Fort Riley, KS
SYLLABUS for
Hist 1301 United Sates History I
June – July 2009
Meeting Times
Saturday
Instructor: Mr. William McKale email: mckalew@twinvalley.net
Phone: (785) 239-2737
Professor McKale is the Director of the Museum Division, Fort Riley. He has published two books: Fort Riley: Citadel of the Frontier West (2000) and Fort Riley:
A Pictorial History (2004). He has also written articles on military history for professional journals as well as presentations to regional and national historical organizations. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in History and a Master of
Science degree in American Diplomatic History – both from Kansas State
University. He served as a lieutenant in the United States Army and later taught in public schools. Since 1981, he has worked at the U. S. Cavalry Museum and has been its director since 2002.
A.
History 1301 includes a study of English colonization, the American
Revolution, adoption of the Constitution, growth of nationalism, cotton and the slavery problem, the Civil War and Reconstruction.
B.
History 1301 is a part of the core curriculum at Central Texas College. This course is a requirement for all degrees.
C.
This is an academic course, which is a degree requirement, but, in addition to that, assists students in understanding their nation’s past.
D.
Prerequisite: None.
NOTE: Cell phones and Blackberries are NOT permitted in the classroom.
LEARNING OUTCOMES.
Upon successful completion of this course, U. S. History I, the student will:
1.
Understand better major topics in American history including: a.
Alien Encounters: Europe in America b.
American Society in the Making c.
America in the British Empire d.
The American Revolution e.
The Federalist Era: Nationalism Triumphant f.
Jeffersonian Democracy g.
National Growing Pains h.
Toward a National Economy i.
Jacksonian Democracy j.
The Making of Middle-Class America k.
An America Culture
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l.
Expansion and Slavery m.
The Sections Go Their Ways n.
The Coming of the Civil War o.
The War to Save the Union p.
Reconstruction and the South
2.
Survey major events covered in the study of American history and consider causes and effects of them.
3.
Obtain data on economic, political, military, diplomatic, and individual contributions to development of the nation.
4.
Communicate thoughts in writing.
INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL.
Required Text: Mark C. Carnes and John A. Garraty, The American
National, Combined Volume, Thirteenth Edition, New York: Longman, Inc.
CLASS SCHEDULE
15 August : Introduction, Chapters 1
& 2
22 August: Chapters 3-5
12 September: Chapters 9-11, Mid-
Term
19 September: Chapters 12-13
29 August: Chapters 6-8
5 September: No Class
26 September: Chapters 14-15
3 October: Final
COURSE REQUIREMENTS.
1.
Class Attendance: You are expected to attend class and be on time. Each absence will be reported to the CTC office and after two unexcused absences, evaluation will be made whether you will be permitted to finish the class.
Excused absences (i.e. CQ or field duty) does not excuse you from turning the work in the next time you attend class. If you miss class, you should contact the instructor to see what was missed so you do not get behind.
2.
Reading Assignments/Supplementary reading(s) – You will be assigned readings from the CD which accompanies your textbook. You will be required to submit essays on these readings.
3.
Class participation -- In the medieval lecture hall, class participation was not an issue, but if students are to learn to apply, analyze, synthesize, etc, they need to be active. Such approaches are contrary to the experiences -- and preferences -- of many students. By attending class, you are expected to be prepared to discuss material for that assignment. Part of your grade will be based on this active participation.
4.
Examinations & Quizzes. There will be a mid-term, final and quizzes in class.
Further announcements will be made by the instructor regarding this.
5.
Grading: All grades are based on the following scale: A = 90-100; B = 80-89; C
= 70-79; D = 60-69.
6.
Missed exams or assignments – If you miss quizzes or exams, it is your responsibility to get with the instructor and set a schedule for make-up. Make-up assignments are due the first class period after the make-up assignment has been
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assigned. If you are absent from that next class – you need to be prepared to submit it the next class you attend.
7.
Academic dishonesty – Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated. If a student is found to be involved in cheating or not submitting an assignment in their own words and thoughts, that assignment will be entered in the grade book as a zero.
AMERICAN HISTORY
Chapter 1
1.
What forces drove Europeans to exploration?
2.
Why was England slow to explore and settle in the New World?
3.
What were European beliefs and attitudes that governed their relations with
Native Americans?
4.
How did European and Native American concepts of land differ?
5.
What was the impact of disease on Native American populations?
6.
What was the Protestant Reformation and its impact on colonization of the western hemisphere?
7.
Why was private exploration prominent in England and what were its consequences?
8.
What problems confronted English settlement?
9.
What is a proprietary colony?
10.
What was the Columbian exchange?
Chapter 2
1.
What made life in the Chesapeake so precarious?
2.
How did the realities of the New World force the London Company to accept changes in colonization plans?
