NEW YORK CITY COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY The City University of New York School of Arts & Sciences Department of Social Science Course Outline

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1 NEW YORK CITY COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY The City University of New York School of Arts & Sciences Department of Social Science Course Outline Course code: HIS 1110 Course title: US History to 1865 Class hours/credits: 3 class hours, 3 credits Prerequisite: CUNY Proficiency in Reading and Writing Pathways: US Experience in its Diversity Catalog Description: A survey of American history from Native American inhabitation to the Civil War. Topics include the European colonization of the New World and the origins of African slavery, the causes and consequences of the American Revolution, the formation of the republic, the market revolution of the 19th century, westward expansion, the evolution of sectional conflict and the Civil War. Course Specific Learning Outcomes and Assessment Measures Learning outcomes Students will be able to identify significant events that contributed to the development of the United States. Students will be able to discuss competing interpretations of major historical events in American history from colonization to the Civil War. Students will be able to discuss sources of historical change, and explain cause and effect relationships as they pertain to historical transformations. Students will be able to use vocabulary common to history and to be able to explain the historical developments of the American society up to Assessment Methods* Class discussions, Exams And Essays Class discussions, Essays and Exams Final exams, essays and class discussions Class discussions, Essay and exams General Education Objectives and Assessment Methods LEARNING OBJECTIVES: For the successful completion of this course, students should be able to: KNOWLEDGE: Engage in historical inquiry, research, and analysis. ASSESSMENT METHOD: Instructional Activity, Evaluation Methods and Criteria.* Students will demonstrate the ability to evaluate a variety of historical sources for their credibility, position, and perspective, as well as contextualize materials from the past with appropriate precision and detail. Students will demonstrate this competency complete written exams, quizzes, assignments, in-class discussion and presentations. 1

2 LEARNING OBJECTIVES: For the successful completion of this course, students should be able to: Skills: Understand the complex nature of the historical record and generate significant, open-ended questions about the past and devise research strategies to answer them. Integration: Craft historical narrative and argument. ASSESSMENT METHOD: Instructional Activity, Evaluation Methods and Criteria.* Students will demonstrate the ability to 1) Distinguish between primary and secondary source materials and decide when to use each, 2) Choose among multiple tools, methods, and perspectives to investigate and interpret materials from the past, and 3) Recognize the value of conflicting narratives and evidence, 4) Generate significant, open-ended questions about the past and devise research strategies to answer them, 5) Seek a variety of sources that provide evidence to support an argument about the past, 6) Develop a methodological practice of gathering, sifting, analyzing, ordering, synthesizing, and interpreting evidence, and 7) Identify and summarize other scholars historical arguments. Students will demonstrate this competency complete written exams, quizzes, assignments, in-class discussion and presentations. Students will demonstrate the ability to 1) Generate a historical argument that is reasoned and based on historical evidence selected, arranged, and analyzed, 2) Write effective narrative that describes and analyzes the past for its use in the present, 3) Understand that the ethics and practice of history mean recognizing and building on other scholars work, peer review, and citation, and 4) Defend a position publicly and revise this position when new evidence requires it. Students will demonstrate this competency complete written exams, quizzes, assignments, in-class discussion and presentations. Values, Ethics, and Relationships: Practice historical thinking as central to engaged citizenship. Students will demonstrate the ability to 1) Engage a diversity of viewpoints in a civil and constructive fashion, 2) Work cooperatively with others to develop positions that reflect deliberation and differing perspectives, and 3) Apply historical knowledge and analysis to contribute to contemporary social dialogue. Students will be assessed through written exams, quizzes, assignments, in-class discussion and group presentations. Suggested Texts 1 : James West Davidson et al, US: A Narrative History, Vol. I, (McGraw Hill). Elizabeth Cobbs-Hoffman, Edward J. Blum, and Jon Gjerde. Major Problems in American History, Volume I, (3rd ed., Wadsworth). 1 Instructor Choice Scope of Assignments* Three quizzes worth a total of 5% each: Quizzes will be comprised of multiple choice and true/false questions. Five low-stakes writing assignments (each worth 1% each) in which students will write a 1-page response to an argument made in an essay from the Major Problems reader. A 5-10 page paper which will count for 20% of the course grade. Exams which will count for 60% of the course grade. *Suggested allocation; instructors may modify these at their discretion. 2

