Fall 2014
AMH 2041: Origins of American Civilization
Instructor: Mr. William Gonzalez
Office hours: Wednesdays and Thursdays – 6:45 a.m. – 7:15 a.m.
Email address: wgonzalez@dadeschools.net
Course overview and objectives:
AMH 2041 Origins of American Civilization is designed to provide a general
introduction to American history from its origins to the Civil War. We begin with the basic
question of who “discovered” America by looking briefly at Amerindian peoples who settled
various parts of the Americas prior to the European colonial ventures of the 15th century. We
examine the initial contacts between Europeans, Native Americans and Africans in the New
World and the effects of early colonial settlements on the peoples they displaced. We then turn to
the “triangular” Atlantic slave trade initiated by the Portuguese in the 15th century and its
consequences for economic and social relations in the Americas, and also take into account the
contributions of African slaves to New World economies and culture. We examine the
importance of religion and European political ideas in shaping the colonial settlements, while
also allowing for how the environment of the New World produced a particular kind of
“European” man or woman, and how they came to decide their “rights” were best vouchsafed by
declaring independence from Great Britain. We then consider the fulfillment of the revolutionary
legacy and what kind of society and culture was created in the early republic before turning to
the 19th century westward expansion and democratization of American politics. We look at the
contradictions of this democracy, with territorial expansion at the expense of Native Americans,
white wealth and liberty dependent on African slave labor. Slavery was at the crux of a complex
of issues that divided the North and South, and we end our course by examining the causes of the
Civil War and its legacy.
We will examine in different sources for and approaches to writing history, and by the end of the
term you should be able to interpret varied sources and have some sense of how historians use
them to research and write history. This is a Gordon Rule class and you will have a number of
writing assignments that will require you to communicate your understanding of the course
readings and lectures clearly and argumentatively at a college level. In order to receive writing
credit for a Gordon Rule course you must earn a grade of C or higher.
The key skills that historians use are ones that will serve you well regardless of the career you
pursue—critical reading, writing and thinking skills. In this class you will learn to approach what
you read with a healthy amount of skepticism, and you will also begin to think about how to
analyze change over time and social relations of power. You will learn to identify the
difference between secondary and primary sources, practice interpreting evidence, and learn to
use writing to hone your thinking.
Required Texts
The following books are required for the class:
The following books are required for the class:
A merica’s History Volume One to 1877, Seventh Edition by James A. Heneretta, David Brody,
and Lynn Dumenil Textbook
Founding Brothers: A Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J. Ellis
Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by
Himself (1845).
Additional required readings will occasionally be required, will advise in class.
Writing Resources
FIU has a writing center whose mission is to help students improve their writing. I encourage all
students to make use of its service. http://w3.fiu.edu/writingcenter/
Electronic Devices
Out of respect for the Instructor and for the other students in the course, I ask that all cell phones,
blackberries, iPods, and other wireless devices be turned off for the duration of class. Texting
during class is disrespectful and disruptive. I expect that laptop computers be used for the
purpose of taking notes or completing research assignments, not for surfing the web or checking
email during class. Failure to comply with these policies will affect your grade and may result in
official action.
Communicating with Instructors
If you are having trouble understanding the course material or policies, are concerned about your
progress in the course, or have other questions, please stop by during weekly office hours,
Wednesdays and Thursdays 6:45 a.m. – 7:15 a.m. or schedule an appointment to meet with the
teacher. Weekly office hours are dedicated to answering your questions and helping you succeed
in the course. I will also respond to formally composed emails. Remember that this is not an
email or text to your close friend. Please do not wait until the last minute to email me with
problems. The appropriate time to discuss your performance in the course is during the semester,
not at the end of it. Grades will never be discussed over email—you must make an appointment
or come to office hours for that issue.
Exams Policy
There will be a midterm and final exam. Both exams will consist of multiple choice,
identification and essay questions. The questions will be drawn from assigned readings, lectures,
films, and discussions. Only a physician’s note will be accepted if you are absent from an exam.
A missed midterm or final without such a formal excuse will result in a grade of 0 (Note: not an
F or a 59, but a 0).
