UNITED STATES HISTORY BEFORE 1865

Messiah College
HIS 141: U.S. Survey Before 1865
Fall 2008
Lecture MW 1:00-1:50 Fry 110

Seminars:
R 11:55-12:45 (1) Boyer 430 History Majors Seminar (Taught by Professor Fea)
R 1:20-2:10 (2) Kline 306 (Taught by Professor Fea)
R 2:45—3:35 (3) Kline 306 (Taught by Professor Fea)
F 8:00-8:50 (4) Boyer 430 (Taught by Professor Snyder)
F 9:00-9:50 (5) Boyer 430(Taught by Professor Snyder)
F 1:00-1:50 (6) Fry 110 (Taught by Professor Fea)

Instructors:
John Fea
Office Hours:  M 2-4; W 2-4; R3:45-5:00; and by appointment
Office: Boyer 258
Phone: x2253
e-mail: jfea@messiah.edu
Syllabus Page:

Cathay Snyder
Office Hours: TBA
Office: Boyer 383
Phone: x3948
email: csnyder@messiah.edu

Course Description
This course is the first part of the introductory survey in the history of the entity that became the United States.  We will begin at the European encounter with the peoples of North America and conclude at the end of Civil War in 1865.  As a survey, this course does not attempt to give exhaustive coverage to every aspect of American history.  We will, however, examine a number of important social, cultural, economic, political, and religious issues that have shaped early American society.

Required Textbooks  (Available in College Bookstore)
Nick Cullather, et.al., Making a Nation: The United States and its People  Vol. 1
Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography
Thomas Paine, Common Sense
Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Readings on JSTOR and on the internet

A Note About Reserve Reading
Readings listed as “on the internet” will include a web address where they can be found.  I STRONGLY encourage you to print these documents so that you can bring them to class with you on the day they will be discussed.  Some of the reserve articles I have assigned are available in an article database called JSTOR.  The easiest way to access these articles is to click on the link on the on-line syllabus.

Course Procedure
Every student must register for one of the six weekly seminars that meet at the end of each week.  On Mondays and Wednesdays we will all meet together in FRY 110.  These days will be devoted to a 50-minute plenary lecture.  On Thursday or Friday we will meet in small seminars in the classrooms assigned.  These days will be devoted entirely to discussion of the reading assigned for that week. You are expected to attend class and arrive promptly. You should complete the week’s reading assignment prior to your weekly seminar.  It is essential that you come to these classes prepared to wade into the day’s discussion.

Assignments:
We will have two 50-minute in-class exams in addition to the final exam.  Exams will be based on a combination of class lecture, class discussion, and reading.  You will write two papers based upon your reading of Franklin’s Autobiography, Paine’s Common Sense or Douglass’ Narrative.  Class participation will be worth 15% of your grade in this course.

Grading:
 In Class Exams(3): 45%
 Papers(2): 30%
 Quizzes 10%
 Participation and Attendance 15%

Attendance/Participation and Quiz Grade
Attendance: Every student begins the term with an attendance/participation grade of  “A.”  For each unexcused SEMINAR absence, your attendance/participation grade drops by 1 letter grade. For example, if a student has 3 unexcused absences by the end of the term, his or her attendance/participation grade would be a “D.”  No penalties are incurred for excused absences, but you should realize that your absence from SEMINAR—even if it is excused—will hinder your class performance in the sense that you would have missed valuable class material.   In other words, make every effort to be in class.  Though this attendance policy relates solely to SEMINAR, you are, of course, STRONGLY encouraged to be present at every lecture as well.  This will be worth 15% of your grade in the course.

Quizzes:  Most seminar periods will begin with a short quiz based on the material that you read for class that day.  The quizzes could be based on your reading in Cullather or your reading in the addition materials assigned for that day's seminar.  They will vary in format.  Your quiz grade will be worth 10% of your grade in the course.

Notes:
•    We will take all three exams together.  The first exam will be held on October 3 at 1:00pm in Fry 110.  The second exam will be held on November 6 at 9am in Fry 110.  The final exam will be held during the regular final exam time in Fry 110.  Please plan accordingly.
•    The seminars for the week of October 27 will all meet together in Fry 110 at 1:00pm  to watch the movie "A Midwife's Tale."  Please plan accordingly.
•    Students who do not take all the exams, quizzes, and hand-in all of the papers, no matter how late, will fail the course
•    Students must attend the seminar in which they have registered.  Attending another seminar will result in an unexcused absence unless permission is grants by one of the instructors prior to the class.
•    Late papers will be penalized half a letter grade for each class period it is late.  Papers handed-in more than 5 class periods late will receive a failing grade, but must still be handed-in before the end of the semester in order to receive a passing grade for the course.
•    Make-up exams will be administered only in extreme emergencies.
•    There will be no extra credit
•    AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT:   Any student whose disability falls within ADA guidelines should inform the instructor at the beginning of the semester of any special accommodations or equipment needs necessary to complete the requirements for this course. Students must register documentation with the Office of Disability Services (Hoffman 101).  If you have questions, call extension 5358.
•    Plagiarism will be penalized according to college policies.  According to the Student Handbook, plagiarism is “submitting as one’s own work part or all of any assignment (oral or written) which is copied, paraphrased, or purchased from another source, including on-line sources without the proper acknowledgment of that source. Examples include:  failing to cite a reference, failing to use quotation marks where appropriate, misrepresenting another's work as your own.”  The penalty for plagiarizing all or most of a paper is the assignment of an ‘F’ for the course.


