History 310 (Telecourse)
United States History to 1877
Dr. Stuart Graybill
Office: RN 211
Phone: 558-2309
E-mail: graybis@scc.losrios.edu
Website: http://web.scc.losrios.edu/graybis
Sacramento City College
Office Hours:
MW 12:00-1:00 p.m.
Fri. 11:00-12:00 p.m.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course will examine the historical development of American society and culture to 1877. Course
materials will introduce students to the origins and consequences of the major historical forces
(economic, social, cultural and political) that helped shape life in America to the end of Reconstruction.
This section of History 310 is a TELECOURSE – that is, in addition to reading materials, students are
required to view a series of video lectures on U.S. history to 1877 (broadcast on Comcast Cable Channel
16, and SureWest Channel 22, Monday and Wednesday nights, at 5:00 p.m. – the broadcast schedule of
video lectures follows at the end of this syllabus). VHS tapes and DVD recordings of the video lectures
are available at the media counter on the lower level of the Learning Resources Center. Students may
borrow these tapes and view them in the Learning Resources Center. There are also a limited number of
VHS tapes and DVDs of all the video lectures in the course available for semester rental (also at the
media counter, Learning Resources Center, lower level). VHS tapes and DVDs are $20 for the semester.
Finally, students are required to attend an initial orientation meeting (Thursday January 24, 5:30-6:50
p.m., Rodda North 208) and a small number of class meetings thereafter to complete examinations on
the videos and course reading materials.
TIME COMMITMENT:
Telecourses generally require much more out-of-class time from students than ordinary lecture courses.
An ordinary lecture course at Sacramento City College contains roughly fifty-four (54) hours of class
sessions. The College and its faculty generally expect students to devote approximately two (2) hours to
course work outside class for every hour inside class (to read course materials, complete assignments,
study for exams, etc.). This means that students should expect to devote approximately one hundred and
sixty (160) hours of labor, total, to complete the necessary work for an ordinary lecture course at SCC.
Television courses, however, contain far fewer “class” hours. For example, the total length of the video
lectures and in-class examinations for this telecourse is just seventeen (19) hours. Nevertheless, students
are still expected to devote the same amount of effort to a telecourse as they would to an ordinary lecture
course (approximately one hundred and sixty [160] hours of labor). So, telecourses generally contain
more reading and writing assignments than an ordinary lecture course. Thus the total volume of reading
and writing assignments for this telecourse generally exceeds that of an ordinary lecture course.
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REQUIRED READING MATERIALS:
Textbook for the Course:
The American Promise, Vol. I: To 1877, 3rd edition
(Roark, et al)
Telecourse Guide:
Telecourse Guide for Shaping America, 3rd edition
(Alfers, Kenneth)
Additional Books:
The New York Conspiracy Trials of 1741 (Zabin, Serena)
Dred Scott v. Sandford (Finkelman, Paul)
The items above are available for purchase in the College store
and also on reserve in the Learning Resources Center.
GRADED ASSIGNMENTS:
Students are required to complete EIGHT SHORT ESSAYS, TWO MIDTERM EXAMS,
and a FINAL EXAM. The relative value of these assignments, as a percentage of your
course grade, is provided below:
Papers
Exams
---
50% (approx. 6.25% of course grade per essay)
50% (approx. 16.5% of course grade per exam)
The essays will assess students' command of two of the course readings, The New York
Conspiracy Trials of 1741, and Dred Scott v. Sandford. The midterm and final
examinations will assess students’ command of the textbook, telecourse guide, and class
material (videos) through essays. Students must bring BLUE BOOKS to exams. Blue
Books may be purchased at the College Store.
The exam schedule is provided below:
First Midterm Exam:
Second Midterm Exam:
Final Exam:
Thursday, February 21
Thursday, April 3
Thursday, May 15
5:30-6:50 p.m., RN 208
5:30-6:50 p.m., RN 208
5:45-7:45 p.m., RN 208
A weekly reading and assignment schedule (begining on page 10 of this syllabus) also
contains dates for exams and completion of essay assignments.
