Survey of American History to 1877
Instructor Name: Jack McCallum
Semester/Year: Spring 2015
Class location: Reed 417
Class Meeting time(s): TTh 8:00
Telephone: 817.235.1626
Email: jmccallum@tcu.edu
This syllabus represents my current plans and objectives. As we go through the
semester, those plans may need to change to enhance the class learning opportunity.
Such changes, communicated clearly, are not unusual and should be expected.
Final Exam date
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May 5 or 7 (See Final Exam Schedule)
Required text and additional resources
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
Paul Johnson, History of the American People
Additional readings as listed on jackmccallum.com
Course Description
Review of evolution of the American nation from the discovery of the New World
to the end of the Civil War era, with emphasis on major forces shaping its
development
Course Requirements
This course currently meets all or part of the following requirements for a degree:
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
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
University Curriculum Requirement (UCR)
TCU Core Curriculum Requirement(s) (if a Core-designated course; ‡see
below)
Requirement within the Major
Supports Mission Statement
Learning Outcomes

You will be expected to demonstrate an ability to evaluate primary source
material and use that material to construct and communicate cogent
arguments related to the development of the American historical experience
and its relations to current events and controversies.
Teaching Philosophy
I strongly believe that an inquiring mind combined with the ability to accumulate
knowledge and assess varying viewpoints arising from that knowledge are
essential to being productive in a world where the volume of information to which
educated people are exposed is rapidly increasing. In this course, we will
concentrate on dealing effectively with information from various sources and in
reasoning from that information.
Instructional Methods
Since this is an introductory course, much of the instruction will be done as formal
lectures. That said, there will be ample opportunity to raise questions and to
discuss what we cover particularly as it reflects on current economic, political, and
social issues.
Course Policies and Requirements
You will be expected to be in class. I will take attendance and will deduct points from
your final grade for missing class without a written excuse as follows:
3 Absences—5 points
4-6 Absences—10 points
7-10 Absences—15 points
>10 Absences—30 points
Grading
Final Grade Elements:
Percent / Point
Value
20%
20%
20%
30%
Item
10%
Quiz Grades
Exam 1
Exam 2
Final Exam
Research Paper
The exams are not cumulative. Make up exams will be available only in the event that
you have a written excuse for having missed the scheduled exam.
There will be short quizzes based on the assigned readings. These will be designed to
demonstrate that you have done the reading and will be distributed as I see fit
through the semester. There will be no make up for those quizzes.
Final Letter Grade Calculation:
Grade
A
B
C
D
F
Score
90-100
80-89
70-79
60-69
0-59
Statement of Disability Services at TCU
Disabilities Statement: Texas Christian University complies with the Americans with
Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 regarding students with
disabilities. Eligible students seeking accommodations should contact the Coordinator of
Student Disabilities Services in the Center for Academic Services located in Sadler Hall, 1010.
Accommodations are not retroactive, therefore, students should contact the Coordinator as
soon as possible in the term for which they are seeking accommodations. Further information
can be obtained from the Center for Academic Services, TCU Box 297710, Fort Worth, TX
76129, or at (817) 257-6567.
Academic Misconduct:
**Academic Misconduct (Sec. 3.4 from the Student Handbook) –Any act that violates
the academic integrity of the institution is considered academic misconduct. The
procedures used to resolve suspected acts of academic misconduct are available in
the offices of Academic Deans and the Office of Campus Life and are listed in detail in
the Undergraduate Catalog (Student Policies>Academic Conduct Policy Details;
http://www.catalog.tcu.edu/current_year/undergraduate/). Specific examples
include, but are not limited to:
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
Cheating: Copying from another student’s test paper, laboratory report, other
report, or computer files and listings; using, during any academic exercise,
material and/or devices not authorized by the person in charge of the test;
collaborating with or seeking aid from another student during a test or
laboratory without permission; knowingly using, buying, selling, stealing,
transporting, or soliciting in its entirety or in part, the contents of a test or
other assignment unauthorized for release; substituting for another student or
permitting another student to substitute for oneself.
Plagiarism: The appropriation, theft, purchase or obtaining by any means
another’s work, and the unacknowledged submission or incorporation of that
work as one’s own offered for credit. Appropriation includes the quoting or
paraphrasing of another’s work without giving credit therefore. (If you are

using Turnitin www.turnitin.com place information about your course id and
password or LearningStudio dropbox reporting. If you only want to use
Turnitin as a spot check please indicate in your syllabus that you may use
Turnitin for plagiarism detection.)
Collusion: The unauthorized collaboration with another in preparing work
offered for credit.
