Meeting Times, Location, & Course Delivery Details
Contact Information
- Eric Foner et al, Give Me Liberty!: An American History, Seagull, Vol. 1, Seventh Ed.
- Mary Rowlandson, Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson
- Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative and Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavus Vassa, the African.
- Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia
- Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
This course aims to provide undergraduates with a functional knowledge of United States history from pre-European contact to the Civil War, introducing students to the central ideas and core principles the defined early America. In studying the historical development of the United States, our goals are twofold. On the one hand, we aim to understand the perspectives, ideas, and beliefs of historical figures, grappling with experiences and worldviews that may seem very foreign to us. Of equal importance, our objective in studying the past is to gain a greater understanding of our contemporary world.
Tentative Course Schedule and Assignment Due Dates:
Week 1
Class 1 (August 25): Introduction
Class 2 (August 27): Indian Country: Native American Life Before European Contact
NO READING
Week 2
Class 3 (September 1): European Society, the Age of Exploration, and the Spanish Empire
Class 4 (September 3): The Colonization of North America and the Beginnings of British America
Readings:
- Mary Rowlandson, Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, Beginning to Thirteenth Remove
- Foner, Give Me Liberty!, 12-62
Week 3
Class 5 (September 8): In Search of Refuge: The Founding of Maryland and New England
Class 6 (September 10): Puritans and Indians Discussion of Mary Rowlandson and Quiz #1
Readings:
- Mary Rowlandson, Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, Fourteenth Remove to Finish
- Foner, Give Me Liberty!, 63-87
Week 4
Class 7 (September 15): The Origins of Slavery in America
Class 8 (September 17): The Colonial Crisis of the Late Seventeenth Century Discussion of Equiano and Quiz #2
Readings:
- Equiano, The Interesting Narrative and Life of Olaudah Equiano, Ch. 1-4 (pg. 31-94)
- Foner, Give Me Liberty!, 89-110
Week 5
Class 9 (September 22): Forging Anglo-America: Colonial Life in the 18th Century
Class 10 (September 24): Slavery in Colonial America and the Great Awakening Discussion of Equiano and Quiz #3
Readings:
- Equiano, The Interesting Narrative and Life of Olaudah Equiano, Ch. 5-7 (pg. 95-144)
- Foner, Give Me Liberty!, 110-129, 131-162
Week 6
Class 11 (September 29): The French and Indian War and the Origins of the Colonial Crisis
Class 12 (October 1): Midterm #1
NO READING
Week 7
Class 13 (October 6) The American Revolution Part 1: The War for Independence
Class 14 (October 8) The American Revolution Part 2: A Social Revolution
Readings:
- Foner, Give Me Liberty!, 179-248
Week 8
Class 15 (October 13): In-Service Professional Development Day-NO CLASS
Class 16 (October 15) Democracy and Its Limitations: The Origins of the Constitution
Readings:
- Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia, 28-79
- Foner, Give Me Liberty!, 250-314
Week 9
Class 17 (October 20): The Early Republic
Class 18 (October 22): The War of 1812
Readings:
- Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia, 98-113, 116-136, 163-171
- Foner, Give Me Liberty!, 314-322
Week 10
Class 19 (October 27): The Market Revolution
Class 20 (October 29): The Age of Jackson, Part 1: The Triumph of White Man’s Democracy Discussion of Jefferson and Quiz #4
Readings:
- Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia, 137-155
- Foner, Give Me Liberty!, 324-386
Week 11
Class 21 (November 3): The Age of Jackson, Part 2: The Second Party System, Bank War, and Indian Removal
Class 22 (November 5): Midterm #2
NO READING
Week 12
Class 23 (November 10): The Cotton Kingdom: The Expansion of Slavery, the Missouri Compromise, and the Nullification Crisis
Class 24 (November 12): The Peculiar Institution: Life in the Slave South
Readings:
- Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Ch. 1-7 (pages 4-36)
- Foner, Give Me Liberty!, 405-440 Discussion of Douglass and Quiz #5
Week 13
Class 25 (November 17): The Rise of Abolitionism in America
Class 26 (November 19): Women’s Rights and Social Reform in Antebellum Discussion of Douglass and Quiz #6
Readings:
- Foner, Give Me Liberty!, 442-490
- Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, ch. 8-11 (37-89)
Week 14
Class 27 (November 24): Manifest Destiny: The Texas Revolt, The War With Mexico, and the California Gold Rush
Class 28 (November 26): The Impending Crisis: Slavery and the Collapse of the Second Party System
Readings:
- Foner, Give Me Liberty!, 490-519
Week 15
Class 29 (December 1): A House Divided: The Rise of the Republican Party and the Shadow of Disunion
Class 30 (December 3): NO CLASS THANKSGIVING BREAK
NO READING
Week 16
Class 30 (December 8): Secession and the Civil War
Students are expected to actively participate in classroom activities and discussion. Most classes will consist of lectures covering a wide variety of historical content. There will also be a series of in class discussions that will focus on the assigned reading. (Discussion dates are listed on the course schedule.) Class participation will make up 10% of your overall grade.