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ESSAY INSTRUCTIONS (PAY CAREFUL ATTENTION!!!!):
The subject matter for the first four essays is The New York Conspiracy Trials of 1741: Daniel
Horsmanden’s Journal of the Proceedings – edited by Serena Zabin. The subject matter for the last
four essays is Dred Scott v. Sandford, a collection of documents and analytical essays on the U.S.
Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision (1857) – edited by Paul Finkelman.
The essays should be composed in the following manner: each essay should be approximately 3 pages,
typed, double-spaced, 12 pt. font, 1" margins. Each essay should contain an introductory paragraph, a
body, and a conclusion.
The introduction should provide just that - an introduction to the topic you're examining. The basic
elements of an introduction can generally be identified in the opening paragraph of a good newspaper
article. Reporters generally attempt to identify early in the article the Who, What, Where, and When of
the piece. In many newspaper articles, the reporter introduces Who the story is about, What was the
incident to be described, and Where and When it occurred, often in the first sentence of the article. You
should strive for such clarity and brevity in introductions to your essays. A good introduction also
provides a thesis statement (a sentence or sentences that decisively state an argument or position that the
author intends to develop and demonstrate in the essay).
The body should be composed of several paragraphs that support your thesis and the main points of your
essay. Above all, the body of your essays provide the EVIDENCE, FACTS, and EXAMPLES, drawn
from the reading materials, that rationally support your thesis. More than any other single criteria, your
essays will be judged on the care and diligence you demonstrate in your effort to understand the
arguments, ideas, facts, and evidence contained in the books.
For the purposes of the essays you will be writing, the term "evidence" includes examples, concrete
facts, and major ideas drawn from the reading assignments. Thus your arguments in your essays should
contain numerous quotations, drawn specifically from the reading, and your writing should carefully
examine the evidence and main ideas of the books you will be reading.
The conclusion can be constructed in a variety of ways: it may be a brief summary of the main points of
your essay; it may also be a restatement of your thesis. But the best conclusion is one that demonstrates
the HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE of the issue at hand and your analysis of it.
Papers will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
1. Organization, logic, coherence (that is, introduction, thesis, body, conclusion, etc.).
2. Content (quantity and quality of evidence, level of analysis, level of command of subject matter).
3. Grammar, syntax, spelling.
FINALLY! SINCE THIS IS A HISTORY COURSE, EACH PAPER YOU WRITE SHOULD
MAKE CHRONOLOGY CRYSTAL CLEAR! THAT IS, BEFORE YOU SUBMIT AN ESSAY
MAKE SURE YOUR WORK CLEARLY EXPLAINS ALL THE RELEVANT DATES AND
THE RELEVANT SEQUENCE OF EVENTS. INDEED, THE FIRST PARAGRAPH OF EVERY
ESSAY SHOULD CLEARLY INDICATE THE TIME PERIOD IN QUESTION, AND ALL
SUBSEQUENT PARAGRAPHS SHOULD MAKE THE CHRONOLOGICAL SEQUENCE OF
EVENTS CLEAR.
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A WARNING ON PLAGIARISM - WHAT IS PLAGIARISM?
Plagiarism is the use of somebody else’s material (as if it were your own) in a paper or an
essay without giving credit to the author. The following are examples of the criteria that
will be used in this class to identify plagiarism:
1. The use of somebody else’s exact wording, whatever the material, without indicating
the source and without using quotation marks or other accepted typographical devises to
identify the sentences, paragraphs, and passages obtained from an author. Changing a
few words here and there in a sentence, paragraph, or paragraphs, is not sufficient to
avoid plagiarism!
2. Borrowing the whole pattern of organization and points of view of a source without
giving credit via standard in-text written citations and clear identification of
source/sources.
3. Borrowing facts, figures, or ideas that originated with, and are the property of, a
particular source rather than a matter of common information available in many sources.
4. Collaborating with other students to the extent that two or more assignments are
identical in wording, pattern of organization, or points of view.
Plagiarism is literary thievery and, thus, it is a serious offense (and I treat it seriously). It
can lead to dismissal from the college and severe negative long-term implications for
completing a college or university education in the United States.
