HIST 1901 UNITED STATES HISTORY, 1600-1877 (HONORS)






81847: TTh, 1:10-2:30 P.M.                                                                                     Spring Semester 2008
 
 

Credit Hours: 3                                                                                                    Classroom: 946 Gladfelter Hall
 
 

Professor: Gregory J. W. Urwin, Ph.D.                                                                 Office: 931 Gladfelter Hall
 
 

Office Hours:  9:00-9:50 A.M., 3:00-4:30 P.M., Tuesdays; 9:00-9:50 A.M., Thursdays; or by appointment
 
 

Office Telephone Number: 215-204-3809                                                          E-Mail Address: gurwin@comcast.net
 
 

Web Page:http://www.temple.edu/history/UZ/urwin/
 
 

Declaration of Intent: The purpose of this course is to infuse the student with a basic knowledge of United States history from the founding of England's North American colonies to the end of the Civil War.Special emphasis will be placed on the colonial experience, the American Revolution, the early republic, the Jacksonian Era, the causes of the Secession Crisis, the conduct of the Civil War, and the results of Reconstruction.


 

Goals and Objectives:
 

Knowledge Based Skills: 1) Track Transitions; 2) Multicultural Americanism; 3) Impact of Technology; 4) Importance of Political Partisanship; 5) Nationalism and Sectionalism; 6) Process of Democratization; 7) Prominence of Religion; 8) Progress and Poverty.
 
 

Skill-Based Goals: 1) Spatial Awareness; 2) Writing Proficiency; 3) Appreciation for Historical Context; 4) Improved Reading Comprehension; 5) Sequential Logic; 6) Analytical Thinking; 7) Preparation for a Lifetime of Learning; 8) Research Skills; 9) Computer Literacy.


An engraving of an early Quaker meeting.  The Society of Friends was one of the most distinctive and
important religious groups to settle in Britian's North American colonies during the 17th century.

Main Text: Paul S. Boyer, Clifford E. Clark, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, Neal Salisbury, Howard Sitkoff, and Nancy Woloch, The Enduring Vision: A History of the American People.Volume 1.6th ed.Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2008.


 

Collateral Texts: David Hackett Fischer, Paul Revere's Ride (New York:Oxford University Press, 1994.
 

Julie Roy Jeffrey, Converting the West: A Biography of Narcissa Whitman.Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1994.


 

Mark A. Christ, ed., "All Cut to Pieces and Gone to Hell": The Civil War, Race Relations, and the Battle of Poison Spring.Little Rock: August House, 2003.
 

Semester Grade: The student's final grade will be based on the total number of points earned in two exams (100 points apiece, or 200 points, total), the top four scores out of five pop quizzes given in the breakout sections on the main text (25 points apiece, or 100 points total), three quizzes on the collateral texts (50 points apiece, or 150 points, total), one book review (100 points) and one computer exercise (50 points), and one comprehensive essay (100 points) -- a total of 700 possible points.Class attendance and participation will also affect the grade.The professor reserves the right to fail any student who misses six classes without prior permission or valid excuses.It is up to any student who misses a test or quiz to schedule a make-up session with the professor.If opportunities arise, the class will be able to earn extra-credit points by attending films, lectures, or other educational events relating to the content of the course.
 

Book Review Assignment: In addition to the main text and three collateral readings, each student is expected to read an additional book dealing some aspect of U.S. history from 1600 to 1877 and submit a written review of the same.The title for one of these reviews may be chosen from a reading list provided on Dr. Urwin's web site (http://www.temple.edu/history/UZ/urwin/).Students may choose any book found on this list.
 

The review should be typed (in 10- or 12-point font), double-spaced, and five to seven pages long.This written assignment must be carefully proofread, as spelling, grammar, and punctuation will have an important effect on your grade.
 

For detailed tips on what is expected in your reviews, see Dr. Urwin's on-line guide, "How to Write a Book Review" (http://www.temple.edu/history/UZ/urwin/BookReview_020.htm).


 

Computer Exercise: Students must bring the instructor printouts from any sites on the World Wide Web relating to any subject in United States history from 1607 to 1877.In other words, you could print out some articles from a web site devoted to Jamestown, the Salem Witchcraft Trials, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, the American Revolution, Slavery, the Alamo, the Oregon Trail, the early Women's Suffrage Movement, the Mexican War, the Underground Railroad, or the American Civil War.The web has lots of sites on American history.
 

Once you have found an appropriate web site and printed enough of its content to convince the instructor of its educational value, prepare a typed cover sheet giving your full name, the name of the web site, and the web site's URL (address).


 

Comprehensive Essay: In this essay, the student must answer one of the following questions:
 

1) In your opinion, what were the greatest successes achieved by the American people between 1607 and 1877?What kind of legacy did these successes bequeath to the country in which you live today?What individuals, groups, or circumstances accounted for these successes?

