HIST1105 - 01 - United States History to 1877

(HI) Historical Inquiry (H) Historical Consciousness

This course surveys the economic, political, intellectual, and social development of the United States from pre-Columbian America to approximately 1877. Class lectures and readings will focus on differences between Native and English America, the transference of institutions and attitudes from Europe and Africa to North America, and how these institutions and attitudes were transformed and adapted in a new environment. We will also explore the separation of British America from the mother country: why it was undertaken, how it was achieved, and its significance. Lastly, we will explore the various efforts to gather scattered and diverse peoples under one constitutional government, culminating in the Civil War. Themes for this course include: Frontier, Slavery, Colonization, New England, Reform, and Self-Rule.