North America and the United States to 1865 (210-1-20)

Instructors

Caitlin Annette Fitz
847/467-2906
Harris Hall - Room 205

Meeting Info

Willard Hall B72: Mon, Wed, Fri 10:00AM - 10:50AM

Overview of class

The setting: North America, 1400 to 1865. The characters: Indigenous, African, European, Asian, and their descendants; enslaved, free, and in-between; genders of all kinds. The plot: full of tragedy and triumph and terror and twists, including the surprising emergence of the United States, the world's first modern republican empire, trumpeting inalienable rights and the pursuit of happiness while spreading slavery.

Learning Objectives

• Learn to analyze primary sources, which offer an "on the ground" sense of what early America felt like, and which form the building blocks of historical inquiry.

• Engage in reasoned and respectful discussion and construct thoughtful, evidence-based arguments from course readings and lectures.

• Gain a foundational understanding of the people, places, and events that shaped the early American past. Students will think historically and critically about why all these names and dates matter, weaving them into broader, interpretative arguments about the past.

Evaluation Method

short reading response papers; take-home essay midterm and final; participation.

Class Attributes

Historical Studies Foundational Discipline
Historical Studies Distro Area
U.S. Perspectives on Power, Justice, and Equity

Associated Classes

DIS - University Library 4670: Thurs 10:00AM - 10:50AM

DIS - University Library 3622: Thurs 10:00AM - 10:50AM

DIS - University Library 3722: Thurs 11:00AM - 11:50AM

DIS - University Library 3622: Thurs 1:00PM - 1:50PM