In addition to classroom discussions, your engagement with assigned reading will be tested through a series of in class reading quizzes. The quiz dates are listed on the course schedule. Reading quizzes will make up 15% of your grade. For the purposes of discussion and quizzes, you should have the assigned reading completed by the Thursday session of each week.
Along with reading quizzes and class participation, grades will be determined by students’ performance on the midterms and final examination. Midterm #1 will be on October 1 and cover all material from Weeks 1-6. Midterm #2 will be on November 5 and cover all material from weeks 7-11. The midterms will include a combination of identification terms and essay questions.
The final examination will follow the same format, but will be cumulative, covering material from the entire course.
Grade Breakdown:
Participation (10%)
Reading Quizzes (15%)
Midterm #1 (20%)
Midterm #2 (20%)
Final Exam (35%)
The grading scale will be as follows:
A | 93.5 < | B+ | 87 < | C+ | 77 < | D | 60 < |
A- | 90 < | B | 83.5 < | C | 73.5 < | F | > 59.9 |
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| B- | 80 < | C- | 70 < |
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Instructor Course Policies
Students are allowed three unexcused absences over the course of the semester. If are absent three or less times, there will be no impact on your final grade. If you have more than three unexcused absences, however, your participation grade will be lowered 5 percentage points for each additional unexcused absence. (For example: if your participation grade was 85/100 and you have 4 unexcused absences, your participation grade would be 80.) For an excused absence, you must alert me ahead of time that you will be missing class and have an acceptable reason as defined in the Wilmington College Student Handbook. See the current Student Handbook for the college's Attendance Policy, especially as it pertains to excused absences. Instructor reserves the right to place a cap on total penalties based on individual circumstances.
Academic dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. See the current Student Handbook for the College’s Academic Integrity Policies as they pertain to examinations, plagiarism, classroom behavior, and the process for handling academic misconduct charges. Penalties for plagiarism or cheating in this class may range from an F on the assignment to an F in the class. In addition, all cases will be reported in writing to the Office of Academic Affairs. In the case of serious infractions, the Academic Standards and Appeals Committee may take further action.
Generative Artificial Intelligence
You are not permitted to use generative AI tools for any work in this course. This includes the use of popular tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney, GitHub Co-Pilot, as well as all other tools built on generative AI technologies. Due to the nature of this course, work can only be fairly and accurately evaluated if student writing has NOT been assisted by generative AI. Use of generative AI for assignments in this course will be considered a violation of the College’s academic integrity policies. Assigned reading and corresponding written assignments in this course are designed to develop independent skills and thoughtful perspective through reflective technical writing. Use of AI undermines that work, its purpose, and ultimately any benefit that it could provide towards students’ learning experience. Therefore, the use of any generative AI to help with any assignments will be considered cheating/plagiarism and will be graded and handled accordingly.
Classroom Etiquette
Please arrive on time and refrain from packing up early, dozing off, walking out for non-emergency bathroom/drinking fountain visits, holding side-bar conversations, listening to electronic equipment, text-messaging, and checking cell phones. Students may be asked to leave class for these or other breaches of etiquette.
Americans with Disabilities Act
If you have a documented disability that requires accommodations, contact the Disability Services Director in Robinson Communication Center Room 114 or 937-481-2444.
Institutional and Program-Level Policies
All exams will follow the Final Exam Schedule. Students scheduled to take three or more final examinations on one day may request to arrange their examination schedule, so no more than two exams occur on one day.
Requests for early or late exams are considered only under extreme circumstances. Prior to the exam period, the student must file a written request on the Early/Late Exam Form available in the Student One Stop Center, Academic Records, and on the WC portal. The form must be signed by the Instructor and the Academic Dean, approving the alternate exam time. This process must be completed prior to the scheduled exam period.
Undergraduate: FA26 Final Exam Schedule
Out-of-class Work Expectation A minimum of 2 hours of out-of-class student work is expected for each hour of in-class time for traditional face-to-face courses. For online and hybrid courses, the combination of face-to-face time and out-of-class work should be equal to 3 hours per credit hour per week. |
Instructional Course Delivery Definition of Courses |
Academic Integrity Policy The use of generative AI is prohibited except where expressly allowed in assignment instructions. Academic Integrity Policy |
Class Attendance Policy Institutional Class Attendance Policy |