Course Description

History 1010 covers the political, economic, and social development of the American people from the period of discovery to the end of Reconstruction. Includes Honors sections.

Course Overview

In this course we will explore American history beginning with the initial settlement of the continent and ending with the Civil War. Rather than covering every detail and event within this period, the course will focus on providing a broad overview of how the United States came to be, the major forces shaping its development, and the significance of Colonial America. Students will leave this class with a basic understanding of the major turning points and events in American History to 1865 and will study how political, economic, social, intellectual, cultural, and religious changes shaped the development of the early United States.

Learning Objectives:

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Explain the major historical events and turning points of American history and government before 1865.
• Explain the changing geo-political structures of the United States up until 1865.
• Define the importance of key individuals and developments in American history before 1865.
• Identify the social, economic, and political forces at work in the evolution of early American history.
• Recognize and describe the significance of some of the cultural achievements of American history.
• Analyze complex historical sources and materials and reach conclusions based on interpretations of those materials.

South Carolina REACH Act:

This course fulfills the requirements of South Carolina’s “Reinforcing College Education of America’s Constitutional Heritage Act (REACH) Act” of April 28, 2021. The course will provide a comprehensive overview of the major events and turning points in American History and government and students will read key documents related to American history. These documents include but are not not limited to: the American Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation, at least five of the Federalist Papers, and document(s)related to the African American Freedom struggle. Readings that fulfill this requirement are noted in the syllabus schedule.

COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenge for everyone and we will need to continue to deal with it throughout the Fall semester. Our class is scheduled to be fully in person in Fall 2021.

I would strongly strongly encourage you to wear a mask during class regardless of whether or not you are vaccinated. We must work together to keep our fellow tigers safe and to ensure that those who are most at risk and vulnerable are safe during this time. I will be wearing a mask during class and I hope you will join me in doing so.

Because we’re in the middle of a global pandemic and a rise in COVID-19 cases due to the delta variant there is a possibility some of you may miss class due to isolation/quarantine or illness. Please know that I want you to succeed in this course and I will make every possible accommodation should you need to miss class due to a pandemic related issue. In order to be flexible as circumstances surrounding the pandemic continue to evolve, we will deal with potential absences, make up assignments, and other exceptions or accommodations on a case-by-case basis as we need to.

Please note that it is very important that if you do need to miss class for any amount of time due to isolation/quarantine, illness, or another reason that you let me know using the notification of absences module on the Clemson University website.

Assignments & Grades

Grades will be based on the assignments listed below.

• Quizzes: During most class sessions you will complete a short quiz through Canvas. The quiz will open at the start of class and you will have 10 minutes to complete the quiz. These quizzes must be completed in class and cannot be made up due to missing class unless you have a documented absence that you have spoken with me about. These quizzes are worth 5% of your grade and your lowest 2 grades will be dropped.

• Document Analysis Worksheets: Over the course of the semester you will complete 5 document analysis worksheets. This assignment is designed to help you learn to think historically and analyze the primary sources that we will read over the course of this semester. Worksheets should be typed using the template provided and turned in 30 minutes before the start of class the day that document is assigned. In class you’ll sign up to complete your document analyses on five different days over the course of the semester. The document analysis worksheet is available on Canvas or you can click here to download it.These worksheets are each worth 5% of your grade for a total of 25%.

• Take Home Midterm: Our midterm will be a take home exam. It is open book and open note but must be completed individually. The exam prompt will be distributed Thursday October 7th and you will have until Thursday, October 14th at 11:59pm to complete the exam and turn it in via Canvas. A study guide will be provided about a week in advance. The exam will consist of short answer identification questions and an essay. The midterm exam is worth 30% of your grade.