3 Attendance and Lateness Policy A student may be absent without penalty for 10% of the number of scheduled class meetings during the semester as follows: Class Meets: Allowable Absence: 1 time/week 2 classes 2 times/week 3 classes 3 times/week 4 classes Excessive Absence If a student s class absences exceed the limit established for a given course or component, the instructor will alert the student that a grade of WU may be assigned. If a student remains officially registered for a course and never attends that course, a final grade of *WN will be assigned. If the student withdraws officially from the course, he/she will be assigned a grade in accordance with the existing withdrawal policy of the College. Appeals A student wishing to appeal the excessive absence status and the impending grade should request a meeting with the chairperson of the department in which the course is offered. The chairperson will consult with the instructor to render a decision. A student wishing to appeal a WU grade may do so through the Committee on Course and Standards. Lateness It is the responsibility of the instructor to keep a record of lateness and to inform each class orally and in writing of the lateness policy during the first two weeks of class meetings of each semester. Grading Policy All grades will be calculated according to the college grade scale: Letter Grade Meaning of Letter Grade Number Grade A Exceptional A- Superior B+ Very good B Good B- Above Average C+ Slightly Above Average C Average D Poor F Failure Academic Integrity Statement: Students and all others who work with information, ideas, texts, images, music, inventions, and other intellectual property owe their audience and sources accuracy and honesty in using, crediting, and citing sources. As a community of intellectual and professional workers, the College recognizes its responsibility for providing instruction in information literacy and academic integrity, offering models of good practice, and responding vigilantly and appropriately to infractions of academic integrity. Accordingly, academic dishonesty 3

4 is prohibited in The City University of New York and at New York City College of Technology and is punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension, and expulsion. Suggested Course Schedule* Week One: The Americas Before Columbus; The First European Conquests in the New World (Textbook: Chapters 1 & 2) (Major Problems: Christopher Columbus Recounts His First Encounters with Native People (1493), Reverend John Heckewelder Records a Native Oral Tradition of the First Arrival of Europeans on Manhattan Island (1610), and James H. Merrell, The Indians New World) Students will gain a basic understanding of what North America looked like before the arrival of Europeans in the 15 th century. Students will gain a basic understanding of the composition and lifestyle of native Indian tribes throughout North America. Students will study the characteristics of the first European settlements of the Spanish (New Spain), Dutch (New Amsterdam), and French (New France) to understand how and why the first European settlements in North America were founded for different reasons and by different methods. Weeks Two & Three: The Founding of Britain s North American Colonies (Textbook: Chapters 3, 4 & 5) (Major Problems: Indentured Servant Richard Frethorne Laments His Condition in Virginia (1623), Southern Planter William Byrd Describes His Views Toward Learning and His Slaves, , and Philip D. Morgan, The Effects of Paternalism Among Whites and Blacks.) Students will begin their study of the British colonization of North America by exploring the various motivations for Britain s expansion into North American. Students will study the characteristics of the Southern Colonies (Jamestown), and the New England Colonies (Plymouth/Massachusetts Bay) to understand how and why the first English settlements in North America were founded for different purposes and by different methods. Students will examine the history of the introduction of African slavery into British North America. Week Four: The Imperial Crisis (Textbook: Chapter 6) (Major Problems: The Stamp Act Congress Condemns the Stamp Act (1765), Pamphleteer Thomas Paine Advocates the "Common Sense" of Independence (1776), and Gordon S. Wood, Radical Possibilities of the American Revolution) Students will examine how the British victory in the French and Indian War altered the imperial relationship between England and its North American colonies. Students will begin to explore the origins of the American Revolution by analyzing the mercantile system forced upon the American colonists after the French and Indian War. Week Five: America s War for Independence (Textbook: Chapter 7) (Major Problems: General Washington Argues for Greater Military Funding by Portraying the Plight of Soldiers at Valley Forge (1778) Students will examine the military and diplomatic history of the American Revolution from 1775 to Particular emphasis will be placed upon the military engagements in and around New York City (i.e. The Battle of Long Island and The Battle of Brooklyn). Exam #1 Week Six: Making an American Republic (Textbook: Chapter 8) (Major Problems: The Federalist Papers Illustrate the Advantages of Ratification of the Constitution ( ), Patrick Henry Condemns the Centralization of Government If the Constitution Is Ratified (1788)) Students will explore the meaning of republicanism and how America s Founding Fathers sought to use classical European republicanism to create the American nation. Students will explore the debates between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton to understand their divergent ideas about what character the United States of American should be founded upon. 4

