History 310:
History of the United States to 1877
Professor Julia K. Kehew
E-mail: KehewJ@scc.losrios.edu
SCC Davis, Summer Session 2
M-Th 8-10:05 a.m., Room 108, #11531
Website: http://web.scc.losrios.edu/kehewj
D2L: https://d2l.losrios.edu
This course covers the development of American Institutions and society through
Reconstruction and partially fulfills American Institutions requirements. The course
emphasizes the role played by political, economic, social, cultural, and intellectual forces
on the culture and development of multiple ethnic groups in a comparative format.
Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:
describe and analyze the evolution of principles on which the institutions of the United
States are based.
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recognize the contributions of different cultural groups to U.S. History.
analyze historical arguments with enhanced critical thinking skills.
analyze historical arguments with enhanced writing skills.
evaluate current issues in light of the past.
examine the influence of geographic, physical, and natural resources on American
History.
recognize the inclusionary and exclusionary distinctions of our cultural heritage,
based on race, gender, class, creed, or other conditions.
demonstrate an understanding of the role ethnocentrism has played in the social,
cultural, and political development of America.
GRADING:
Participation
Quizzes
First paper, 5-6 pgs.
Midterm
Paper rewrite
Final Exam
Total Points:
20 points
100 points
50 points
80 points
50 points
100 points
400
10 quizzes – see schedule for due dates.
due beginning of class, Thursday, July 5
in class, Monday, July 9.
due beginning of class, Monday, July 23.
in class, Thursday, August 2.
Grades will be assigned on the following basis:
360-400 points:
A
320-359 points:
B
280-319 points:
C
240-279 points:
D
0-239 points:
F
REQUIRED BOOKS:
James Henretta, et. al., America’s History (volume 1: to 1877), ISBN 9780312387914
Albert Hurtado, Intimate Frontiers, ISBN 9780826319548
You may use an earlier edition of the textbook if you like. The textbook is also available
as an ebook rental from CourseSmart: http:// http://www.coursesmart.com/
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LEARNING ACCOMMODATIONS:
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 have obtained
verification from the appropriate campus authorities will be accommodated.
Class Schedule
Week One: June 25
25 Monday
Reading: Read the syllabus and other course documents; America’s History, Chapter 1
Lecture: Before Jamestown: Europe and the Atlantic World in the 15th and 16th Centuries.
26 Tuesday
DUE: Quiz 1: Syllabus Quiz
Reading: America’s History, Chapter 2
In-Class Exercise: Cultural Misunderstanding
Lecture: The Chesapeake – Early Settlements and Labor
27 Wednesday
Reading: America’s History, Chapter 3
Lecture: Early Settlements: New England
Lecture: Religious Freedom in the Colonies
28 Thursday- DUE: Quiz 2: Bacon’s Rebellion Documents
DUE: Quiz 3: The Chesapeake versus New England
Reading: America’s History, Chapter 4; Bacon’s Rebellion Document Packet
Discussion: Bacon’s Rebellion Paper Brainstorming Session
Lecture: Changes in the Chesapeake – the 17th versus the 18th centuries
Week Two: July
2 Monday - DUE: Quiz 4: Intimate Frontiers Ch. 1-2
Reading: Intimate Frontier, Ch. 1-2
Lecture: The Origins of Race
Lecture: Spanish Colonial America Part 1.
3 Tuesday
Reading: America’s History, Ch.5
Lecture: Spanish Colonial America, Part 2.
Lecture: The Seven Years’ War
4 Wednesday – HOLIDAY!
5 Thursday- Bacon’s Rebellion Paper Due!
DUE: QUIZ 4: The Seven Years’ War
Reading: America’s History, Ch. 6
Lecture: The Coming of the American Revolution
Lecture: Midterm review
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Week Three: July 9-12
9 Monday– DUE: Quiz 5: The American Revolution
Midterm! Please Bring Exam Booklet!