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INSTRUCTIONS FOR SUBMITTING YOUR ESSAYS:
There are two options for delivering your essays to the professor:
1. Printed paper or type-written copies may be delivered to the following address
(delivered personally or via U.S. Mail):
Prof. Stuart Graybill
Behavioral and Social Sciences Division, RN 226
Sacramento City College
3835 Freeport Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95822-1386
ATTENTION:
If you wish to receive a reply from me with comments and a grade, via U.S. Mail, please
include a stamped, self-addressed envelope with your essay.
2. Students may also send their essays to me electronically, via e-mail:
Essays may be sent to the following address: graybis@scc.losrios.edu.
* Special instructions for those who choose to submit essays Via E-mail
(PAY CAREFUL ATTENTION TO THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW!!!!):
FOR ELECTRONIC RECORD KEEPING PURPOSES, IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT YOU
FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW PRECISELY! (because, computers can’t intuit
your intent) IF YOU DO NOT FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW PRECISELY,
YOUR ESSAY WILL BE RETURNED TO YOU UNGRADED (AND LATE PENALTIES
WILL APPLY IF YOUR ESSAY IS NOT SUBMITTED CORRECTLY ON TIME)!
DO NOT!! REPEAT, DO NOT!!!! COMPOSE YOUR ESSAY IN YOUR E-MAIL PROGRAM!
Write your essay in a word processing program and save it, preferably, as a Microsoft Word
Document (.doc) or in Rich Text Format (.rtf).
The file name of the essay should be titled with your last name followed by the essay number.
For example: Smith1.rtf, or Smith1.doc. (no spaces between characters!)
In the subject line of the e-mail message, students should write, History 310, and the essay
number.
For example: History 310, Essay 1.
In the body of the essay, students should write their full name and the essay number at the top of
the first page. Finally, students should then send their papers to me as an attachment to their email message.
AGAIN, DO NOT COMPOSE YOUR ESSAY IN YOUR E-MAIL PROGRAM!
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IF YOU SUBMIT YOUR ESSAY VIA EMAIL, AND YOU WANT ME TO RETURN YOUR
ESSAY, GRADED WITH COMMENTS, YOU MUST FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS ON
THE PREVIOUS PAGE PRECISELY. ESSAYS THAT DO NOT CONFORM TO THE
INSTRUCTIONS ABOVE MAY NOT BE ACCEPTED AND WILL NOT BE RETURNED
(INDEED, I MAY NOT EVEN BE ABLE TO READ THEM ON MY COMPUTER).
POLICY REGARDING MISSED EXAMS:
-If you miss one of the midterm exams, there is one make-up exam at the end of the course (in the
second hour of the final exam period. You may only make up just one exam, however, so I strongly
urge students to take midterms on the scheduled dates!
POLICY REGARDING MISSED ESSAYS:
-YOU MUST COMPLETE SEVEN ESSAYS IF YOU WISH TO PASS THE COURSE! If you do not
turn in seven essays, you will not pass the class. Of course, if you turn in all the exams, you will
maximize your chance to earn the best possible score in the class.
POLICY REGARDING LATE PAPERS:
-Late papers will be assessed ONE FULL GRADE PENALTY, and late papers will not be accepted
beyond one week following the scheduled due date of that particular essay. So read the syllabus
carefully and arrange your personal schedule so that you submit your work on time.
RECOMMENDED COURSES:
COMPLETION OF ENGRD 310 (or ESLW 320 and ESLR 320) AND ELIGIBILITY FOR
ENGWR 100 IS STRONGLY ADVISED!
STANDARDS FOR CLASSROOM COURTESY:
1. Cell phones and pagers must be either turned off or set on vibrate mode!
2. Students are not permitted to answer cell phones or other devices in class! If you absolutely must
return phone calls during the class period, please do so outside the room (and if you anticipate that
you may need to answer a phone, please position yourself close to the exit so that you do not
disrupt the class when you leave).