3.
What factors led to the adoption of slavery in the American colonies.
4.
What led to the cultivation of tobacco and the consequences of that decision?
5.
What were the issues that led to Bacon’s Rebellion?
6.
What natural factors favored life in New England?
7.
What gave rise to the “triangle trade” and why was it really not triangular?
8.
What factors led to the growth of the Middle Colonies?
9.
Describe the ethnic diversity of the Middle Colonies.
10.
Describe the emergence of an American identity.
Chapter 3
1.
Describe the structural weakness of the British imperial administration.
2.
Describe the theory of mercantilism and how was it applied to Britain’s colonies in North America?
3.
What were the causes and consequences of the Great Awakening?
4.
What was the intellectual impact of the Enlightenment in America?
5.
How did Europe’s wars of the 18 th
century affect North America?
6.
Why did England’s victory in the war for empire lead to the loss of its North
American colonies?
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7.
Why did the colonists regard England’s attempt to gain greater control over them as an encroachment on their rights?
8.
How did the conflict with Britain lead to a sense of unity among the colonies?
Chapter 4
1.
What were the events that led the Continental Congress to support a break from
England?
2.
In which ways did the Declaration of Independence justify America’s independence from England?
3.
What were the advantages of the colonies and Britain in the war for independence?
4.
What forces led France to support the rebellion of the American colonies?
5.
Why were the American negotiators able to gain such favorable terms in Paris?
6.
What was the basic governmental structure under the Articles of Confederation?
7.
What was the significance of the new state constitutions?
8.
How did the Revolution lead to certain social and political reforms?
9.
What was the impact of the Revolution on the role of women in American society?
10.
How did the war contribute to a growing national spirit and culture?
Chapter 5
1.
What problems kept the west in a state of unrest?
2.
What were the economic consequences of the Revolution?
3.
What events led to the Constitutional Convention?
4.
What major compromises shaped the Constitution?
5.
What were the strengths of Washington’s presidency?
6.
Describe Hamilton’s financial reforms.
7.
How did foreign affairs influence politics in the early republic?
8.
Describe the origins of political parties.
Chapter 6
1.
Describe the origin of the 12 th
Amendment.
2.
What was Jefferson’s approach to government?
3.
What were the reasons for Jefferson’s distrust of the judiciary?
4.
Why was Jefferson able to purchase the Louisiana territory from France?
5.
What constitutional issues were involved in the Louisiana Purchase?
6.
Describe the emerging dominance of the Republican Party and the decline of the
Federalists.
7.
What was the impact of the European war on America’s economy?
8.
What were the points of conflict between the United States and Great Britain?
9.
What was the impact of the Embargo Act on the American economy?
Chapter 7
1.
What were the reasons for the anti-British feelings on the frontier?
2.
Why did some people, particularly in New England, oppose the War of 1812?
3.
Why were the British not more successful in fighting the War of 1812?
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4.
Why did the war signal the death knell of Federalism?
5.
What were the reasons for the Anglo-American rapprochement after the War of
1812?
6.
Why was the United States able to negotiate such favorable terms in the
Transcontinental Treaty?
7.
What were the origins of the Monroe Doctrine and the reasons for its acceptance?
8.
Why does the text refer to the War of 1812 as “the final stage in the evolution of
American independence”?
9.
Why did Monroe’s presidency became known as the “Era of Good Feelings”?
10.
How did the country divide over the tariff?
11.
Why did the Second Bank of the Unites States become unpopular?
12.
Describe the sectional divisions over land policy in the West.
13.
Describe the emergence of sectional leaders.
14.
What issues led to the Missouri Compromise?
15.
What were the political divisions within the Republican Party?
16.
Why did the South differ from the rest of the nation on the tariff issue?
17.
What was the reasoning behind Calhoun’s theory of nullification?
Chapter 8
1.
What factors led to industrialization?
2.
What slowed industrialization in the United States?
3.
What were the elements of factory production?
4.
Why did the United States not develop a class-conscious working class?
5.
What factors led to a resumption of immigration to the United States and the impact of that immigration?
6.
What factors led to the expansion of cotton cultivation in the South?
7.
What were the reasons for the revitalization of slavery as an institution?
8.
Describe the impulse for the colonization of blacks and the different approaches of whites and blacks to colonization.
9.
Describe the importance of transportation to the West.
10.
What was the role of government in supporting economic development?
11.
How did the Marshall Court aid economic development?
Chapter 9
1.
What was the difference between Jeffersonian democracy and Jacksonian democracy?
2.
Describe the ways in which politics became more democratic in the age of
Jackson.
3.
Describe the second party system.
4.
Describe the spoils system and the principle of rotation.
5.
Which factors led to a revival of sectional tensions?
