History 1210: United States to 1877
Suzanne K. McCormack, PhD
smccormack@ccri.edu
Office: (401) 333-7294; FL 1244
Connect to my faculty web site through the
College’s home page: www.ccri.edu Office
hours are posted on my site and my office door.
This course will survey the social, cultural, and
political history of the United States from the
establishment of British colonies in North America in
the early 17th century to the end of the post-Civil War
Reconstruction in 1877. Topics under examination will include relations between colonists and
Native Americans, the development of communities in the New England and Chesapeake Bay
regions, the American Revolution and subsequent establishment of the United States, women
and political reform, and the social and political events and ideologies that cast the young nation
into Civil War in the 1860s. The course will conclude with an examination of post-war
Reconstruction and race relations in the 1870s.
Assessment & Evaluation
Exams (4; lowest grade will be dropped)
45%
(3 @ 15% each)
Writing Assignments
45%
(3 @ 15% each)
Attendance & Participation*
10%
(*includes questions from readings)
Required Readings
Henretta & Brody, America: A Concise History, Volume 1: to 1877 (4th edition)
Marcus/Burner/Marcus, America Firsthand, Volume 1 to Reconstruction (8th edition)
Harriet Wilson, Our Nig (any edition)
Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (any edition)
And CHOOSE ONE:
Mary Rowlandson, Captivity of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson (any edition)
Thomas Paine, Common Sense (any edition)
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Papers

Each student must complete THREE (3) writing assignments. These assignments are
intended to be 3-5 pages (typed and double-spaced) in length.

Due Dates (everyone must do)
o Library Assignment due November 4th.
o Our Nig & Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl due December 2nd.
And, choose one:
o The Narrative of Mary Rowlandson OR Common Sense due October 14th.

Papers will be assessed on a points scale (10 points each). These papers combined will
constitute 45% of the student’s final grade.

Papers are due in class on the dates specified. If a student is not able to attend class on
the date that the paper is due, he/she should e-mail the paper as a Word-compatible
attachment to my e-mail address: smccormack@ccri.edu It is also acceptable to leave
papers at my office or in my mailbox (FL 1244) on the date that they are due.

Late papers will be penalized one point for each day not passed in. A paper passed in
two days late, for example, will not score higher than 8/10 points.

Taking information from an internet site and inserting it into a paper without citation is
considered plagiarism or “cheating.” It is not necessary, nor advisable, to use the
internet while completing these writing assignments. Inappropriate use of the internet
will result in failure of the writing assignment and/or the course. Cases of plagiarism
and/or cheating may be reported to the Dean of Students.
Outcomes
Students will enhance their understanding of early American history through the exploration of
primary and secondary sources, including a best-selling 18th-century memoir. Through class
discussion, short analytical papers, and exams students will further develop their critical thinking
and writing skills. Additionally, it is hoped that students will take from this course a deeper
appreciation and respect for the way in which history influences their own lives and culture.
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Expectations:

Class will begin on time. Perpetual lateness will be dealt with strictly.

Attendance will be taken at each meeting and will be factored into your class discussion
grade. Missing more than 2 classes will significantly impact your grade. There are no
“excused” absences without specific documentation from a Dean and/or other CCRI
administrator. Attendance is mandatory.

Please shut off your cell phone, pager, beeper, IPod, and/or Blackberry before coming to
class. Students texting in class will be asked to leave the room.

Students with documented disabilities are encouraged to request their accommodations as
soon as possible.
How to do well in this course:

Come to class prepared to learn: In other words, do the reading, take notes during lecture,
and participate in our class discussions. You are welcome to bring your class notes to my
office hours to ask additional questions or for clarification of class lectures/discussions.

Ask questions: We will cover a large quantity of material in this course. Please do not
hesitate to ask questions if there is something you do not understand. If you are shy about
speaking up in class, speak with me individually to make sure your question gets answered.
Let me know that you are not completely comfortable speaking in class. This problem is
one that we can work together on during the semester.

E-mail: Activate your CCRI e-mail account. Changes to class time and/or assignments (if
necessary) will be sent to you from the CCRI Pipeline. It is possible to forward e-mail from
Pipeline to a personal account. Do this immediately! Not checking Pipeline is not an
excuse for missed work/communications.

Respect each other: Please treat the viewpoints of your fellow students with respect even if
you do not agree. We can all learn something from opinions different from our own and
history, like all subjects, is more interesting when discussed by people of differing
backgrounds.

Keep Me Informed: Students with documented disabilities are strongly encouraged to speak
with me as soon as possible to ensure that necessary accommodations are met.
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Key
Text = America: A Concise History
Docs = America Firsthand
Schedule & Assignments
September 7
Introduction
September 9
Before the Europeans
Reading: Text, Ch 1 AND Docs, #1, 2 & Visual Portfolio (p. 37-42)
DUE: Docs, Questions p. 42
September 14
Settling the Chesapeake
Reading: Text, pp. 36-52 AND Docs, #4
September 16
Puritan New England
Reading: Text, pp. 52-64 AND Docs, #6, 7 & 8
DUE: Docs, Questions p. 57
September 21
Life in the Colonies
Reading: Text, Ch 3 AND Docs #9, 10, 11, &13
September 23
Exam #1 (75 minutes in class)
September 28
LRC
September 30
LRC
October 5
Road to Revolution
Reading: Text, Ch 4 AND Docs #14
October 7
War in the Colonies
Reading: Text, Ch 5 AND Docs #15-17
DUE: Docs, Questions p. 109
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October 12
Loyalists
Reading: Docs #18 & 19
October 14
Women’s Lives in Revolutionary America
Reading: Docs #20
DUE: Essay #1 on Rowlandson or Paine reading.
October 19 & 21
Building a New Nation
Reading: Text, Ch 6 and pages 193-202 AND Docs #21
October 26
Exam #2
October 28
Moving West
Reading: Text, pages 202-212 AND Docs #26-31
November 2
No Classes – Election Day
November 4
The Industrial North
Reading: Text, Ch 9 AND Doc #34
DUE: Essay #2: LRC Image Assignment
November 9
Religion & Reform
Reading: Text, Ch 11 AND Doc #37
November 10 (Wed) The American South & its “Peculiar Institution”
Reading: Text, Ch 12 AND Doc #35, 38 & “Visual Portfolio” pages 251260
DUE: Doc, Questions page 260
November 11
No Classes – Veterans’ Day
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November 16
Exam #3
November 18
1850s: the American West & the Slavery Debate
Reading:
November 23
Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
Free Blacks in the North
Reading: Wilson, Our Nig, all.
November 25
No Classes -- Happy Thanksgiving!
November 30
Lincoln, Slavery & the Union
Reading: Text, Ch 13
December 2
Americans at War
Reading: Text, Ch 14 AND Docs #43 & 44
DUE: Essay #3: Slavery Assignment
December 7
Reconstruction
Reading: Text, Ch 15 AND Docs #45, 46 & 47.
December 9
Race Relations in the New South
Exam #4: Scheduled by Registrar’s Office
(Exam period is December 14th to 17th for day classes.)
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