3. Plan ahead so that you arrive in class on time!
LEARNING ACCOMODATIONS
Students who have a learning disability or a physical disability that requires special accommodation
should inform me at the beginning of the term. Students who present to me proper verification from the
disability center on campus will be accommodated.
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EXAM PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS
The midterm and final examinations are structurally identical to one another. The exams will be
divided into THREE parts. The first two parts will require students to write essays, while the third part is
an extra credit section derived from the chronology tables at the end of each chapter in the textbook, The
American Promise (a sample exam follows on page 9).
Near the end of each Lesson of the Telecourse Guide for Shaping America is a section titled,
“PRACTICE TEST.” Within that section is a subsection titled, "ESSAY QUESTION(S)" In this section
there are one or two, and, occasionally, three questions. On the midterm and final examinations I will
select four essay questions from the Telecourse Guide and place them in parts I & II of the exams.
Students will then write ONE essay in each of these sections.
By the time you complete reading each Lesson of the Telecourse Guide, you should be prepared
to write an in-class examination essay on each of the "ESSAY QUESTIONS" described in the
“PRACTICE TEST” section of that Lesson.
On PART I of the first midterm exam, I will choose, at random, TWO of the "ESSAY
QUESTIONS" from Lessons 1-3 in the Telecourse Guide and place those questions on the exam (there
are a total of 4 "ESSAY QUESTIONS" in Lessons 1-3). You will then write an ESSAY on ONE of
those two questions - the one question that you think you are best able to answer.
On PART II of the first midterm exam, I will choose, at random, TWO of the "ESSAY
QUESTIONS" from Lessons 4-6 in the Telecourse Guide and place those questions on the exam (there
are a total of 5 "ESSAY QUESTIONS" in Lessons 4-6). You will then write an ESSAY on ONE of
those two questions - the one question that you think you are best able to answer.
On PART I of the second midterm exam, I will choose, at random, TWO of the "ESSAY
QUESTIONS" from Lessons 7-9 in the Telecourse Guide and place those questions on the exam (there
are a total of 4 "ESSAY QUESTIONS" in Lessons 7-9). You will then write an ESSAY on ONE of
those two questions - the one question that you think you are best able to answer.
On PART II of the second midterm exam, I will choose, at random, TWO of the "ESSAY
QUESTIONS" from Lessons 10-12 in the Telecourse Guide and place those questions on the exam
(there are a total of 5 "ESSAY QUESTIONS" in Lessons 10-12). You will then write an ESSAY on
ONE of those two questions - the one question that you think you are best able to answer.
On PART I of the final exam, I will choose, at random, TWO of the "ESSAY QUESTIONS" from
Lessons 13-19 in the Telecourse Guide and place those questions on the exam (there are a total of 9
"ESSAY QUESTIONS" in Lessons 13-19). You will then write an ESSAY on ONE of those three
questions - the one question that you think you are best able to answer.
On PART II of the final exam, I will choose, at random, TWO of the "ESSAY QUESTIONS" from
Lessons 20-26 in the Telecourse Guide and place those questions on the exam (there are a total of 15
"ESSAY QUESTIONS" in Lessons 20-26). You will then write an ESSAY on ONE of those three
questions - the one question that you think you are best able to answer.
7
Students should prepare for the exams by intensively studying the textbook and video lectures to
answer the essay questions in the practice test sections of the lessons in the Telecourse Guide.
Students may prepare 3x5 cards to assist them in answering the essay questions from the lessons.
EXAM PREPARATION CARDS ARE OPTIONAL - YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO CREATE
AND USE THEM! Naturally, however, those who do create and use the cards tend to be more
successful on the exams than those who do not.
ALL EXAMS MUST BE COMPLETED IN A BLUE BOOK! IF YOU WISH TO HAVE THE
PROFESSOR RETURN YOUR BLUEBOOK BEFORE THE NEXT EXAM, PLEASE PROVIDE AN
ENVELOPE WITH SUFFICIENT POSTAGE TO RETURN YOUR BLUEBOOK VIA US MAIL (and,
of course, you may come by the professor’s office hour and pick up your exam in person).