OR

2) In your opinion, what were the biggest errors or failures that can be attributed to the American people and their government between 1607 and 1877?How do those shortcomings impact on the country in which you live today.What individuals, groups, or circumstances accounted for these successes?
 

Your answer should be typed (in 10- or 12-point font), double-spaced, and five to seven pages long.Your opinion should be backed with examples from the professor's lectures and/or your course readings.This written assignment must be carefully proofread, as spelling, grammar, and punctuation will have an important effect on your grade.


One of several portraits that Gilbert Stuart painted of President George Washington
in the 1790s.

Academic Honesty Statement: Students are expected to do their own work on all exams, quizzes, and other exercises.Anyone caught cheating in class and/or plagiarizing will receive a failing grade in the course.The American Heritage Dictionary defines plagiarism as: "1. To steal and use the ideas and writings of another as one's own.2. To appropriate passages or ideas from another and use them as one's own."
 

Americans with Disabilities Act Statement: Temple University adheres to requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.If you need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability, you should contact the professor privately to discuss your situation as soon as possible.Contact Disability Resources and Services at 215-204-1280 (or 11280) in 100 Ritter Annex to coordinate reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities.You may also access Disability Resources and Services at this web site: http://www.temple.edu/disability/Handbook/Noframes/noframes.html.


 

Statement on Student and Faculty Academic Rights and Responsibilities:Freedom to teach and freedom to learn are inseparable facets of academic freedom.The University has a policy on Student and Faculty Academic Rights and Responsibilities (Policy #03.70.02), which can be accessed through at the following URL: http://policies.temple.edu/getdoc.asp?policy_no=03.70.02.


 

Some Basic Regulations

1) No food, liquids, or tobacco products may be consumed in class.
2) It is a sign of poor manners for men to wear hats or caps indoors (except for religious reasons).All students will remove their brimmed or billed headgear for tests and quizzes.
3) Anyone leaving class after an exam or quiz (i.e., cutting the lectures after these exercises) will fail that particular exercise.

 

4) If you must miss class for some foreseeable reason, have the courtesy to notify the instructor in advance.
 

5) Anyone caught cheating will flunk the course.
 

6) Students who disrupt class will be liable to punitive quizzes that may lower their grades.Persistent misbehavior can lead to expulsion or other disciplinary action.

A dead Confederate infantryman lies behind a breastwork at Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia, in May 1864.

CLASS SCHEDULE

Week 1: 22-25 January

Introduction and the Great Migration

Boyer et al., pp. 1-51
 

Week 2: 27-28 January-1 February

James Towne, Tobacco, and Slavery

Boyer et al., pp. 52-61, 73-76
 

Week 3: 4-8 February

The Puritans and Their Bible Commonwealth

Boyer et al., pp. 54-73


 

Week 4: 11-15 February

The Middle Colonies:Pluralism and Political Ferment

Boyer et al., pp. 76-119

Quiz: Fischer, Paul Revere's Ride (14 February)


 

Week 5: 18-22 February

The War of Independence

Boyer et al., pp. 120-75


 

Week 6:25-29 February

The Articles of Confederation and the Constitution

Boyer et al., pp. 175-89

Book Review (your choice of title) Due (28 February)


 

Week 7: 3-7 March 2008

Washington, Adams, and the Fall of the Federalist Party

Boyer et al., pp. 190-222


 

Spring Break: 10-14 March


 

Week 8: 17-21 March

The Age of Jefferson and Midterm Exam

Boyer et al., pp. 222-41

Midterm (20 March)
 
 

Week 9: 24-28 March

The Era of Good Feelings and the Missouri Compromise

Boyer et al., pp. 241-77


 

Week 10: 31 March-4 April

The Age of Jackson

Boyer et al., pp. 278-309

Quiz, Jeffrey, Converting the West (3 April)


 

Week 11: 7-11 April

Manifest Destiny and Abolitionism

Boyer et al., pp. 310-95


 

Week 12: 14-18 April

The Road to Civil War

Boyer et al., pp. 396-423

Internet Exercise Due (15 April)


 

Week 13: 21-25 April

Civil War

Boyer et al., pp. 424-63

Quiz, Christ, "All Cut to Pieces and Gone to Hell" (22 April)


 

Week 14: 28 April-2 May

Reconstruction

Boyer et al., pp. 466-99

Comprehensive Essay Due (1 May)


 

Week 15: 5-9 May (Final Exams Start on 8 May)


 

Study Days, 6-7 May


 

Final Exam Week: 8-14 May
 
 
 

Final Exam, Thursday, 8 May 2008, 2:00-4:00 P.M.
 
 

Course Materials
 

Lecture Terms for the Final Exam
 

Textbook Terms for the Midterm and Final Exams
 

Essay Questions for the Midterm and Final Exams
 

Questions for Weekly Class Discussions

 

Question for Your Third Quiz (Christ)

 

Books Approved for Your Review
 

Dr. Urwin's Guide to Doing Book Reviews