5 Students will examine the principles and mechanics of the federal Constitution of 1787, as well as the history of its creation and passage, in order to understand how the Founding Fathers sought to inculcate their republican ideas into the fabric of the new nation. Week Seven: The Early Republic (Textbook: Chapter 9) (Major Problems: Federalist Alexander Hamilton Envisions a Developed American Economy (1791), Thomas Jefferson Advances the Power of the States (1798), Linda K. Kerber, The Fears of the Federalists, Drew R. McCoy, The Fears of the Jeffersonian Republicans.) Students will examine the impact of the French Revolution of 1789 on the United States and how President George Washington s administration sought to deal with events in France and Europe. The discussion of the debates between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton will be continued to illustrate how a partisan political system emerged in the early republic. Week Nine: The United States during the Jeffersonian Era (Textbook: Chapter 9) Students will examine the important role played by Thomas Jefferson in the formation of the early republic. Jefferson s life and writings (The Declaration of Independence and Notes on the State of Virginia) will be closely scrutinized to allow students to analyze his opinions about freedom, democracy, and slavery in the American republic. Jefferson s presidential administration will also be closely studied, particularly the quasi-war with France and his implementation of a trade embargo against France and Britain. Exam #2 Week Ten: A Market Revolution in the North (Textbook: Chapter 10) (Major Problems: President John Quincy Adams Urges Internal Improvements (1825), A Family in Illinois Struggles with Marketing Their Crops (1831), Daniel Walker Howe, The Changes Wrought by Cotton, Transportation, and Communication) Students will examine more closely how the transformation to a market-driven capital economy in the 19 th century led to an even greater sectional split between North and South. Particular emphasis will be placed on sectional arguments over internal improvements and tariffs. Week Eleven: Reform and Politics (Textbook: Chapter 11) (Major Problems: President Andrew Jackson Condemns the Rights of "Nullification" and Secession (1832), President Andrew Jackson Vetoes the Bank Bill (1832)) Students will closely examine the presidency of Andrew Jackson. Particular attention will be paid to his democratic philosophy, his role in the Bank crisis, and his role in the South Carolina Nullification crisis. Week Twelve: Slavery and the American South (Textbook: Chapters 12 & 13) (Major Problems: Virginian George Fitzhugh Argues That Slavery Is a Positive Good That Improves Society (1854), African American Josiah Henson Portrays the Violence and Fears in Slave Life (1858), Anthony E. Kaye, The Neighborhoods and Intimate Lives of Slaves) Students will examine the institution of slavery in the American South on the eve of the American civil War. Students will understand how slavery played an important role in making the American South a distinct and different section of the United States. Students will closely examine the social fabric of southern slavery to gain and understanding of how slavery affected all the inhabitants of the American South, particularly the slaves themselves. Week Thirteen: Slavery and American Expansion(Textbook: Chapter 14) (Major Problems: Chief Justice Roger Taney Determines the Legal Status of Slaves (1857), Senate Candidates Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas Debate Their Positions on Slavery (1858), Abolitionist John Brown Makes His Last Statement to the Court Before Execution (1859), The Charleston Mercury Argues That Slavery Must Be Protected (1860). 5

6 Students will examine the how slavery exacerbated the tensions between the North and South in the decades preceding the Civil War. Students will study the history of the slavery debate from the Missouri Compromise to the Compromise of Week Fourteen: The Civil War (Textbook: Chapters 15 & 16) (Major Problems: Senator Robert Toombs Compares Secession with the American Revolution (1860), President Abraham Lincoln Calls for Peace and Justice in His Second Inaugural Address (1865), James M. McPherson, The Role of Abraham Lincoln in the Abolition of Slavery) Students will study the major political, military and diplomatic events of the American Civil War from Fort Sumter to Robert E. Lee s surrender at Appomattox Courthouse. Week Fifteen: Reconstructing the Union (Textbook: Chapter 17) (Major Problems: President Andrew Johnson Denounces Changes in His Program of Reconstruction (1867), Congressman Thaddeus Stevens Demands a Radical Reconstruction (1867)) Students will examine the political, social, and military problems associated with the federal government s effort to reincorporate the South into the Union. Particular emphasis will be placed upon the tensions between Presidential Reconstruction and Congressional Reconstruction, as well as the impact that Reconstruction had on the lives of newly emancipated African-Americans. Final Exam *guidelines from which instructors may select or adapt --- Reviewed/revised by: Stephanie Boyle, Ph.D., Spring