If you choose to prepare cards, you must submit those cards with your blue book. Also, if you choose to
prepare cards, you must conform to the following rules for composing the cards:
INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPOSING EXAM PREPARATION CARDS:
On a 3x5 note card you may including the following information (either typed or in handwriting),
1) NAME in the upper right hand corner - REQUIRED FOR ANY CARDS YOU CREATE
2) the QUESTION from either the "ESSAY QUESTION" section of the chapter of the
Telecourse Guide.
3) you may identify the BOOK and the CHAPTER number from which the questions come.
4) a THESIS STATEMENT for the essay you intend to write.
5) a FIVE POINT OUTLINE for the essay you intend to write.
In this outline, you may write a complete topic sentence. You may also include all the factual
information that you might include in the essay. That is, you may include dates, names, events,
movements, organizations, geographical locations, etc. You may include as much of this sort of
information as you can crowd onto the card. You may hand write the card or you may type it.
With the exception of the thesis statement and the topic sentence for the outlines, however,
YOU MAY NOT WRITE COMPLETE SENTENCES ON THE CARD!
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History 310 Telecourse
SAMPLE EXAM
Graybill
Attention! -- The strongest essays on this exam will present details and specific examples [drawn from
lectures and the course reading materials] sufficient to demonstrate a thorough command of the subject
matter and main themes of the course.
In the questions you choose to answer in Parts I & II below, be sure discuss the relevance of
the main theme of the course to the subject matter of the question.
Part I - Essay - 50% - Answer ONE of the following questions from the Telecourse Guide:
1. Describe and explain the meaning of the Columbian Exchange. How did both the Old and the New
Worlds experience gains and losses because of the exchange? Which world benefited the most? Why? In
what ways does the exchange continue today? (Lesson 2)
2. Describe the Puritan “city on a hill” envisioned by John Winthrop. Analyze the ways in which the
Puritans attempted to realize this vision in the New England colonies. What tensions and conflicts did
this bring about? To what extent did Puritan influences shape America? How is this reflected today?
(Lesson 4)
Part II - Essay - 50% - Answer ONE of the following questions from the Telecourse Guide:
1. How and why had the southern colonies become a distinctive society by 1760? What were the shortand long-term consequences of this distinctiveness? (Lesson 6)
2. Describe and explain the evolution of American political thought and tactics in opposing British
policies between 1754 and 1774. Why and how had the revolutionary movement brought the colonies to
the brink of declaring independence? Do you think that the American Revolution was inevitable by
1774? Why or why not? (Lesson 7)
Part III - Extra Credit - Write your answer in your bluebook (NO MORE THAN ONE LINE!)
1. When did the first humans arrive in North America?
2. When did English colonists under Sir Walter Raleigh settle Roanoke Island?
3. When and where did English settlers establish the Jamestown colony?
4. When and where did English settlers establish the Plymouth colony?
5. When was the Stono Rebellion?
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WEEKLY READING AND ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE:
(Note to Students: The following schedule requires students to read, roughly, one chapter from the
textbook, The American Promise, per week. Pay close attention to the "Lesson Assignments" in the
Telecourse Guide, because, unfortunately, the logistics of the broadcast schedule occasionally require
students to view videos prior to reading the chapter material that accompany them.)
Week 1 – January 22-25
Class Meeting:
Orientation, Thursday, January 24, 5:30-6:50 p.m., Rodda North 208 (RN 208).
Video:
A WORLD APART
WORLDS TRANSFORMED
Reading:
READ THE SYLLABUS THOROUGHLY!
The American Promise, Vol. I, "Prologue: Ancient America," pp. 1-27, & chp. 1.
Telecourse Guide, Lessons 1 & 2
The New York Conspiracy Trials of 1741, pp. vii-x, and pp. 1-33.
Essay:
none
Week 2 – January 28-Feb. 1
Class Meeting:
none
Video:
A WORLD APART
WORLDS TRANSFORMED
Reading:
The American Promise, chp. 2
Telecourse Guide, Lessons 2 & 3
The New York Conspiracy Trials of 1741, pp. vii-x, pp. 1-33.