Plagiarism and Academic Integrity
Plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. If you are caught
plagiarizing or cheating, you risk being expelled as per University policy. In this and all other
respects I expect you to adhere to the FIU Student Standards of Conduct
http://www2.fiu.edu/~jms/standards_of_conduct.htm. Your written work will be screened using
plagiarism detection software after you upload it to turnitin.com. Because the rules for citation
can be difficult to understand, you will be required to complete a plagiarism tutorial online at
http://education.fiu.edu/plagiarism/ and submit your quiz results to your instructor. Questions
about plagiarism and citations will also be on the other exams and quizzes throughout the course.
Using other people’s research or writing without properly quoting and citing their work
constitutes a serious problem for you and for the University as a whole.
Succeeding in this Course
In order to succeed in this course you will need to do several things. You will need to listen to
the lectures and take notes on them. You will need to do the assigned readings and be prepared to
talk about them in your discussion sections. And you will need to use your critical thinking
skills. This history course—like every other history course you will take at FIU—is not mainly
about memorizing facts and dates (though getting the facts and dates correct is also important). It
is about developing the skills of interpretation and synthesis in spoken and written
communication.
Be sure to carefully read all instructions in the syllabus and other handouts.
The lectures will generally follow the topics covered in the textbook, but not exactly. For this
reason, you should not rely on the textbook as a replacement for the lectures. Also you should
not rely on the lectures as a replacement for the textbook. For exams and essays you will be
responsible for topics and ideas conveyed in readings, lectures, and your discussion section.
Your textbook includes discussion questions, review topics, timelines, maps, and a glossary. Use
these resources!
Please ask questions when you do not understand something. Everyone learns more when people
feel free to test ideas and ask questions to clarify what they are not sure about. If you do not
understand something, you can be certain that at least a few other people in the class are in the
same boat.
Grading
You are responsible for keeping track of your own performance in the course. Instructors will not
provide you with information about your overall course grade throughout the semester. We will
not discuss grades over email. However, you can track your own grade using the following
formula:
Reaction Papers
(two papers at 10% each)
[20%]
A reaction paper is your response to a part of the course reading. Each is to be two
pages long, plus a works cited page. They will serve as the basis for class discussion the day
that they are due.
Source Analysis Essays
(two papers at 15% each)
[30%]
Two analysis essay papers, each paper is to be four to five
pages long, including the works cited page.
Quizzes
(average of 5 best quizzes)
[10%]
Quizzes given at random. NO make-ups.
Midterm Exam
[15%]
Given in class; based on readings and lectures. Students will receive prior notice. Only a
doctor’s note will serve as an excused absence. In order to make up the midterm, student will
have to arrange an appointment with Instructor. Appointments will be given in the morning, at
6:15 a.m.
Final Exam
[20%]
Given in class; based on readings and lectures. Students will receive prior notice. Only
a doctor’s note will serve as an excused absence. In order to make up the midterm, student will
have to arrange an appointment with Instructor. Appointments will be given in the morning, at
6:15 a.m.
Discussion section participation
[5%]
Attendance, preparation for discussion, refraining from disruptive behavior, and being
prepared to discuss the issues at hand. Discussion sessions will be held every Friday. The
discussions will be based on the readings, lectures, films and prior discussions. Students will
lead the discussion with the Instructor guiding the sessions. Students
Letter
Points
are expected to take notes, as well as having questions prepared for the
Grade
session itself.
A
10095
A94-91
B+
90-87
B
86-84
B83-80
C+
79-76
C
75-70
D
69-60
F
59 or
lower
Course Contract
(Print and sign, and turn in to next class meeting. Failure to sign contract will result in grade
penalty.)
I have read the syllabus and the instructions for AMH 2041 Fall 2014 and I have asked my
Instructors to explain any questions I have about the syllabus and course policies. I agree to all of
the terms.
Exams and Quizzes
* I will be required to take a midterm, a final exam, and random quizzes throughout the semester.
Failure to appear for those exams without a doctor’s note will result in a grade of 0.
* No make-up quizzes are offered and there is no extra credit.