10 TuesdayReading: America’s History, Ch. 7
Lecture: The Founding of a Nation
Lecture: The Early Republic, Part 1
11 Wednesday:
Reading: America’s History, Chapter 8
Lecture: The Early Republic, Part 2.
Lecture: A Second War for Independence – The War of 1812
12 Thursday: Quiz 6: The War of 1812
Reading: America’s History, Chapter 9
Lecture: The Market Revolution
Week Four: July 16-19
16 Monday DUE: Quiz 7: The Market Revolution
Reading: America’s History, Chapter 10
Lecture: The Rise of Political Democracy
Lecture: The Jacksonian Presidency
17 TuesdayReading: America’s History, Ch. 11
Lecture: True Womanhood and Antebellum Reform
Discussion: Paper Rewrites
18 Wednesday
Reading: America’s History, Chapter 12
Lecture: The Peculiar Institution: Antebellum Slavery
Lecture: Sex and Slavery in the Old South
19 Thursday- DUE: Quiz 8 – Intimate Frontiers, Ch. 3-4-5-6
Reading: Intimate Frontiers Chapters 3-4-5-6
Lecture: The Rise of Abolition
Lecture: Cultural Encounters in the West, Part 1.
Week Five: July 23-26
23 Monday - Paper Rewrites Due!
Reading: America’s History, Ch. 13
Lecture: Cultural Encounters in the West, Part 2.
Lecture: Politics and Westward Expansion Part 1
24 Tuesday- DUE: Quiz 9: Reform Movements
Lecture: Politics and Westward Expansion Part 2
Lecture: Slavery and the Problem of Westward Expansion
25 Wednesday
Quiz 9: Expansion of Slavery
Lecture: The Rise of the Republican Party
Lecture; The Emergence of Abraham Lincoln
26 Thursday
Reading: America’s History, Ch. 14
Lecture: The Civil War
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Week Six: July 30-August 2
30 Monday – DUE: Quiz 10: The Civil War
Reading: America’s History, Ch. 15
Lecture: Reconstruction
Lecture: The American West, part I
31 Tuesday
Lecture: The American West, Part 2
Lecture: Conclusion
1 Wednesday
Discussion: Final Review
2 Thursday
FINAL EXAM – PLEASE BRING EXAM BOOK!
CLASS POLICIES
Missed exam policy: Exams cannot be made up except in extraordinary circumstances.
Substantial documentation will be required. Contact me via email as soon as humanly
possible if you find that you have no choice but to miss an exam.
Course Ethos: We must create a space where everyone feels that class is a safe forum for
expression. We must all keep open minds to recognize, honor, and encourage all ways of
thinking and being in the world. Everyone needs to be able to express their ideas without
fear of ridicule. We may not always agree with the readings, lecture material, or with
each other, but we must all fight to hear other truths and accept – not merely tolerate –
the validity of other points of view.
Participation: Your participation grade will be determined by your contributions in
class. This includes your level of preparedness and participation in class discussions. If
you are not in class, you cannot participate in discussion, and this will be reflected in
your grade.
Attendance: If you miss class, you are responsible for getting the information you
missed from another student. I do not provide my lecture notes to students for any reason.
Since other students are not always the most reliable source of information, I recommend
you attend class regularly and take extensive notes for yourself. NEVER ask me if you
missed anything important in class. Of course you did!
Plagiarism: Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty; as such, it will not be tolerated.
The Student Honor Code defines plagiarism as: “1. Incorporating the ideas, words,
sentences, paragraphs or parts of another person’s writings without giving appropriate
credit, and representing the product as your own. 2. Representing another’s artistic or
scholarly works such as musical compositions, computer programs, photographs,
paintings, drawings or sculptures as your own. 3. Submitting a paper purchased from a
research or term paper service, including the internet. 4. Undocumented Web source
usage.” I expect students to do their own work at all times in this class. Students who
plagiarize on assignments or cheat on exams will receive a failing grade for the
assignment or exam, and will be referred to the appropriate campus authorities.