• Timeline Assignment: You will create an interactive online Timeline that consists of important developments in American history to 1877. We will learn how to build timelines in Timeline.js together in class and your timeline will be due on the day of our final exam, December 8th by 10:30am. Although this assignment isn’t due until the end of the semester, the content on your timeline should be cumulative. In other words, you should not wait until the last minute and only include events from the last few weeks of class. The timeline is worth 20% of your grade and further details will be provided in a handout.

• Essay: You will also write one short essay on one of the two required books. You must read both books however you may choose which book you’d like to write on and prompts will be provided for both. If you choose to write on Never Caught essays will be due the start of class on October 28th. If you choose to write on Apostles of Disunion your essay will be due December 2nd by the start of class. In class you’ll sign up to write on one of these two books. This essay is worth 20% of your grade.

• Attendance: Attendance is not a graded component of your grade. However while attendance is not strictly graded, I would encourage you to attend class regularly as material that is discussed in class is often not included in the textbook and quizzes cannot be made up. There is a strong correlation between doing well in this class and attendance. Of course extenuating circumstances will sometimes make attending class impossible and if you do need to miss class I ask that you please report your absence through the university’s notification of absences module.

Grading System

Final grades will follow a traditional percentage-based grading scale.

Schedule

Jump to: September | October | November | December

Thursday, August 19th

• Introductions & Course Overview
• After class:
  • Read the syllabus!
  • Sign up for dates on the Document Analysis Sign Up Sheet and the Essay Sign Up sheet. (See canvas for the links).
  • If you haven’t already, fill out the Student Survey.

Tuesday, August 24th

• America: Discovered? Invented? Invaded? Part 1
• Reading:
  • Yawp, Chapter 1, I-II.
  • Primary Sources:
    • Native American Creation Stories
    • Journal of Christopher Columbus

Thursday, August 26th

• America: Discovered? Invented? Invaded? Part 2
• Reading:
  • Yawp, Chapter 1, III-IV.
  • Yawp, Chapter 2, I-III.
  • Primary Sources:
    • An Aztec Account of the Spanish Attack, from the Yawp Reader
    • Excerpt, “All Over the Land Nothing Else Was Spoken Of:” Cabeza de Vaca Takes Up Residence as a Medicine Man in the Southwest, 1530s. from History Matters.
    • Bartolome de las Casas, A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies, from The National Humanities Center.

Tuesday, August 31st

• British Colonization
• Reading:
  • Yawp, Chapter 2, IV-V.
  • Yawp, Chapter 3, III.
  • Primary Sources:
    • Richard Hakluyt makes the case for English colonization, 1584, from the Yawp Reader.
    • John Lawson encounters Native Americans, 1709, from the Yawp Reader.

Thursday, September 2nd

• North American Colonies
• Reading:
  • Yawp, Chapter 2, VI.
  • Yawp, Chapter 3, IV-V
  • Primary Sources:
    • Recruiting settlers to Carolina, 1666, from the Yawp Reader.
    • Letter from Carolina, 1682, from the Yawp Reader.
    • Francis Daniel Pastorius describes his ocean voyage, 1684, from the Yawp Reader.
    • Song about life in Virginia, from the Yawp Reader.
    • Excerpt from Thomas Morton’s New English Canaan, (pdf).

Tuesday, September 7th

• Slavery and the Making of Race
• Reading:
  • Yawp, Chapter 3, II.
  • “Angela’s Exodus Out of Africa, 1619-1760,” in A Black Women’s History of the United States (on Canvas)
  • Primary Sources:
    • Print of Slave Ship Brookes, 1789, from the Yawp Reader.
    • Olaudah Equiano describes the Middle Passage, 1789, from the Yawp Reader.

Thursday, September 9th

• Colonial Society, part 1
• Reading:
  • Yawp, Chapter 4,, I-II.
  • Philippe Halbert, “Early American Women Unmasked,” The Junto, May 5, 2020.
  • Primary Sources:
    • Boston trader Sara Knight on her travels in Connecticut, 1704.
    • Eliza Lucas letters, 1740-41

Tuesday, September 14th

• Colonial Society, part 2
• Reading:
  • Yawp, Chapter 4, IV.
  • Scribner, “Drunks and Democrats”
  • Dunbar, Never Caught, Chapters 1-3.

