United States History I -- America 1492-1865
HIST 2111
Georgia Perimeter College, Spring 2005

Class:  Jan. 11 – May 3, 2005    
448:  Tuesday/Thursday, 5:00 - 6:15 pm               
447:  Tuesday/Thursday, 6:30 – 7:45 pm                  
Instructor:  Van Plexico
Contact: (770) 237-5834  (home)
E-mail: vplexico@bellsouth.net
I am available to meet with you between 6:15 and 6:30 pm, Tue/Thur, and at other times by appointment.

  Text:  TBA.

  Attendance and exams: I have no official attendance policy; however, makeup exams and quizzes are allowed only if students inform me in advance that they will miss a test (or, in the event of an unexpected, and documented, emergency, you may inform me afterward). For the main writing assignment only, and in emergencies only, late papers will be accepted up until the following class meeting, via e-mail (Word), with the reduction of one letter grade. You must still turn a paper copy in to me as soon as possible. If you know beforehand that you will not be present on the day the paper is due, you should turn it in early.

 Late papers:  Papers are not accepted at all once class has met again after the due date, unless arrangements with the instructor have been made prior to the due date.

  Plagiarism and the Web: Suspicious papers are checked for plagiarism via the Web, and several have been caught this way in recent semesters. See the college’s rules regarding plagiarism, and don’t do it! Copying something (without properly using quotation marks and citation) from the Web is no different from copying it from a book, and often easier to catch.

  Class notes: Having all the notes and outlines for this course, in preparation for quizzes and exams, is the responsibility of each student, not of the instructor. I cannot provide any notes to you outside of the class meetings, so please do not ask. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility either to make arrangements with another student beforehand, or to get them from someone when you return. A big part of the course is discussion and commentary that happens while I'm outlining the notes on the board, and I keep no specific records of these myself.

  Withdrawals: Note that I do not generally withdraw students over attendance issues. If you are no longer coming to class, do not rely on me to withdraw you, to avoid a failing grade. In those circumstances, you must withdraw yourself.

  Course Description:  This course covers the history of America from the time of Columbus, through the American Revolution, to the end of the American Civil War.  We will examine various interpretations of the key figures, trends, and developments which shaped the course of American history during this period, and which led to the creation of modern America.

Be aware of the Regent’s Test!  See the GPC Web site for full details on this critically important part of your work at GPC.

Class Schedule

  Jan 11                                    Introduction.  Course overview. 

  13                                            Pre-Columbian America.

  18 - 20                                     Transatlantic Encounters and Colonial Beginnings 

  25 - 27                                     Rise of Colonial America; Colonial Society in America 

  Feb. 1                                      Road to Revolution 

  3                                              Quiz 1; TBA

  8 - 10                                       Forge of Nationhood: The American Revolution

  15 - 17                                     Launching the New Republic 

  22                                            New Republic

  24                                            Midterm Exam

March 1                                 No classes held today

3                                              Jeffersonianism 

8 – 10                                      Spring Break: no classes held this week

15                                            Transformation of American Society 

                                                Midpoint of semester is March 15

                                                                (drops after this point receive a grade of “F”)

17                                            Transformation of American Society (cont’d)

22 - 24                                     Age of Jackson 

29                                            Life, Leisure, and Culture 

31                                            Quiz 2; TBA

April 5 - 7                              The Old South and Slavery 

12 - 14                                     Immigration, Expansion, and Sectional Conflict 

19 - 21                                     From Compromise to Secession

26 - 28                                     Civil War

May 3                                     Last class day.  Conclusion and review.

TBA                                       FINAL EXAM 

Writing Assignment:

OPTION 1:

You will write a historiographical research paper comparing views of a significant historical event by two different authors.  You will read two accounts of your selected topic from books, journals, or other valid sources, and write a paper (between two and four pages long) comparing and contrasting the ways in which the two authors see the event. 

The best strategy is to choose a controversial event, find two authors who disagree on the subject, and then simply explain how they disagree, and, if possible, why they might disagree about it. 

You can find clues outside of the texts themselves.  Ask yourself such questions as, “Were these written at the same time?  Might a later writer have had access to more up-to-date information?  What personal biases might be suggested in biographical information about the authors, if it is provided?” 

The event must be from the period covered in our class.  I may place one or two possible sets of documents on reserve in the library for this purpose, or you can find your own.  All topics must be approved by the instructor. 

Include a “Sources Consulted” page citing the works you are examining. Include at least a few brief quotes from the material.  Cite via footnotes or endnotes all material you use directly from your sources.  Use the style manual the College recommends; alternately, you may use Kate L. Turabian’s A Manual for Writers.  

OPTION 2:

Read at least the introduction, chapter 13 (“Equality”) and chapter 15 (“The Assault on Aristocracy”), from The Radicalism of the American Revolution, by Gordon S. Wood. 

Write a two to four page paper, in the form of an essay (introduction, body, conclusion) that addresses the following:

·         Do most Americans believe the American Revolution was “radical?”

·         Does Wood believe the American Revolution was “radical”?

·         In what ways does he claim it was or was not radical?

·         What evidence or justifications does he offer?

·         What does Wood say about “equality?”

·         How did the title of “citizen” affect society in America?

·         What became of aristocracy in America?  How were men treated who made claims to such status?

  Include a “Sources Consulted” page citing the works you are examining. Include at least a few brief quotes from the material.  Cite via footnotes or endnotes all material you use directly from your sources.  Use the style manual the College recommends; alternately, you may use Kate L. Turabian’s A Manual for Writers.

 
OPTION 3:

Read the chapters “Unlikely Victory” by Thomas Fleming, and “What the Fog Wrought,” by David McCullough, from the book What If?, edited by Robert Crowley (Berkley Books, 1999). 

Write a two to four page paper, in the form of an essay (introduction, body, conclusion) that addresses the following:

·         Which would you choose as the three most important moments in Fleming’s list of ways the US could have lost the War?

·         Give your reasons for each of these three choices—what made each of them so important, and more important than the others.

·         Based on what you read, who (besides Washington) would you say was the most important figure overall in winning the War?

·         What event does McCullough refer to as “the Revolution’s Dunkirk?”  Begin this by explaining what the “real” Dunkirk was.

·         What would you say was the most important single event that led to the actual outcome of the events in McCullough’s chapter?

Include a “Sources Consulted” page citing the works you are examining. Include at least a few brief quotes from the material.  Cite via footnotes or endnotes all material you use directly from your sources.  Use the style manual the College recommends; alternately, you may use Kate L. Turabian’s A Manual for Writers.