Orientation
M. 9/3: No Class - Official Holiday
W. 9/5: Introductions
Th. 9/6: Defining America
- Watch Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, “The Danger of a Single Story” TED Talk (2009)
Topic 1: The “First” Americans?
M. 9/10: Pilgrims and Indians | Stories and Myths
- Watch first 38:15 minutes of: Neil Diamond, Catherine Bainbridge and Jeremiah Hayes, Reel Injun: On the Trail of the Hollywood Indian (2009) - Available on YouTube
W. 9/12: Facing East | Sources and Evidence
- Complete Primary Source Worksheet for: “Father Jean de Brébeuf on the Customs and Beliefs of the Hurons” (1635).
- Research and take notes on your assigned federally-recognized tribe
Th. 9/13: Changing the Narrative | Interpretations
- Andrés Reséndez, The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America, Introduction and Chapter 7
Topic 2: From Colony to Nation
M. 9/17: Becoming British, Becoming American [Guest Lecture from Molly Nebiolo]
- T.H. Breen, “‘Baubles of Britain’: The American and Consumer Revolutions of the Eighteenth Century”
- Listen to Liz Covart interview Wendy Warren on New England Bound: Slavery in Early New England, Episode 170 of Ben Franklin’s World podcast.
W. 9/19: The Revolution
- American Yawp, Chapter 5: The American Revolution (Part III, Part IV).
- Abigail Adams and John Adams on Women and the American Revolution (1776)
Citizenship Portfolio Part I (City Meeting) due on Wednesday, September 19th
Th. 9/20: The Constitution
- American Yawp, Chapter 6: A New Nation (Parts I, II, III, IV)
- Jill Lepore, “The History Test: How should the courts use history?” The New Yorker, 27 March 2017. [PDF version]
Topic 3: Slavery and Freedom
M. 9/24: King Cotton
W. 9/26: Slave Society
- American Yawp, Chapter 11: The Cotton Revolution (Part V)
- De Bow’s Review, “Slavery and the Bible” (1850) (excerpts)
- Solomon Northup, Twelve Years a Slave (1853) (excerpts)
- George Fitzhugh, Sociology for the South, or the Failure of Free Society (excerpts)
Th. 9/27: Abolitionism and Protest
- Frederick Douglass, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” (1852) (selections)
- David Brooks, “The Uses of Patriotism” (2016) PDF version
- Come to class with TWO news items you are thinking about including in your Weekend Briefing
Weekend Briefing due on Sunday, 9/30
Topic 4: The Civil War and Reconstruction
M. 10/1: Crisis
- American Yawp, Chapter 13: Sectional Crisis (Part III, IV, V)
- The Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1858) (selections)
- Mississippi Ordinance of Secession (1861) (selections)
W. 10/3: War
- American Yawp, Chapter 14: The Civil War (Part III, IV)
- Listen to Episode 5: The Spin (November 8, 2017) from Uncivil podcast.
Th. 10/4: Reconstruction
- Ta-Nehisi Coates, “The Case for Reparations” The Atlantic (2014).
Topic 5: Making Modern America
M. 10/8: No Class - Official Holiday
W. 10/10: Corporate America
- American Yawp, Chapter 16: Capital and Labor (Part I, II, III)
- Horatio Alger Jr., Ragged Dick (1867) (selections)
- Elizabeth Kolbert, “Gospels of Giving for the New Gilded Age” The New Yorker 27 August 2018. [PDF version]
Th. 10/11: No Class: Cancelled
Citizenship Portfolio Part II (Detainee Hearing) due on Sunday, October 14th
M. 10/15: “Build the Wall”
Listen to first 14:30 of “Border Patrols: Policing Immigration in America”, BackStory podcast, March 9, 2017.
W. 10/17: The Melting Pot I
- Thomas Bell, Out of This Furnace (1941), Part One & Two
Th. 10/18: The Melting Pot II
American Yawp, Chapter 20: The Progressive Era, (Part III, VI)- Ida B. Wells-Barnett, “Lynch Law in America” (1900)
- Margaret Sanger on “Free Motherhood” (1920)
Topic 6: War and Empire
M. 10/22: Colonialism
- American Yawp, Chapter 19: American Empire (Part III: 1898)
- Primary Source Packet on Spanish-American and Philippine-American Wars
W. 10/24: World War II
- American Yawp, Chapter 24: World War II (Part I, IV, V)
- Watch first 19:00 minutes of Frank Capra, “War Comes to America” (1945), part of Why We Fight film series.
Th. 10/25: The Cold War [Guest lecture from Cassandra Cloutier]
- Watch: John Green, “USA vs USSR Fight! The Cold War” Crash Course World History #39, October 18, 2012. Length: 12:15.
Citizenship Portfolio Part III (Voting Worksheet) due Sunday, October 28th
Topic 7: Elections and Politics
M. 10/29: Mid-Term Elections
- Research your assigned 20th-century mid-term election and come to class with notes.
W. 10/31: The Rise of the Right
- Read your Role Sheet and pp. 4-28 of the Gamebook for Reacting to the Past: Chicago, 1968.
Reacting to the Past: Chicago, 1968
Th. 11/1: Set-Up Session
- Finish reading the Gamebook (pp. 4-44) and prep for a quiz on its contents.
M. 11/5: Game Session 1
W. 11/7: Game Session 2
Th. 11/8: Game Session 2 (cont.)
M. 11/12: No Class - Official Holiday
W. 11/14: Game Session 3
Th. 11/15: Game Session 3 (cont.)
M. 11/19: Game Results and Debrief Session
W. 11/21: No Class - Official Holiday
Th. 11/22: No Class - Official Holiday
Topic 8: Civil Rights
M. 11/26: The Long Civil Rights Movement
- Martin Luther King Jr speaks at the Holt Street Church in Montgomery, Alabama (December 5 1955) Transcript of King speaking from pp. 71-74
- Malcolm X speech, “The Ballot or the Bullet” (1964). You can also listen to the audio of his speech on YouTube.
- Come to class with two ideas for your unessay final project.
W. 11/28: Women’s Rights [Guest lecture from William Whitworth]
- Julia Longoria, “Sex Appeal” episode of More Perfect podcast, WNYC Studios (November 23, 2017).
- Email a one-paragraph description of your unessay idea to your TA (cc Professor Blevins on the email).
Th. 11/29: The New Jim Crow
- Watch first 50 minutes of Ava DuVernay, 13th (2016). Netflix documentary and come to class having completed the accompanying worksheet. Note: there will be a film screening the evening of Wednesday, November 28th from 7:00-8:00pm in Shillman 105.
Topic 9: America Today
M. 12/3: The Arc of History
- Nikole Hannah-Jones, “Segregation Now: The Resegregation of American Schools” Pro Publica (2014). Note: make sure that you read all three parts. If the interactive version is not working, here is the full version in plain text.
W. 12/5: The Trump Era
Unessay due on Wednesday, December 12th by 5PM