Thursday, September 16th

• The Long Road to Revolution, Part 1
• Reading:
  • Yawp, Chapter 5, I-III.
  • Except from Defiance of the Patriots: The Boston Tea Party & the Making of America by Benjamin L. Carp.
  • Primary Sources:
    • George R.T. Hewes, A Retrospect on the Boston Tea Party in the American Yawp Reader

Tuesday, September 21st

• The Long Road to Revolution, Part 2
• Reading:
  • Yawp, Chapter 5, IV-V.
  • Primary Sources:
    • Declaration of Independence. (Fulfills the REACH Act Requirement.)
    • Thomas Payne Calls for Independence in the American Yawp Reader
    • Abigail and John Adams Converse About Women’s Rights in the American Yawp Reader

Thursday, September 23rd

• The American Revolution and its Aftermath
• Reading:
  • Dunbar, Never Caught, Chapters 4-6
  • Primary Sources:
    • Petitions of Slaves to the Massachusetts Legislature (1773 & 1777)
    • Hector St. Jean de Crèvecœur Describes the American people, 1782 in the American Yawp Reader
    • A Confederation of Native peoples seek peace with the United States, 1786 in the American Yawp Reader.

Tuesday,September 28th

• Creating a Constitution
• Reading:
  • Yawp, Chapter 6, I-V.
  • Primary Sources:
    • The United States Constitution
    • Federalist Papers:
      • 1: General Introduction
      • 9: The Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection
      • 10: The Same Subject Continued: The Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection
      • 68: The Mode of Electing the President
      • 84: Certain General and Miscellaneous Objections to the Constitution Considered and Answered
    • Bill of Rights and Amendments 11-27.
    • (These readings fulfill part of South Carolina’s REACH Act.)

Thursday, September 30th

• The American Paradox
• Reading:
  • Excerpt Finkleman, Slavery and the Founders (see canvas).
  • Dunbar, Never Caught, Chapters 7-9.
  • Primary Sources:
    • Thomas Jefferson’s Racism, 1788 in the American Yawp Reader.
    • Black scientist Benjamin Banneker demonstrates Black intelligence to Jefferson 1791, in the American Yawp Reader.
    • Tecumseh Calls for Native American Resistance, 1810, in the American Yawp Reader.

Tuesday, October 5th

• The New Nation
• Reading:
  • Yawp, Chapter 6, VI-IX.
  • Dunbar, Never Caught, Chapters 10-12.
  • Primary Sources:
    • Washington’s farewell letter, in the American Yawp Reader.
    • Mary Smith Cranch comments on Politics in the American Yawp Reader.
    • Abigail Bailey escapes an abusive relationship, in the American Yawp Reader.

Thursday, October 7th

• Revolution of 1800
• Reading:
  • Yawp, Chapter 6, X
  • Dunbar, Never Caught, 13-Epilogue.
  • Primary Sources:
    • Alexander Hamilton to Harrison Gray Otis, December 23, 1800.
    • “On the Election of the President,” The National Intelligencer and Washington Advertiser. (Washington City [D.C.]), December 24, 1800.

Tuesday, October 12th

• Fall Break. No Class.

Thursday, October 14th

• Take Home Midterm Examination. Our midterm will be a take home exam. It is open book and open note but must be completed individually. The exam prompt will be distributed Thursday October 7th and you will have until Thursday, October 14th at 11:59pm to complete the exam and turn it in via Canvas.

