History 101 – Erwin – Spring 2015
HISTORY 101: U.S. History to 1877
Semester: Spring 2015
Time: Tu./Th. 4-5:15pm
Place: Reynolds building, rm. 102
Contact
Instructor: Matt Erwin, MA (Ebor.)
Email: matthew.erwin@wnc.edu
Office hours: Bristlecone rm. 350H, Mo./We. 3-3:50pm
Division Information
Division of Liberal Arts
Bristlecone rm. 350
Phone: (775) 445-3290
Course Content
History 101 will survey the major topics, issues, ideas, and problems in American history from preEuropean contact North America to end of the Civil War and Reconstruction. The point of this
class is to give you a good grounding in American history in all its aspects: social, political,
economic, and cultural. Some of you may come into it knowing a lot about our history, others
won’t know much at all. That’s ok! The point is for us to explore and examine the past together.
However, we will not only study the past but also engage with it to form a dialogue between our
‘ancestors’ and ourselves. By building these links with our past we can better understand where
we’re going in the future.
Course Information
Credits: Three (3)
Prerequisites: None
Transferability: This course is designed to apply toward a WNC degree and/or transfer to other
schools within the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE). It may transfer to colleges and
universities outside Nevada.
Course Catalog Description
Offers a survey of American history and civilization from the time of the first European settlement
to about 1877.
Course Objectives
 Gain factual knowledge (terminology and trends) about the field of American history
and civilization to 1877.
 Learn fundamental principles, causal factors for change, theories, and generalizations
from the field of American history and civilization to 1877.
 Learn to apply course materials and presentations to improve analytical skills and rational
thinking.
Required Text
Washington Irving, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle (any edition)
Nancy A. Hewitt and Steven F. Lawson, Exploring American Histories, Vol. 1 (Bedford-St. Martins, 2013)
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History 101 – Erwin – Spring 2015
Requirements
Reading
A reading assignment is assigned for almost every class meeting and should be completed
beforehand. Please keep up on the reading as it will contribute to class discussion and will be on
the exams. Failure to do so will result in a major headache when it comes time to study for the
midterms.
Weekly journal
There will be an in-class journal entry every week (either Tu. or Th.) over the assigned material for
that week. This is a way to both take attendance and to ensure that every one is thinking
critically about the reading. There will be 14 opportunities to write journal entries over the course
of the semester. You should do a minimum of 12 entries, meaning that you are allowed two
excused absences. After two missed entries, your final grade will be negatively impacted as
these form 100 points of your final grade. You can use these on the exam. You may turn in one
journal late at no penalty; otherwise, no make up journals will be offered unless proof of a
verifiable emergency is provided.
Discussion
This is the part where you actively ‘do’ history. Everyone should come to class having done the
assigned reading and be ready to discuss it as a class or in small groups. Think of the class as an
hour-and-fifteen-minute conversation between us all: everyone has a different viewpoint or
impression that will contribute to how we analyze and interpret historical events. This class will
also cover adult topics such as religion, gender and sexuality. Remember that respect and
diversity is the key to an open discussion, so please be polite in class. Students who do not
respect the opinions and beliefs of others will be asked to leave.
Biography assignment
Each student will independently research an assigned person from history. A list of famous names
will be provided for you to choose from at the beginning of the semester. No switching with a
classmate once you’ve chosen. You will need to prepare a 6-8 minute presentation to be given
in class about your person. A list of references needs to be turned in with your presentation. The
due dates of these projects are staggered throughout the semester as each biography fits with
a certain class lecture. Late presentations will not be allowed unless proof of a verifiable
emergency is provided.
Exams
There will be three exams. These may consist of identification questions, maps, concept
definitions, a short essay or two, or any combination of the above. The exams are not cumulative
(meaning not all the covered information is on every exam). All coursework assigned or ideas
discussed in lecture may appear on exams. If a student misses an exam there will be no makeup test except in the case of verifiable illness or emergency.
Checking email
Please be sure to check your emails at least once a day. This is how we will communicate with
each other outside of class. All reading packets, new information, class cancellation notices,
links to articles or videos, etc., will be sent by email. I’ll do my best to respond to all emails within
48 hours. However, please note that I do not check my mail after 5pm or on the weekends.
If at any time during the semester you are struggling with the coursework, please don’t hesitate
to get in touch with me by email or in my office hours ASAP. The sooner I’m informed of any
issues, the sooner they can be resolved.
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History 101 – Erwin – Spring 2015
Grading (500 points total)
Exam 1 (100 pt.)
Exam 2 (100 pt.)
Exam 3 (100 pt.)
Biographical presentation (100 pt.)
Journals (100 pt.)
Grades are assigned using this percentage scale (%):
94-100%
A
74-76
C
90-93
A70-73
C87-89
B+
67-69
D+
84-86
B
64-66
D
80-83
B60-63
D77-79
C+
Under 60
F
Absences and early outs
Absences will be measured by missed journal entries. As stated above, you need to do 12 out of
14 entries to get full participation points and you can make up one journal. If you need to leave
class early, please inform me prior to the start of class. Do not just get up and leave.
Missed classes
I will not give out notes or PowerPoints for any absences. Also, I will not email study guides if you
are absent on the day they are passed out. It is your responsibility to get notes from a classmate
in the event of a missed class period. I would suggest getting the email of a classmate or two in
case of absences.