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Classroom Etiquette: Please arrive to class on time, and turn off and PUT AWAY
all cell phones before entering class. Do not talk when the instructor or another
student is addressing the class. You can expect the instructor to behave as a
professional at all times, and the instructor expects that you will also behave in a
professional manner.
*******The instructor reserves the right to alter this syllabus at any time.********
ASSIGNMENTS:
Reading Assignments: Daily reading assignments must be completed prior to class. We
will discuss aspects of the readings in class, and questions about the readings will come
up on the quizzes and exams. Take notes on your reading. Books should be read to
identify themes that come up in class and in other readings.
Quizzes: Students are required to take 10 quizzes worth 10 points each online using D2L.
Make sure you have an active D2L account – go to https://d2l.losrios.edu to set up your
account and to see my class information. Quizzes are typically 5-10 true/false questions
that cover main points from reading assignments and lecture, and must be completed
BEFORE class on the day the quiz is listed as due. Quiz questions will be given in
random order and students are allowed 1 attempt to complete the quiz within 2 hours.
Missed quizzes cannot be made up.
Midterm and Final Exam: The week before the exam, I will give you a study guide
with a list of possible essay questions and identifications. The actual exam questions and
identifications will be drawn from this list. For both exams, you will be given a list of 10
identifications and will need to choose 8 to answer. For the essay portion, you will be
given a choice of 2 questions on part A, and will choose one to answer. You will then be
required to answer a specific essay question (no choice) on part B. In total, you will
answer 2 essay questions and 8 identifications for both the midterm and final.
The Papers: There will be two papers due for this class.
For the first paper, a packet of historical documents pertaining to a particular historical
event will be available for you on the course website. Your job will be to analyze the
documents in the packet and write a paper that makes an argument or states an opinion
describing the event, citing the documents to provide evidence to support your argument
or opinion.
For the second paper, you will use the feedback I provide to rewrite the paper and will
be graded on improvement. For the second paper, you MUST submit the first paper AND
the rewritten paper. Papers are due at the beginning of class on the date specified.
IMPORTANT! Every piece of information that comes from the textbook, lecture, or
documents and is used in the paper, whether quoted directly or put in your own words,
MUST be cited appropriately. See examples at the end of the syllabus for how to cite
your sources. Papers are due at the beginning of class on the date specified. Papers
MUST be stapled. Assignment submissions via email are not acceptable. Late papers
will receive a 10 point deduction for each class period late. Papers will not be
accepted past 2 classes following the due date.
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Structure of the Paper:
You will be writing a formal academic paper using formal academic English. This type of
paper is organized in the following standard format:
A. The Introduction. . The introduction states the topic of the paper, gets the reader’s
attention, and makes the subject appear interesting and important. The
introduction also makes clear how the topic will be organized, and in what order
the analysis will be presented. The last sentence of the introduction paragraph
states the main argument.
B. The Body. The body of the paper is the examination of the subject that has been
introduced in the introduction in the order stated in the introduction. In the body
of the paper, the argument is fleshed out and the evidence from the documents is
presented to convince the reader that the argument is valid. The paper should flow
from point to point smoothly with transitions between each paragraph.
C. The Conclusion. The conclusion is a summary wrap-up of the topic. In a
reasonably short paragraph, the conclusion restates paper’s main argument and
summarizes the major points of evidence.
Assessment Criteria: I will use the following criteria to assess your paper:
Thesis/Argument
The argument is clearly stated and it is not merely descriptive. The argument offers an
analysis of evidence.
Evidence
The paper provides specific information and examples from the historical documents,
textbook, and lecture notes to support its main ideas/argument. The paper uses ONLY the
required sources – documents, lecture, and textbook. The paper does not rely on overly
long quotes.
Historical Context
The paper places the documents within a historical period and provides an assessment of
how the documents reflect multiple perspectives within this historical context.
Organization
The paper has a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph
has a topic sentence that states the central idea holding the paragraph together.