* I am responsible for keeping track of my own grades, and for keeping a copy of all my work. I
will present that work in the event I request the instructors to correct a grading error.
* On Fridays, there will be discussion sessions based on the content of the class. During the
sessions I will be expected to take notes and come to the sessions with questions or observations
based on the material.
Gordon-Rule requirements: In keeping with the Gordon Rule requirements, both the writing
and the content contribute to your grade for all assignments. You need at least a C to get
Gordon-Rule credit. FIU assigns an F (F = zero) to students who fail a course based on course
standards.
The university requires that Gordon Rule students must demonstrate “college-level writing
skills” in written work with the following characteristics:






It has a clear purpose and thesis or controlling idea.
The thesis is supported with adequate reasons and evidence.
It shows sustained analysis and critical thought.
It is organized clearly and logically.
It shows knowledge of conventions of standard written English.
It shows awareness of disciplinary conventions in regard to content, style, form, and
delivery method.
Papers: Paper topics will be announced two weeks prior to the due date and discussed during the
lecture and during the discussion sessions before they are due. Please note that you are NOT
ALLOWED to use outside sources for your papers, with the exception of a dictionary and
articles/books approved by your Instructor.
Paper Format
* Document your sources using the Chicago-style format.
* Number your pages (not including the title page, if used).
* Double-space your text, except for notes and any block quotations
* Papers must be formatted using the Chicago-style Format. Please use the Owl Purdue Website
to assist you with any formatting issues. Website:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/01/
Please note: The use of anyone else’s words in my written work without quotes and citations —
whether from another student, from assigned readings, or from outside sources (which are not to
be used in this course anyway!)—constitutes plagiarism and will be reported to the University.
We will use Turnitin.com and other methods to screen for plagiarism. Papers must be submitted
electronically to Turnitin.com and in hard copy. Both are required, papers will be considered
late unless both the hard and the electronic copy are submitted on time.
All papers must be typed, reaction papers and essay papers.
General
* I will bring copies of the syllabus and appropriate assigned readings to every class.
* I will bring a #2 pencil to every class, in order to take the quiz.
* I will turn off my cell phone; refrain from texting, and talking during class. I will struggle to
stay awake no matter how boring it is. Non-compliance may mean I will have to leave the
classroom.
* I have read the syllabus.
Signed name
Written name
Parent Signature
Date
Week One Lesson Plan*
*Subject to revision at the Professor’s discretion
Course Overview and Introduction
Lecture Topics (First Week)
I. Introduction
II. How to Use the Syllabus
III. Why study history? What is historical inquiry?
Key Terms
Enclosure acts gentry Price revolution mercantilism
Outwork
predestination
Indulgences mestizo
The Columbian Exchange
conquistadors
Nuevo Mundo
Trade
Slaves
civic humanism
Heresies
dower
Primogeniture yeoman Peasant clan
Reconquista
Discussion Section
Potential quiz on key terms/course overview, syllabus, and readings, make sure to bring a #2
pencil.
Reading Assignments
Read your syllabus and sign the contract.
Review the Plagiarism Tutorial at http://coeweb.fiu.edu/plagiarism/
Assigned reading:
Questions for Consideration
What are some of the key questions that historians grapple with?
What is the value of approaching topics from an historical perspective?
Course Schedule for AMH- 2041:
Week 1 August 18th: Worlds Collide: Europe, Africa, and America 1450 -1620
Introduction to course
Review of syllabus
Course Contract
FIU Application
FIU Book Voucher
Plagiarism Tutorial – FIU Website
Read: The class syllabus and sign the course contract, Read pages 5 – 20 in the textbook.
Week 2 August 25th: West African Society and Slavery, Europeans Explore America, and
the Protestant Reformation and the Rise of England
Key questions: Review the differences in customs between the different native tribes of the area.
Explore the religious issues that influence the many societies of the time period. Discuss and
lecture on the economic effects slavery had on the time period.
Visit to the Media Center – presentation by Media Specialist based on primary and secondary
resources, teaching students how to use the resources available in the Media Center, as well as
online resources. Lecture on the use of the Chicago-style format.
