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HST 111: The American Experience to 1877

Course Prefix

Course Number

Course Title

Lec-Lab

Credit Hours

HST

111

The American Experience to 1877

(3-0)

3

Course Description

Survey of the American experience through the pre-revolutionary period, the expansion westward and the Civil War. Special stress is placed upon the social, economic, cultural, political, and constitutional development of the United States.

Topical Outline

  1. Introduction: America and the Expansion of Europe
  2. The Colonial South, the Colonial System, and New England Puritanism
  3. The Anglo-French Conflict, British Politics, and the American Revolution
  4. The Growth of American Unity; the Revolution as a Social Movement, and Nationalism and the American Revolution
  5. The Confederation Period
  6. The Motives of the Founding Fathers
  7. The Federalist Period
  8. Thomas Jefferson: Ideas and Reality, Politics and Neutrality
  9. The Causes of the War of 1812
  10. Nationalism and Sectionalism
  11. The Jacksonian Era
  12. American Society During the First Half of the 19th Century
  13. “Manifest Destiny”
  14. The South and the Expansive North
  15. Civil War
  16. Reconstruction

Method of Presentation

  1. Lecture
  2. Discussion
  3. Films
  4. Overhead transparencies

(Discussions will include both primary and secondary materials. Pretest will be given to students to determine degree of accomplishment in the course.)

Student Outcomes (The student should…)

  1. comprehend the American experience through the pre-revolutionary period, the expansion westward, and the Civil War.
  2. reason effectively and evaluate factual material in their true perspectives through the interpretative analysis of the American past.
  3. be required to write a paper on a subject related to this course. His/her ability to research, organize, analyze, and write will be taken into account.

Method of Evaluation

  1. Three exams and six to eight quizzes comprised of objective and essay questions
  2. A research paper consisting of six to eight typewritten pages

Textbook

Brinkley, America’s History Vol 1, 12th ed., McGraw-Hill, 2009

Prepared by: Michael Harkins

Fall, 2008