ultimately led to victory.
  50. Explain the importance of the Gettysburg Address.
  51. Discuss Lincoln’s view of “with malice toward none, with charity for all” in his second inaugural address.
  52. Compare and Contrast presidential and congressional reconstruction plans.
  53. Explain the impact of Lincoln’s assassination upon the development of reconstruction.
  54. Explain the use of Black Codes in the South.
  55. Discuss the issues behind the major pieces of Reconstruction legislation:  the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments and the Freedman’s Bureau.
  56. Explain the Compromise of 1876.
  57. Discuss the causes for the total failure of Reconstruction.

 

Required reading:

 

Robert Divine, et.al., America:  Past and Present, Volume I, Chapters 10 thru 16