Tuesday, October 19th

• The Market Revolution
• Learn to make a timeline with timeline.js
  • Important! For this class:
    • Please bring a laptop or tablet to class so you can follow along and begin to build your timeline.
    • You’ll need a google account if you don’t already have one.
• Reading:
  • The American Yawp, Chapter 8, I-IV.
  • Watch the Timeline.js Introductory Video and read “Make a Timeline”.
  • Primary Sources:
    • James Madison asks Congress to support internal improvements, 1815, in the American Yawp Reader.
    • A traveler describes life along the Erie Canal, 1829, in the American Yawp Reader.
    • Blacksmith apprentice contract, 1836, in the American Yawp Reader.

Thursday, October 21st

• Important! Today’s course meets on zoom. Link to be provided.
• The Market Revolution (continued)
• Reading:
  • Primary Sources:
    • Rebecca Burlend recalls her emigration from England to Illinois, 1848, in the American Yawp Reader
    • Harriet H. Robinson remembers a mill workers’ strike, 1836, in the American Yawp Reader
    • “We Call On You to Deliver Us From the Tyrant’s Chain”: Lowell Women Workers Campaign for a Ten Hour Workday, from History Matters
    • Emeline Larcom Letters (read all four), from Lowell Mill Girl Letters, University of Massachusetts Lowell Libraries.

Tuesday, October 26th

• Democracy and Jacksonian America
• Reading:
  • The American Yawp, Chapter 9 (all)
  • Primary Sources:
    • Missouri Controversy Documents, 1819-1920, , in the American Yawp Reader
    • Frederick Douglass, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July,” 1852, in the American Yawp Reader
    • Read all of the primary sources above and one of the following two:
      • Rhode Islanders protest property restrictions on voting, 1834, in the American Yawp Reader
      • Black Philadelphians defend their voting rights, 1838, in the American Yawp Reader

Thursday, October 28th

• Religion & Reform
• Reading:
  • The American Yawp, Chapter 10 (all)
  • Primary Sources:
    • Angelina Grimké, Appeal to Christian Women of the South, 1836
    • Sarah Grimké calls for women’s rights, 1838
    • Declaration of Sentiments, Seneca Falls, 1848.
• Never Caught essays DUE before the start of class.

Tuesday, November 2nd

• Life in the Old South
• Reading:
  • The American Yawp, Chapter 11, all.
  • Read Mapping the Spread of American Slavery by Lincoln Mullen and then explore Mullen’s The Spread of U.S. Slavery 1790-1860
  • Primary Sources:
    • Nat Turner Explains His Rebellion, 1831
    • Harriet Jacobs on rape and slavery, 1860
    • Solomon Northup describes a slave market, 1841
    • George Fitzhugh argues that slavery is better than liberty and equality, 1854

Thursday, November 4th

• South Carolina & the Slave Narrative Project
• Reading:
  • (This week be sure to read each of these in the order they are listed.)
  • An Introduction to the WPA Slave Narratives
  • The limitations of the Slave Narrative Collection
  • The importance of the Slave Narrative Collection
  • Read 3 different narratives from South Carolina and 2 from a state of your choice. Take notes and be prepared to discuss and compare/contrast these narratives in class.

Tuesday, November 9th

• Manifest Destiny
• Reading:
  • The American Yawp, Chapter 12 (all)
  • Play: The Oregon Trail
  • Primary Sources:
    • Cherokee petition protesting removal, 1836
    • John O’Sullivan declares America’s manifest destiny, 1845
    • President Monroe outlines the Monroe Doctrine, 1823
    • Diary of a woman migrating to Oregon, 1853

Thursday, November 11th

• Sectional Crisis
• Reading:
  • The American Yawp, Chapter 13(all) and Chapter 4
  • Dew, Apostles of Disunion, Introduction and Chapters 1-2.
  • Primary Sources:
    • Stories from the Underground Railroad, 1855-56
    • Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, 1852
    • 1860 Republican Party Platform
    • South Carolina declaration of secession