Read: pages 20 – 35, what were the major branches of Protestant reform, and how did the
religious wars affect the Americas?
Week 3 September 2th: The Invasion and Settlement of North America 1550 – 1700
Key Questions: How did the native inhabitants of the Americas transform their environments?
What natural constraints put them at a disadvantage to Europeans? Provide primary resources to
guide lecture.
The Mesoamerican peoples devised complex ways of organizing society, government, and
religious worship, is there still elements in our society that reflect the Mesoamerican peoples?
Read: pages 37 – 50, why did Elizabeth agree to charter a colony in America, and how
successful were the first attempts?
Draft of first Reaction paper due on Tuesday, September 2nd and Wednesday, September 3rd.
Final first reaction paper is due Monday, September 8th and Tuesday, September 9th.
Quiz #1: based on the previous reading, lectures, and films.
Week 4 September 8th: Masters, Servants, and Slaves relationships, The Seed’s of Social
Revolt, and Puritan New England
Key Questions: Where and why did Spain establish colonies in North America, and how did
native peoples resist colonization? How did the Chesapeake colonies support the aims of British
mercantilism?
Read: pages 51 – 61, why did slavery replace servitude as the dominant labor system in Virginia
and Maryland?
Paper Due Monday, September 8th and Tuesday, September 9th.
Week 5 September 15th: The Eastern Indians’ New World and the Human and
Environmental Impact of the Fur Trade
Key Questions: Despite a period of intense enslavement of native peoples, African slavery
emerged as the dominant labor system throughout these regions. Why do you think so?
Read: pages 61 – 67. Compare “A Relacion of the Indyan Warre” by John Easton, short
narrative of “My Proceedings” by Edward Randolph, and “Entertaining passages” by Benjamin
Church, do the documents agree or disagree? How do they agree and disagree? Which
document provides the most evidence of the situation taking place during the War of 1675-1676?
Quiz #2: based on the previous reading, lectures, and films.
Week 6 September 22rd: Source Analysis Essay - Paper 2 Discussion: The British Empire
in America 1660-1750
Key Questions: Discuss the goals of the directors of the Virginia Company and the leaders of the
Massachusetts Bay Company. Where did they succeed? In what ways did they fall short? Why
was there no major witchcraft scares in the Chesapeake colonies and no uprising like Bacon’s
Rebellion in New England?
Read: 69 – 78, The Politics of Empire 1660-1713. Who settled the earliest New England
colonies, and why? What was the role of the colonies in the British mercantilist system? Explain
the causes and the results of the Glorious Revolutions in England and America. Start the
research for your essay.
Week 7 September 29th: Source Analysis Essay - Paper 2 Questions: The Imperial Slave
Economy
Key Questions: What were the sources of stability and conflict in early New England? The midAtlantic colonies also enjoyed a rapid growth of people and wealth, but political wrangling as
well as ethnic and religious diversity made for a higher level of social conflict.
Read: pages 79 -89, what is the Middle Passage? How did sugar affect the slave trade and the
economy? What is a slave’s perspective of the slave trade? What impact did religion have on
slavery? Essay due Tuesday, October 14th and Wednesday, October 15th. Mid-Term on
Monday, October 20th and Tuesday, October 21st.
Quiz #3: based on the previous reading, lectures, and films.
Week 8 October 6th: Source Analysis Essay - Paper 2 Questions: The Rise of the Southern
Gentry, Northern Maritime Economy, and the New Politics of Empire 1713-1750
Key Questions: What evidence does Equiano offer in his description of the Middle Passage that
explains the average slave mortality rate of about 15 percent during the Atlantic crossing? Based
on the primary sources researched, what view do you hold of the slave trade, base your
explanation on religious and economic issues? In general, how was society affect by the slave
trade? Describe a day in the life of a female slave, what were her biggest concerns?
Read: pages 90 - 101, describe the dramatic expansion of the British Empire in North America
in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. What role did the South Atlantic play?
Week 9 October 13th: Source Analysis Essay DUE: Freehold Society in New England and
the Middle Atlantic: Toward a New Society, 1720 – 1765
Key Questions: The migration of family groups and a rough equality of wealth lent stability to
early New England society, reinforced by the settlers’ shared commitment to Puritanism and a
strong tradition of self-government.