Tentative Class Schedule

DATE   PROGRAM AND ASSIGNMENTS
Week of September 1
Lecture:  Introduction to the Course
Seminar:  Doing History (No Quiz)
READ:  Boydston, Ch. 1

Week of September 8
Lecture: Old World: Mercantilism/Life and Death in Jamestown
Lecture:  Tobacco Culture in the Early Chesapeake
Seminar: Discussion: Native American Life and Culture
READ:  Merrill, “The Indians New World” (JSTOR); Boydston, Ch. 2

Week of September 15
Lecture: Old World Protestantism
Lecture: “City on a Hill”: Puritans and America
Seminar: Puritan Society
READ: The Trial of Anne Hutchinson; Boydston, Ch. 3

Week of September 22
Lecture: The Middle Colonies
Lecture: The Enlightenment in America
Seminar:  The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
READ: The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (Entire Book); Boydston, Ch.4

Week of September 29
Lecture: The First Great Awakening
Lecture: The Colonies on the Eve of the American Revolution
Seminar: EXAM: Oct. 3 at 1pm in Fry 110
READ: Boydston, Ch.5

Week of October 6
Lecture:  The Coming of the American Revolution
Lecture:  The Coming of the American Revolution
Seminar:  NO SEMINAR: FALL BREAK
READ: Boydston, Ch. 6

Week of October 13
Lecture:  The American Revolution
Lecture: The Revolutionary War
Seminar: Thomas Paine, Common Sense
READ: Boydston, Ch. 7; Paine, Common Sense  (entire book and introduction)

Week of October 20
Lecture:  The Articles of Confederation
Lecture: The Collapse of Virtue
SEMINAR: A Republican Constitution
READ: The Constitution of the United States (Boydston, A2-A8);  Federalist 10; Boydston, Ch. 8

Week of October 27
Lecture:  A Federalist Vision for the United States
Lecture:  Cementing an International Reputation
Seminar: MOVIE: "A Midwife's Tale".  This will be shown on Oct. 31 at 1:00pm in Fry 110
READ:  Midwife's Tale Study Guide (Distributed in Class); Boydston, Ch. 9.  
Optional Website for the Movie: DoHistory.org

Week of November 3
Lecture:  Jeffersonian America
Lecture: Jeffersonian America
Seminar: EXAM: Nov. 6 at 1:00pm in Fry 110
READ:  Boydston, Ch. 10

Week of November 10
Lecture: The Market Economy in the North
Lecture:  The Southern Economy
Seminar:  Abolitionism and Pro-Slavery Arguments
READ: George Fitzhugh, "The Blessings of Slavery" ; William Lloyd Garrison, "To the Public" (The Liberator) ; Thomas R. Dew Defends Slavery.; Boydston, 11.

Week of November 17
Lecture: The Age of Jackson/The Age of Democracy
Lecture: Manifest Destiny
Seminar: “Debating Democracy”
READ:  Boydston, Ch. 12

Week of November 24
Lecture: Sectional Results of Manifest Destiny
NO SEMINARS
READ:  Boydston, Ch. 13

Week of December 1
Lecture:  The Coming of the Civil War
Lecture:  The Civil War
Seminar:  Slaves and Slavery in the 19th Century
READ:  Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (Entire Book); Boydston, Ch. 14

Week of December 8
Lecture:  Civil War
Lecture: Lincoln’s Civil War
Seminar: The Meaning of the Civil War
READ: Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address; Boydston, Ch. 15

FINAL EXAM:  Tuesday, December 16, 10:30-12:30, Fry 110


Paper Topics
In writing these essays you should draw on lectures, discussions, and class readings, but pay particular attention to Franklin (paper 1), Paine (paper 2) and Douglass (paper 3). No additional outside sources apart from your textbook and lecture notes will be permitted. The best papers will not only answer the question posed, but will do so through a sustained interaction with these primary source readings.  Papers should make specific statements rooted firmly in the evidence.  Use quotations wherever applicable, but avoid citing long excerpts from the texts. Papers should be typed, stapled (no covers please) and double spaced with one-inch margins, headers (except for the first page), and footers (bottom margins).  Papers should be 4-5 pages in length.  Those papers that fall short of the 4 page minimum or stray too far over the five page maximum will be penalized.
You are required to write 2 of the following papers:

PAPER 1-Due Oct. 8:  Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography has long been understood as a work that has defined the American character. What is so "American" about the values Franklin sets forth in telling his story?  How, in your opinion, have these values impacted the course of American life since Franklin published his work?  Are these values good for America?

PAPER 2—Due Oct. 27:  In addition to the Declaration of Independence, 1776 witnessed the publication of one of the most important political tracts in American History—Common Sense.  Consider this document.  Place it in its proper historical context and engage Thomas Paine’s motivation for writing it. Why would many feel that Paine's proposal for an American government was too radical or extreme?

PAPER 3—Due Dec. 11 or 12: Using the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, describe the social and psychological impact of slavery on the slaves themselves. How did the patterns of work and bondage affect the lives of those who experienced slavery in antebellum America and how did they respond?