Plagiarism and Cheating
Evidence of cheating on exams or plagiarism in journals will result in a failing grade for the
assignment. It is your responsibility to know what plagiarism is and how to avoid it. This includes
paying a third party or online essay mill to write your essay for you. If you’re not sure, visit this link:
http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml
Students with Disabilities
If you have a disability for which you will need to request accommodations, please contact the
Disability Support Services office as soon as possible to arrange for appropriate
accommodations. Contact: Susan Trist (susan.trist@wnc.edu).
Note: This syllabus is subject to change at any time throughout the semester.
Class Schedule
Week 1
January 20: Howdy! Getting to know you and course expectations
Handout: Syllabus
January 22: Native American societies before European contact
Read: Hewitt & Lawson 1-7
In-class: Sign up for a biography, syllabus quiz (journal entry #1)
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History 101 – Erwin – Spring 2015
Week 2
January 27: The First Europeans in the New World
Read: Hewitt & Lawson 8-25, 35-41
Biographies: Christopher Columbus (Italian explorer)
January 29: Virginia: An English Colony
Read: Hewitt & Lawson 42-54
Biographies: John Smith (English explorer), Pocahontas (Algonquin ‘princess’, celebrity)
Week 3
February 3: Changing Fortunes
Read: Hewitt & Lawson 64-75
Biographies: Metacomet (Native American chief), Mary Rowlandson (Puritan kidnap victim,
writer)
February 5: Alliance and Conflict
Read: Hewitt & Lawson 75-89
Biographies: Anne Hutchinson (Puritan rebel)
Week 4
February 10: The Salem Witch Trials
Read: Hewitt & Lawson 96-106
Watch (in class): The Crucible (20th Century Fox)
Biographies: Cotton Mather (Puritan preacher, witch finder)
February 12: The Salem Witch Trials, continued
Read: No reading for today.
Watch (in class): The Crucible (20th Century Fox)
Week 5
February 17: America’s Enlightenment
Read: Hewitt & Lawson 108-120
Biographies: John Locke (English philosopher), Jonathan Edwards (revivalist minister)
February 19: The 18th century
Read: Hewitt & Lawson 128-140
Biographies: Benjamin Franklin (printer, inventor, founding father)
Handout: Study guide for Exam 1
Week 6
February 24: American Revolution, part I
Read: Hewitt & Lawson 141-152
Biographies: George Washington (general, first president); Paul Revere (patriot)
Begin reading The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle
February 26: EXAM 1
Week 7
March 3: American Revolution, part II
Read: Hewitt & Lawson 160-174
Biographies: Tom Paine (writer, propagandist), Phyllis Wheatley (writer, slave)
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History 101 – Erwin – Spring 2015
March 5: American Revolution, part III
Read: Hewitt & Lawson 174-184, 192-199
Biographies: John Paul Jones (navy captain)
Week 8
March 10: A Young Nation
Read: Hewitt & Lawson 200-217, 227-239
Biographies: Thomas Jefferson (founding father, president); Sacajawea (Shoshone guide)
March 12: Imagining American Mythologies: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle
Read: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle must be read by today.
Biographies: Washington Irving (American writer)
Week 9
March 17: SPRING BREAK – Have fun!
March 19: SPRING BREAK
Week 10
March 24: The Era of Good Feeling
Read: Hewitt & Lawson 258-280
Biographies: Andrew Jackson (president), Ralph Waldo Emerson (writer, philosopher)
March 26: Industrial America
Read: Hewitt & Lawson 329-338
Biographies: Cornelius Vanderbilt (industrialist, millionaire)
Handout: Study guide for Exam 2
Week 11
March 31: Industrial America, continued
Read: Hewitt & Lawson
Watch (in class): Filthy Cities: Industrial New York (BBC)
April 2: EXAM 2
Week 12
April 7: American’s Women in the 19th century
Read: Hewitt & Lawson 338-345
Biographies: Elizabeth Cady Stanton (women’s rights advocate)
April 9: Westward Expansion
Read: Hewitt & Lawson 360-371
Biographies: Kit Carson (explorer)
Week 13
April 14: Slavery and Abolitionism
Read: Hewitt & Lawson 292-300
Biographies: Frederick Douglass (former slave, abolitionist), Harriet Beecher Stowe (writer,
abolitionist)
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History 101 – Erwin – Spring 2015
April 16: The Slavery Question
Read: Hewitt & Lawson
Watch (in class): Unchained Memories: Slave Narratives (HBO)
Biographies: Dred Scott (slave, plaintiff)
Week 14
April 21: Civil War, part I
Read: Hewitt & Lawson 372-382
Biography: John Brown (radical abolitionist), Abraham Lincoln (president)
April 23: Civil War, part II
Read: Hewitt & Lawson 392-403
Biographies: Clara Barton (nurse), Mathew Brady (photographer)
Week 15
April 28: Civil War, part III
Read: Hewitt & Lawson 403-416
Watch (in class): The Story of US: The Civil War (History Channel)
Biographies: John Wilkes Booth (actor, assassin)
April 30: Reconstruction
Read: Hewitt & Lawson 424-438
Biographies: Andrew Johnson (president), Albion Tourgee (radical republican)
Week 16
May 5: Stronger than Ever
Read: No reading for today
Biographies: Mark Twain (writer), Sarah Winnemucca (Native American writer, activist)
May 7: Semester review
Read: No reading for today
Handout: Study guide for Exam 3
Week 17
May 12: EXAM 3
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