Read: Chapter 4: Growth and Crisis in Colonial Society 1720 – 1765 pages 103 – 126.
Quiz #4: based on the previous reading, lectures, and films.
October 13th and October 14th – First Source Analysis Essay DUE
Week 10 October 20th Toward Independence: Years of Decision 1763 –
1776
Key Questions: In what ways were the lives of women and men in New England similar?
Different? What issues divided the various ethnic and religious groups of the middle colonies?
How did Quakers maintain their economic and political primacy as Europeans from other
cultures and traditions flooded into Pennsylvania during the eighteenth century?
Read: Chapter 5 – Toward Independence: Years of Decision 1763 -1776 pages 137 -151
Mid-Term October 20th and October 21st
Topic for Second Reaction Paper
Week 11 October 27th The Road of Independence, Making War and
Republican Governments
Key Questions: How did the Great War for Empire change the relationship between England its
American Colonies? Why did the colonists object to the new taxes in 1764 and again in 1765?
What arguments did they use? Why did these conflicts over specific policies turn into a
constitutional crisis? What was the core constitutional principles over which the colonists and the
ministers in parliament disagreed?
Read: Chapter 5 – The Road to Independence 1771 -1776 pages 151 -166 and Chapter 6 – pages
169 – 177.
Quiz #5: based on the previous reading, lectures, and films.
Week 12 November 3rd Path to Victory/The Westward Movement and
the Jeffersonian Revolution
Key Questions: Why did the Patriot movement wane in the early 1770s? Why did the Tea Act
reignite colonial resistance? Why were British forces militarily superior to American forces in
the first years of the war? How did the Americans sustain the Revolution between 1776 and
1778? What were the most important economic and fiscal problems facing the Patriots at the
outset of the war? How successful were they in addressing them?
Read: Chapter 6 – Path of Victory, 1778 – 1783 pages 177 – 194 Chapter 7 - The Westward
Movement and the Jeffersonian Revolution pages 213 – 222
Week 13 November 10th The War of 1812, Transformation of Politics,
North and South Grow Apart/Introduce topics for Second Source Analysis Essay
Key Questions: Why did Britain switch to a southern military strategy? Why did that strategy
ultimately fail? How did the French alliance ensure the success of the American rebellion? What
were the main differences between conservative state constitutions, like that of Massachusetts,
and more-democratic constitutions, like Pennsylvania’s? Why did the Western Indian
Confederacy fail to limit white settlement west of the Appalachians? How did Jeffersonian
policy encourage expansion westward? Why did Jefferson and other expansionists believe the
West was crucial to the well-being of the republic?
Read: Chapter 7 - The War of 1812 and the Transformation of Politics pages 222 – 233, Chapter
8 - The North and South Grow Apart pages 254 – 256, Missouri Crisis 1819 – 1821 page 257,
The Second Great Awakening pages 259 – 265
Second Reaction Paper due November 11th and November 12th.
Quiz #6: based on the previous reading, lectures, and films.
Week 14 November 17th Economic Transformation 1820 – 1860
Key Questions: What were the causes of the War of 1812? Where did Republicans and
Federalists stand on declaring and then fighting the war? What regional tensions did the war
expose? What compromises over slavery did the members of Congress make to settle the
Missouri crisis? How did the compromises over slavery in 1820-1821 compare with those made
by the delegates to the Constitutional Convention in 1787? How did republicanism affect the
organization, values, and popularity of American churches?
Read: Part Three Economic Revolution and Sectional Strife pages 268 -269, Chapter 9 pages
271 – 283, Railroads and Regional Ties page 285 -288
Week 15 November 24th Religion and Reform and the Jacksonian
Presidency
Key Questions: How did American textile manufacturers compete with British manufactures?
How successful were they? In what ways did the emerging industrial economy conflict with
artisan republicanism? What roles did government – state and national play in the development
of America’s transportation networks?