Essay #1 - due by 11:59 p.m., Thursday, January 31:
Serena Zabin, in her introduction to The New York Conspiracy Trials of 1741, seeks to explain how “a
relatively ordinary theft” in New York in 1741 escalated into an hysterical popular fear that poor people
and slaves in New York City were planning a bloody insurrection against their masters and social
superiors. To understand this event, she insists, “we need to investigate the atmosphere of instability,
fear, and suspicion of 1740s New York City in which the thefts occurred.”
“The most extensive source for studying these trials,” she says, is Justice Daniel Horsmanden’s journal
account of the case. But his journal poses many rational problems for anyone who wants to know, with
certainty, what did (or did not) happen in New York in 1741. The facts of the event were not absolutely
clear to all, and consequently, “not everyone was convinced that there was a real conspiracy,” Zabin
writes.
Write an essay responding to the following questions: what is Zabin trying to explain in her introduction
to this episode? What rational problems with the available evidence of this event make it difficult to
determine what actually happened in New York in 1741?
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Week 3 – February 4-8
Class Meeting:
none.
Video:
SETTLING THE SOUTHERN COLONIES
SETTLING IN NEW ENGLAND
Reading:
The American Promise, chp. 3
Telecourse Guide, Lessons 4 & 5
The New York Conspiracy Trials of 1741, pp. 37-92.
Essay:
none
Week 4 – February 11-15
Class Meeting:
none.
Video:
DIVERSIFYING BRITISH AMERICA
A DISTINCTIVE SOCIETY
Reading:
The American Promise, chp. 4
Telecourse Guide, Lessons 5 & 6
The New York Conspiracy Trials of 1741, pp. 92-159.
Essay #2 - due by 11:59 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 14:
Based on your reading of Daniel Horsmanden’s journal from The New York Conspiracy Trials of 1741,
explain his account of a conspiracy to launch a rebellion in New York in 1741. What were the details of
this alleged conspiracy? Who led it? And what did they want to accomplish?
Week 5 – February 18-22
Class Meeting:
First Midterm Exam, Thursday, Feb. 21, 5:30-6:50 p.m. RN 208.
BRING A BLUE BOOK TO CLASS!
The first midterm will examine students on the video lectures and textbook
material through Week 5 (essay questions through Lesson 6).
Video:
DIVERSIFYING BRITISH AMERICA
A DISTINCTIVE SOCIETY
Reading:
The American Promise, chp. 5
Telecourse Guide, Lessons 5 & 6
The New York Conspiracy Trials of 1741, pp. 161-176.
Essay:
None
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Week 6 – February 25-29
Class Meeting:
none
Video:
MAKING A REVOLUTION
DECLARING INDEPENDENCE
Reading:
The American Promise, chp. 6
Telecourse Guide, Lessons 7 & 8
Essay:
none
Week 7 – March 3-7
Class Meeting:
none
Video:
WINNING INDEPENDENCE
INVENTING A NATION
Reading:
The American Promise, chp. 7
Telecourse Guide, Lessons 9 & 10
The New York Conspiracy Trials of 1741, review all.
Essay #3 - due by 11:59 p.m., Thursday, March 6:
Based on your reading of Daniel Horsmanden’s journal from The New York Conspiracy Trials of 1741,
what is the best evidence that there was no conspiracy to commit rebellion? If there was no conspiracy,
then what is the best explanation for the trials and executions?
Week 8 – March 10-14
Class Meeting:
none
Video:
SEARCHING FOR STABILITY
A PEACEFUL TRANSFER OF POWER
Reading:
The American Promise, chp. 8
Telecourse Guide, Lessons 11 & 12
The New York Conspiracy Trials of 1741, pp. 177-181.
Essay #4 - due by 11:59 p.m., Thursday, March 13:
Daniel Horsmanden’s journal indicates that he harbored several biases. What were they? How did they
influence his judgments on this episode? And, despite his biases, what can we learn about this episode
from his journal? What can we say we know about New York in the early 18th Century if we have to rely
on the records left by people like Daniel Horsmanden?