6.
Describe the events leading to Indian removal.
7.
What factors led to the nullification crisis and its settlement?
8.
Why was Jackson determined to destroy the Bank of the United States and what results of this action?
9.
What were the basic principles on which Jacksonian Democrats agreed?
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10.
Describe the formation fo the Whig party and its ideology.
11.
What were the reasons for Van Buren’s defeat in 1840?
Chapter 10
1.
What did Tocquevill mean when he commented on the “equality” he found in the
United States?
2.
What was the impact of the factory system on the family structure?
3.
Describe the doctrine of “separate spheres”.
4.
What were the social origins of the Second Great Awakening?
5.
Describe the emergence of voluntary associations and the social role they filled.
6.
Describe ways in which the various utopian communities differed and were similar.
7.
Describe the connection between religious revival and reform.
8.
Why were abolitionists me with such hostility in the North?
9.
What was the origins of the women’s movement?
10.
What was the appeal of romanticism for Americans?
11.
What were the main ideas of transcendentalism?
12.
What distinguished Melville and Hawthorne from the Transcendentalists?
13.
What were the various reasons for the success of the common school movement?
14.
How did technology contribute to the spread of culture?
15.
Why and how did the college curriculum change in the first half othe 19 th century?
Chapter 11
1.
What factors led the United States and Great Britain to agree to the Webster-
Ashburton Treaty?
2.
What led Texans to rebel against Mexican rule?
3.
Describe the concept of manifest destiny and its impact on American foreign policy.
4.
What was the impact of Texas on the election of 1844?
5.
Describe the settlement of the Oregon dispute.
6.
What events led to war with Mexico?
7.
What was the issue of slavery important in the territories?
8.
Describe the significance of the Wilmot Proviso.
9.
Describe the concept of popular sovereignty.
10.
Describe the sectional divisions between the Whig and Democratic parties.
11.
What were the circumstances leading up to and the provisions of the
Compromise of 1850?
Chapter 12
1.
Describe the changes in southern agriculture.
2.
Why did slave ownership become more concentrated?
3.
What was the impact of slavery on the southern economy?
4.
What were the social and psychological impacts of slavery on southern society?
5.
What factors led to the expansion of industry?
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6.
What were the reasons for the increase of immigration and the ethnic and racial hostilities associated with it?
7.
Describe the various problems associated with the growth of large cities.
8.
Describe the impact of industrialization on workers.
9.
Why did a strong union movement fail to develop among American workers?
10.
What role did railroads play in the developing economy?
11.
What was the impact of railroads and economic development on the sectional conflict?
Chapter 13
1.
In what ways did the Fugitive Slave Law contribute to sectional friction?
2.
What was the “Young America” spirit and its implications for foreign policy?
3.
What were the reasons for American interest in the Caribbean?
4.
What was the political impact of the Kansas-Nebraska Act?
5.
What were the differences between Republicans and abolitionists?
6.
Why did popular sovereignty fail in Kansas?
7.
What was the impact of the Dred Scott decision?
8.
Describe the controversy over the Lecompton Constitution?
9.
What factors led to the emergence of Lincoln as a Republican leader?
10.
What was the significance of John Brown’s raid?
11.
Describe the events leading to southern secession.
Chapter 14
1.
Describe Lincoln’s rationale for the defense of the Union.
2.
What were the material advantages enjoyed by the North and South as the war began?
3.
What was the Northern strategy at the beginning of the war (the “Anaconda
Plan”)?
4.
Describe the impact of the war on the northern economy and economic development.
5.
Describe the political divisions in northern society during the war.
6.
Describe the Southern strategy as the war began.
7.
Describe the political divisions within the Confederacy.
8.
Why did cotton diplomacy fail?
9.
What factors led to the Emancipation Proclamation and its impact?
10.
What were the causes of the draft riots?
11.
What was the impact of the northern blockade on the Confederacy?
Chapter 15
1.
What were the legal arguments regarding the readmission of southern states?
2.
Why was there conflict between Radical Republicans and President Johnson?
3.
What was the significance of the Black Codes.
4.
What were the provisions and impact of the 14 th Amendment?
5.
Describe the various Reconstruction Acts passed by Congress.
6.
Describe the events leading to the impeachment of Johnson.
7.
What did the 15 th
Amendment do and the circumstances leading to its passge?
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8.
What were the accomplishments and failures of “black Reconstruction”?
9.
How did the end of slavery affect the southern economy?
10.
Describe the evolution of sharecropping and the crop-lien system and their impact on southern agriculture and economy.
11.
Describe the emergence of the Ku Klux Klan.
12.
Why was the North unwilling to prevent the disenfranchisement of blacks in the
South?
13.
Describe the circumstances leading to the Compromise of 1877.
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