Netiquette: Communication Courtesy Code
All members of the class are expected to follow rules of common courtesy in all email
messages, threaded discussions and chats. If I deem any of them to be inappropriate
or offensive, I will forward the message to the Chair of the department and the online
administrators and appropriate action will be taken, not excluding expulsion from the
course. The same rules apply online as they do in person. Be respectful of other
students. Foul discourse will not be tolerated. Please take a moment and read the
following link concerning "netiquette".
http://www.albion.com/netiquette/
Participating in the virtual realm, including social media sites and shared-access sites
sometimes used for educational collaborations, should be done with honor and
integrity:
http://ctlt.ubc.ca/distance-learning/learner-support/communicating-onlinenetiquette/
Pearson LearningStudio (eCollege)
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
If you have not yet taken the Student Tutorial, please exit this course and do
so immediately. Once you have finished, return to this course and continue.
The Student tutorial is listed on your personal student homepage. To access it,
click on "Exit Course" at the bottom of this page. Then click on the "Student
Tutorial" on your home page. Follow the instructions. Good luck!
If you experience any technical problems during your usage of this online
course, please do not hesitate to contact the HELP DESK (at Pearson
LearningStudio (eCollege) ). They can be reached by phone or by email 24
hours per day, 7 days per week.
email: helpdesk@tcuglobal.edu phone: 1-800-826-1665
For questions about logging into Pearson LearningStudio (eCollege) visit the online
video:
http://www.elearning.tcu.edu/resources/howtologinvideo/howtologinvideo.asp
If, however, you have a course related issue (course content, assignment troubles,
quiz difficulties) please contact the professor in the "Virtual Office" or during office
hours by phone or by email.
TCU Campus Resources for Students
**TCU Campus Resources for Students: Many resources exist on the TCU campus that
may be helpful to students: Mary Couts Burnett Library (257-7117); Center for
Academic Services (257-7486, Sadler Hall. 1022); the William L. Adams Writing Center
(257-7221, Reed Hall 419); Student Development Services (257-7855, BLUU 2003);
and Office of Religious & Spiritual Life (257-7830, Jarvis Hall), Campus Life (257-7926,
Sadler Hall 2006), and the Counseling, Testing, and Mental Health Center (257-7863,
Brown Lupton Health Center).
**Email Notification: Only the official TCU student email address will be used for all
course notification. It is your responsibility to check your TCU email on a regular basis.
Course Schedule
Week I (Jan 13, 15)
Pre-Columbian America and the Encounter
Read “The Humanities” and “The Last Professor” “Columbus’s
Letter”
Week II (Jan 20, 22)
Native America, Spanish America
Read “The Spanish Gentlemen” and “The Transoceanic
Exchange”
Week III (Jan 27, 29)
The Early British, French, and Dutch Colonies
Read Johnson pages 1-28 (Transatlantic Adventure to
Jamestown)
Week IV (Feb 3, 5)
New England, The Middle Colonies, The South
Read the Silence Dogood Letters
Johnson pages 28-101 (Mayflower to Rise of Philadelphia)
Week V (Feb 10, 12)
Exam #1, British America
The Trial of John Peter Zenger
Johnson pages 101-134 (Elected Assemblies to British
Leadership)
Week VI (Feb 17, 19)
The American Revolution
Read Johnson pages 135-177 (Benjamin Franklin to Patriots
and Loyalists)
The Olive Branch Petition
Week VII (Feb 24, 26)
Federalists
Read Johnson pages 177-241 (Constitutional Convention to
John Marshall)
Annapolis Conference Proceedings and Liptak on the
Constitution
Week VIII (Mar 3, 5)
The Jeffersonians
Read Johnson pages 241-257
Semester Break (Mar 10, 12)
Week IX (Mar 17, 19)
Madison to Marshall.
Read Johnson pages 257-267 (Madison’s Blunders)
The Monroe Doctrine
Week X (Mar 24, 26)
Exam #2, Jacksonian Democracy
Read Johnson pages 267-279 (Jackson)
The Exposition and Protest of 1828
Week XI (Mar 31, Apr 2)
Jacksonians and Middle Class America
Read Johnson 283-371 (High Birth Rates to Revolution in
Transportation)
Week XII (Apr 7, 9)
Expansion and Slavery
Read Johnson 371-389 (Polk and the Mexican War )
The Fort Laramie Treaty
Williamson to the Council and Governor of Texas
Week XIII (Apr 14, 16)
Civil War
Read Johnson 424-474 (Pierce and Buchanan to Churches and
the War)
The Emancipation Proclamation
Week XII (Apr 21, 23)
Civil War.
Read Johnson 474-507 (War Among the Generals to Andrew
Johnson)
Week XIV (Apr 28)
Reconstruction and 1877
Read the Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction,
Jim Crow Laws, and the Fourteenth Amendment
Final Exam
May 5 or 7
TCU Mission
To educate individuals to think and act as ethical leaders and responsible citizens in
the global community