Transitions unite the essay. All paragraphs relate to the argument, and that relationship is
clear.
Mechanics
Sentences are clear and free of spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. Quotes are
introduced and integrated into the text. Paper does not use contractions. Citations are
appropriate and follow required format.
Conclusion
Restates the important conclusions of the paper and sums up the argument. Does not
introduce new ideas or information.
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Grading Checklist
After your papers are graded, I will give you a checklist similar to the following one
showing the areas that need work. It is a good idea to use this checklist to proofread your
paper before turning it in to avoid losing points unnecessarily.
Please work on the following issues:
Thesis/Argument
o The argument needs to be clearly stated in the introduction.
o The argument needs to be more specific and not merely descriptive.
Evidence
o The paper needed more specific examples from the historical documents,
textbook, and lecture notes to support its main ideas/argument.
o Include citations for ALL evidence used, even if paraphrasing.
o Use ONLY the required sources for the paper.
Historical Context
o The paper needed to place the documents within a historical period and
provide an assessment of how the documents reflected multiple
perspectives within this historical context.
Organization
o The paper needed a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
o Each paragraph needed a topic sentence that states the central idea
holding the paragraph together. Transitions unite the essay.
o Paragraphs needed to relate to the argument.
o Paper needs to pay attention to chronology and discuss events in the order that
they happened.
Mechanics
o Sentences must be clear and free of spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.
o Quotes must be introduced and integrated into the text.
o Paper must not use contractions.
o Citations must follow required format.
o Paper must not use personal pronouns.
o Paper must be required length.
o Paper must be written in past tense.
o Titles must be underlined or italicized within text.
Conclusion
o Needs to restate the main argument and sum up the evidence.
o Must not introduce new ideas or information.
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Paper Tips:
1. PLEASE STAPLE YOUR PAPER before handing it in.
2. The paper should conform to page length requirements (5-6 pages), NOT
INCLUDING the works cited page and title page. The paper should be typed,
double-spaced, with properly sized margins. Font size should be no smaller than
10 point and no larger than 12 point. You may use Times New Roman or Arial as
your font, and do not use italicized versions of these fonts.
3. The paper should not be divided into chapters using subheadings. The paper
should flow together using transitions.
4. The first sentence of a new paragraph should be indented, not separated by
additional line spacing.
5. Proofread carefully. There should be no misspelled words, no contractions
(example: can’t, don’t, isn’t), no abbreviations, and no personal or possessive
pronouns. Do not use “I” or “you” or “us” or “our” or “my”.
6. Please follow these examples for in-text citations:
From the textbook: First author’s last name and page number.
Example: (Henretta, 264).
From lecture: The word “Lecture” followed by the date of lecture.
Example: (Lecture, 1/27/10).
From the document packet: Document number only. Example:
(Document 10).
7. Do not use overly long quotations in a paper of this length. If a quotation is over 6
lines in length, paraphrase parts of it and only quote the most significant portions.
8. When quoting material from your documents, be sure to introduce the quotes. In
other words, incorporate the quoted material into a complete sentence. For
example, you might write:
In her speech to the Academic Senate in July 1999, noted historian Mary Doe
admitted, “Writing a research paper is the most inhumane form of torture known
to man,” (Document 10).
Do not let a quote stand alone without introduction, such as:
“Writing a research paper is the most inhumane form of torture
known to man,” (Document 10).
9. Always write about history using past tense. Nathaniel Bacon is dead. He says
nothing and believes nothing anymore, but he said and believed many things in
the past.
10. DO NOT USE SOURCES FOR THIS PAPER OTHER THAN THOSE
REQUIRED BY THIS ASSIGNMENT. You may use the textbook for
background information and you may use lecture material, as long as they are
cited appropriately. HOWEVER, the paper should primarily draw on the
document packet. Use no other sources in writing the paper.
11. The Works Cited page should use MLA format to give the complete information
for the textbook. You may simply list the document numbers used without
additional information. Also list lectures and the dates of lectures used.