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SPRING RECESS! – March 17-21
Class Meeting:
none
Video:
SEARCHING FOR STABILITY
A PEACEFUL TRANSFER OF POWER
Reading:
Get some rest or use the time to catch up!
Week 9 – March 24-28
Class Meeting:
none
Video:
JEFFERSON'S VISION OF AMERICA
THE MARKET REVOLUTION
Reading:
The American Promise, chp. 9
Telecourse Guide, Lessons 11 & 12
Dred Scott v. Sandford; Preface, pp. v-vii, pp. 1-26
Essay # 5 - due by 11:59 p.m., Thursday, March 27:
Based on your reading of Paul Finkelman’s introduction to Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857), write an
essay explaining the evolution of the Dred Scott case and its consequences through Judge Wells’
decision in Federal District Court in 1854. Paying close attention to the chronology of the issue, what,
when, and where were the crucial events? Clearly distinguish the differences between the case as it was
argued before Missouri state courts and those argued before federal courts, carefully explain the legal
reasoning and logic of the various court decisions, and assess the consequences of the case according to
Paul Finkelman.
Week 10 – March 31-April 4
Class Meeting:
Second Exam, Thursday, April 3, 5:30-6:50 p.m., RN 208
BRING A BLUE BOOK TO CLASS!
The second midterm will examine students on the video lectures and textbook
material relevant for essay questions from Lessons 7-12.
Video:
JEFFERSON'S VISION OF AMERICA
THE MARKET REVOLUTION
Reading:
The American Promise; chp. 10
Telecourse Guide, Lessons 13
Dred Scott v. Sandford; Preface, pp. 26-52
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Week 11 – April 7-11
Class Meeting:
none
Video:
A WHITE MAN'S DEMOCRACY
THE SLAVE SOUTH
Reading:
The American Promise, chp. 11
Telecourse Guide, Lessons 15 & 16
Dred Scott v. Sandford; pp. 53-126
Essay # 6 - due by 11:59 p.m., Thursday, April 10:
According to Paul Finkelman, the majority of United States Supreme Court Justices in the Dred Scott
decision (1857) decided two major issues: they "declared unconstitutional all congressional regulation of
slavery in the territories and also asserted that blacks 'had no rights' under the Constitution." Write an
essay responding to the following questions: what legal logic and reasoning did the majority (especially
Chief Justice Roger Taney) use to justify their decision? Upon what factual and logical basis did the
minority dissent from (that is, criticize) the majority decision?
Week 12 – April 14-18
Class Meeting:
none
Video:
PERFECTING AMERICA
MOVING WESTWARD
Reading:
The American Promise, chp. 12
Telecourse Guide, Lesson 17 & 18
Dred Scott v. Sandford; pp. 127-167
Essay # 7 - due by 11:59 p.m. April 17:
Write an essay explaining the diversity of the newspaper response to the Dred Scott decision. What were
some of the major varieties of opinion expressed by newspapers in the North and South? What was the
reasoning and logic of the competing newspaper interpretations of the decision?
Week 13 – April 21-25
Class Meeting:
none
Video:
CRISIS AND COMPROMISE
IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICTS
Reading:
The American Promise, chp. 13
Telecourse Guide, Lesson 19 & 20
Dred Scott v. Sandford; pp. 168-226
Essay:
none
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Week 14 – April 28-May 2
Class Meeting:
none
Video:
THE UNION COLLAPSES
AND THE WAR CAME
Reading:
The American Promise, chp. 14
Telecourse Guide, Lessons 21 & 22
Dred Scott v. Sandford; pp. 168-226
Essay # 8 - due by 11:59 p.m., Thursday, May 1:
Write an essay that explains "the range of political debate in the North" over the Dred Scott decision. In
your essay pay carefully explain the reasoning of those commenting on the decision and the debate over
the character of the late Chief Justice, Roger Taney.
Week 15 – May 5-9
Class Meeting:
none
Video:
HOME FRONTS
UNION PRESERVED, FREEDOM SECURED
Reading:
The American Promise, chp. 14
Telecourse Guide, Lesson 23 & 24
Week 16 – May 12-15
Class Meeting:
none
Video:
RECONSTRUCTING THE NATION
LOOKING BACKWARD, LOOKING FORWARD
Reading:
The American Promise, chp. 15
Telecourse Guide, Lessons 25 & 26
FINAL EXAM!