Week 14

Tuesday, November 16th

• Secession
• Reading:
  • The American Yawp, Chapter 14, I-II
  • Dew, Apostles of Disunion, Chapters 3-5 and Conclusion.
  • Primary Sources:
    • Alexander Stephens on slavery and the Confederate constitution, 1861,

Thursday, November 18th

• Civil War
• Reading:
  • The American Yawp, Chapter 14, III
  • Primary sources:
    • (This week read 3 of the following 5 sources.)
    • General Benjamin F. Butler reacts to self-emancipation, 1861
    • William Henry Singleton, a formerly enslaved man, recalls fighting for the Union, 1922
    • Poem about Civil War nurses, 1866
    • Civil War Songs
    • Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address, 1865

Tuesday, November 23rd

• The Civil War, Pt 2

Thursday, November 25th

No class, happy thanksgiving!

Tuesday, November 30th

• Emancipation
• Reading:
  • The American Yawp, Chapter 14, IV
  • Annettee Gordon Reed, Between Juneteenth and the Fourth of July in The New York Times, July 4, 2021.
  • Primary Sources:
    • Emancipation Proclamation This reading fulfills part of South Carolina’s REACH Act.
    • Juneteenth Orders
  • Explore Visualizing Emancipation

Thursday, December 2nd

• Apostles of Disunion essays DUE before the start of class.
• Radical Reconstruction
• Reading:
  • The American Yawp, Chapter 15, (all).
  • Excerpt from Eric Foner’s The Second Founding.
  • Primary Sources:
    • The Reconstruction Amendments
      • 13th Amendment
      • 14th Amendment
      • 15th Amendment
    • Mississippi Black Code, 1865
    • Jourdon Anderson writes his former enslaver, 1865

Final Exams

• Your timeline and final essay is due Wednesday, December 8th by 10:30am. However, our class will not meet in person during our scheduled final exam time.

Policies and Fine Print

Please note that this syllabus may be updated online as necessary. The online version of this syllabus is the only authoritative version.

Required Reading & Purchases

There are three required texts for this course. Our textbook The American Yawp is an open and freely accessible online textbook. However, if you would prefer a printed copy you can purchase one through the bookstore or a bookseller of your choice. Our other two texts Never Caught: The Washingtons’ Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge by Erica Armstrong Dunbar and Apostles of Disunion: Southern Secession Commissioners and the Causes of the Civil War by Charles B. Dew need to be purchased in hardcopy (or e-book) form. If you are struggling to afford your book purchases please talk to me privately. All other readings will be available for free online.

Documents: The following documents fulfill the requirements outlined in the South Carolina REACH Act. All of these readings are available for free online and do not need to be purchased but are required reading and are to be read in their entirety. These readings and links to the documents are listed in the schedule.

• The Declaration of Independence
• The United States Constitution (and all amendments)
• The Federalist Papers (numbers 1, 9, 10, 68, 84)
• The Emancipation Proclamation
• Documents Essential to the African American Freedom Struggle:
  • Olaudah Equiano describes the Middle Passage.
  • Frederick Douglas, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July,” 1852.
  • Nat Turner Explains his Rebellion, 1831.
  • Solomon Northrop describes a slave market, 1841.

Late Work

Many of our assignments are due on a rolling basis to allow for flexibility. The only assignments that do not fit this category are the midterm exam, the timeline assignment, and the quizzes. These assignments need to be completed on time unless you have an emergency. Late assignments will not be accepted and missed quizzes or exams cannot be made up without a documented emergency or legitimate reason. If you think you may miss any of these assignments or have an emergency please talk to me as soon as possible.

Technology in Class

You are welcome to use a personal device such as a laptop, phone, or tablet to take notes during class. You may find it useful to have the course readings accessible during class. However, if the device becomes a distraction and you are doing other things on it I will ask you to take notes by hand instead.

In at least one class session we’ll use an online tool to learn to make timelines. You’ll need a laptop or tablet for this class however if you don’t have access to one talk to me before class and we’ll set you up with a rental from the library.