Read: Chapter 10 The Jacksonian Presidency pages 308 – 318, Chapter 11 Individualism pages
331-335, Rural Communalism – Mother Ann Lee and the Shakers pages 336 – 338, Joseph Smith
and the Mormon Experience pages341 -343, William Lloyd Garrison and the American Anti Slavery Society pages 351 – 354
Quiz #7: based on the previous reading, lectures, and films.
Week 16 December 1st The South Expands: Slavery and Society 1820
Key Questions: Why were Andrew Jackson’s policies on banking and tariffs? How did they
evolve? Do you think those policies helped or hurt the American economy? Why? Why did
Jackson support Indian removal? Did removal help to preserve, or to destroy, Native American
culture? What were the main beliefs of transcendentalism? How was transcendentalism an
expression of the social changes sweeping nineteenth-century society? What were the origins of
the abolitionist movement? How did the abolitionists’ proposals and methods differ from those
of earlier antislavery movements (see chapter 8)? Why did those proposals and methods arouse
such hostility in the South and in the North?
Read: Chapter 12 Creating Cotton South pages 363 -374, Chapter 12 – Slave Society and
Culture pages 380 – 383, Chapter 13 The Crisis of the Union 1844 – 1846 and Manifest Destiny
pages 391 – 398
Week 17 December 8th War, Expansion, and Slavery 1846 – 1850, The Kansas-Nebraska
Act and the Rise of the New Parties and Lincoln’s Political Career
Key Questions: Why in 1860 did the South remain committed to the institution of slavery and its
expansion? How would you explain the large and expanding domestic trade in slaves between
1800 and 1860? What combination of factors produced this result? Based on what you’ve
learned so far, compare and contrast society in the American South with that of the North. Is it
fair to say that by 1860, America was, in fact, two distinct societies?
Read: Chapter 13 War, Expansion, and Slavery 1846 -1850 pages 398 – 409, The KansasNebraska Act and the Rise of New Parties pages 409-410, Lincoln’s Political Career pages 415 419, chapter 14 page 423 – 428, and the primary sources listed below:
 Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Declaration of Sentiments (1848)
 Catherine Beecher, from A Treatise on Domestic Economy
 Sojourner Truth, Address to the Women’s Rights Convention
 William Lloyd Garrison, first issue of The Liberator
 Mathew Carey, Rules for Husbands and Wives (1830)
 James K. Polk’s First Inaugural Address
 Senate Report on the Railroads (1852)
Quiz #8: based on the previous reading, lectures, and films.
Week 18 December 15th Primary Source Readings
Key Questions: Why did President Polk go to war with Mexico? Why did the war become so
divisive in Congress? What issues were resolved by the Compromise of 1850? Who benefited
more from its terms, the North or the South? Why? What did Stephen Douglas try to accomplish
with the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854? What were the main constitutional arguments advanced
during the debate over slavery in the territories? Which of those arguments influenced Chief
Justice Taney’s opinion in Dred Scott?
Quiz #9 based on previous readings –
Second Source Analysis Essay due on December 18th and December 19th
*Must submit to Turnitin.com and submit a hard copy by due date.
Read: The primary sources listed below:
 Abraham Lincoln, A House Divided (1858)
 Abraham Lincoln, First Inaugural Address (1861)
 Frederick Douglass, Independence Day Speech (1852)
 Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852) – download on your Nook.
 John Brown’s Address Before Sentencing (Nob 2, 1859)
 The Fugitive Slave Act (1850)
 South Carolina Declaration of the Causes of Secession (Dec 24, 1860)
 The Emancipation Proclamation (1863)
 The Gettysburg Address (1863)
Be ready to discuss upon return from Winter Break in January.
Week 19 December 22nd Winter Break
Week 20 December 23 Winter Break
Week 21 January 5, 2014 Final Exam
 Review on January 5th and 6th
 Final Exam January 7th for A Day
 Final Exam January 8th for B Day
Due dates:
September 2nd and 3rd – Draft of first reaction paper.
September 8th and 8th – First Reaction paper
October 13th and October 14th– First Source Analysis Essay
October 20th and October 21st – Midterm
November 11th and November 12th – Second Reaction paper
December 18th and December 19th – Second Source Analysis Essay
January 7th and January 8th – Final