Thursday, May 15, 5:45-7:45 p.m., RN 208
BRING A BLUE BOOK TO CLASS!
PRINT OUT A COPY OR TWO OF THIS SYLLABUS SO THAT YOU WILL
ALWAYS HAVE A RESERVE COPY, JUST IN CASE YOUR COMPUTER IS
INOPERABLE OR YOU DON’T HAVE ACCESS TO IT AT A CRITICAL
MOMENT WHEN YOU MAY NEED TO KNOW WHAT’S ON THE AGENDA
FOR THE CLASS.
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BROADCAST SCHEDULE, HISTORY 310 TELECOURSE VIDEOS: JANUARY 21 - MAY 14 *
DATE
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2
2
3
3
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1/21/08
1/23/08
1/28/08
1/30/08
2/4/08
2/6/08
2/11/08
2/13/08
2/18/08
2/20/08
2/25/08
2/27/08
3/3/08
3/5/08
3/10/08
3/12/08
3/17/08
3/19/08
3/24/08
3/26/08
3/31/08
4/2/08
4/7/08
4/9/08
4/14/08
4/16/08
4/21/08
4/23/08
4/28/08
4/30/08
5/5/08
5/7/08
5/12/08
5/14/08
DAY
TIME
CH
COURSE
PROGRAM NUMBER AND NAME
M
W
M
W
M
W
M
W
M
W
M
W
M
W
M
W
M
W
M
W
M
W
M
W
M
W
M
W
M
W
M
W
M
W
5:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:00 PM
5:00 PM
16
16
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16
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16
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HIST 310
HIST 310
HIST 310
HIST 310
HIST 310
HIST 310
HIST 310
HIST 310
HIST 310
HIST 310
HIST 310
HIST 310
HIST 310
HIST 310
HIST 310
HIST 310
HIST 310
HIST 310
HIST 310
HIST 310
HIST 310
HIST 310
HIST 310
HIST 310
HIST 310
HIST 310
HIST 310
HIST 310
HIST 310
HIST 310
HIST 310
HIST 310
HIST 310
HIST 310
#1 A WORLD APART
#2 WORLDS TRANSFORMED
#1 A WORLD APART
#2 WORLDS TRANSFORMED
#3 SETTLING THE SOUTHERN COLONIES
#4 SETTLING IN NEW ENGLAND
#5 DIVERSIFYING BRITISH AMERICA
#6 A DISTINCTIVE SOCIETY
#5 DIVERSIFYING BRITISH AMERICA
#6 A DISTINCTIVE SOCIETY
#7 MAKING A REVOLUTION
#8 DECLARING INDEPENDENCE
#9 WINNING INDEPENDENCE
#10 INVENTING A NATION
#11 SEARCHING FOR STABILITY
#12 A PEACEFUL TRANSFER OF POWER
#11 SEARCHING FOR STABILITY
#12 A PEACEFUL TRANSFER OF POWER
#13 JEFFERSON'S VISION OF AMERICA
#14 THE MARKET REVOLUTION
#13 JEFFERSON'S VISION OF AMERICA
#14 THE MARKET REVOLUTION
#15 A WHITE MANS DEMOCRACY
#16 THE SLAVE SOUTH
#17 PERFECTING AMERICA
#18 MOVING WESTWARD
#19 CRISIS AND COMPROMISE
#20 IRREPRESSIBLE CONFLICTS
#21 THE UNION COLLAPSES
#22 AND THE WAR CAME
#23 HOME FRONTS
#24 UNION PRESERVED, FREEDOM SECURED
#25 RECONSTRUCTING THE NATION
#26 LOOKING BACKWARD, LOOKING FORWARD
* The channel designation in the schedule above is indicated for the Comcast Cable system. However,
SureWest Cable customers may also view the video lectures for this course at the above times on
SureWest channel 22.
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