Classroom Conduct

In order to learn, we must be open to the views of people different from ourselves. In this time we share together over the semester, please honor the uniqueness of your fellow classmates and appreciate the opportunity we have to learn from one another. Please respect each others’ opinions and refrain from personal attacks or demeaning comments of any kind. Anyone who engages in hostile or antagonistic rhetoric will be asked to leave the classroom immediately.

Academic Integrity

As members of the Clemson University community, we have inherited Thomas Green Clemson’s vision of this institution as a “high seminary of learning.” Fundamental to this vision is a mutual commitment to truthfulness, honor, and responsibility, without which we cannot earn the trust and respect of others. Furthermore, we recognize that academic dishonesty detracts from the value of a Clemson degree. Therefore, we shall not tolerate lying, cheating, or stealing in any form.

All infractions of academic dishonesty by undergraduates must be reported to Undergraduate Studies for resolution through that office. In cases of plagiarism instructors may use the Plagiarism Resolution Form.

See the Undergraduate Academic Integrity Policy website for additional information and the current catalogue for the policy.

Please keep in mind that if you are copying and pasting text that you did not write yourself, you might be plagiarizing. If you are using copied text, whether pasted or retyped manually, you must be sure to accurately cite the information. Text is accurately cited when: 1) pasted text is surrounded by quotation marks or offset as a block quote and 2) the pasted text is attributed to its author and source and 3) the pasted text is cited in a footnote, endnote, or bibliography.

Student Accessibility Services

Clemson University values the diversity of our student body as a strength and a critical component of our dynamic community. Students with disabilities or temporary injuries/conditions may require accommodations due to barriers in the structure of facilities, course design, technology used for curricular purposes, or other campus resources. Students who experience a barrier to full access to this class should let the instructor know and make an appointment to meet with a staff member in Student Accessibility Services as soon as possible. You can make an appointment by calling 864-656-6848, by emailing studentaccess@lists.clemson.edu, or by visiting Suite 239 in the Academic Success Center building. Appointments are strongly encouraged – drop-ins will be seen if at all possible, but there could be a significant wait due to scheduled appointments. Students who have accommodations are strongly encouraged to request, obtain and send these to their instructors through their AIM portal as early in the semester as possible so that accommodations can be made in a timely manner. It is the student’s responsibility to follow this process each semester.
You can access further information at the Student Accessibility website. Other information is at the university’s Accessibility Portal.

Commitment to Diversity

“Clemson University aspires to create a diverse community that welcomes people of different races, cultures, ages, genders, sexual orientation, religions, socioeconomic levels, political perspectives, abilities, opinions, values and experiences.
" - The Clemson University Title IX statement regarding non-discrimination

Clemson University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, pregnancy, national origin, age, disability, veteran’s status, genetic information or protected activity in employment, educational programs and activities, admissions and financial aid. This includes a prohibition against sexual harassment and sexual violence as mandated by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. This Title IX policy is located on the Campus Life website. Ms. Alesia Smith is the Clemson University Title IX Coordinator, and the Executive Director of Equity Compliance. Her office is located at 223 Brackett Hall, 864.656.0620. Remember, email is not a fully secured method of communication and should not be used to discuss Title IX issues.

Emergency Preparedness

Emergency procedures have been posted in all buildings and on all elevators. Students should be reminded to review these procedures for their own safety. All students and employees should be familiar with guidelines from the Clemson Police Department. Visit here for information about safety.

Clemson University is committed to providing a safe campus environment for students, faculty, staff, and visitors. As members of the community, we encourage you to take the following actions to be better prepared in case of an emergency:

• Ensure you are signed up for emergency alerts
• Download the Rave Guardian app to your phone (https://www.clemson.edu/cusafety/cupd/rave-guardian/)
• Learn what you can do to prepare yourself in the event of an active threat (http://www.clemson.edu/cusafety/EmergencyManagement/)