History 0848 (Section 010) American Revolutions Fall 2010; MWF 2-250pm; Weiss Hall B037 Instructor: Prof. LaDale Winling lwinling@temple.edu 951 Gladfelter Hall MW 1-2pm, F 11a-12pm Grader: David Lee tub62222@temple.edu 954 Gladfelter Hall MWF 1-1:50pm From the first encounters with Native Americans to the present, a series of pivotal moments have had an enduring influence on American society, culture, and politics. These so-called “revolutions” fundamentally change our lives. But only in hindsight can we fully grasp the remarkable power of isolated historic moments to cause radical change across the broad diversity of American lives. Jonathan Fisher, The Morning View of the Blue Hill Village In this course, we will examine three such pivotal moments, each part of the economic history of the United States. Specifically, we will consider how economic transformations have radically shaped life in the United States. Together, we will discover how the three shifts (1) from an agricultural to an industrial economy; (2) from an industrial to a knowledge economy; and (3) from a knowledge economy to a finance-based economy, had wide-ranging effects on American life from politics to culture to environmental concerns. American Revolutions has been developed as part of Temple’s GenEd program in conjunction with the U.S. Society area. U.S. Society courses strengthen students' understanding of the history, society, culture and political systems of the United States. They are intended to teach students how to: Interpret historical, analytical and cultural materials, and articulate their own point of view about those materials; Develop observations and conclusions about selected themes in U.S. society and culture; Analyze the ways difference and heterogeneity have shaped American culture and society READINGS: Course readings will include a variety of books, essays, and multimedia sources. The following books will be read in full and therefore must be purchased. All other readings, songs, images, and videos will be made available electronically, largely through Blackboard. Sean Patrick Adams. Old Dominion, Industrial Commonwealth: Coal, Politics, and Economy in Antebellum America. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004. Clark Kerr The Uses of the University Harvard University Press, 1963. Gerald Davis Managed by the Markets Oxford University Press, 2009. GRADING Course grades will be calculated as follows: Students will be assessed by weekly reading quizzes, three writing assignments, and three exams. Quizzes (10) 20% Writing (2) 30% Exams (3) 50% Short quizzes will be given on most Fridays and will be drawn from that week’s reading and lecture materials. Writing assignments will be 3-4 pages each on topics assigned by the instructor Each exam will cover one unit of the semester and will be held during class hours. Schedule: UNIT 1 – AGRICULTURE TO INDUSTRY WEEK 1 – Economic Principles in History August 30 (Mon): Introduction September 1: Adam Smith – The Wealth of Nations, 8-77 Sept 3: Hamilton, Report on Manufactures, 1-20 on Blackboard WEEK 2 –Rural Life and Transportation Sept 6 (Mon): NO CLASS Sept 8: Diaries of George Washington, Jan-Feb 1960, link on Blackboard Diaries from Old Sturbridge Village Moses Porter, link on Blackboard Samantha Barrett, link on Blackboard Cronon, chs. 2-3. Sept 10 WEEK 3 – Industrialization and Labor I Sept 13 (Mon): Adams, Old Dominion, Industrial Commonwealth, pp. 1-118. Robinson, Loom and Spindle, pp. iii-39, Blackboard Sept 15 Sept 17 WEEK 4 – Industrialization and Labor II Sept 20 (Mon): Adams, 119-240; Debs, “How I Became a Socialist”; “The Chicago Strike”; Cleveland “The Government in the Chicago Strike,” Blackboard Sept 22 REVIEW Sept 24 EXAM UNIT 2 – Industry to Education WEEK 5 – An Industrial Nation Sept 27 (Mon): Taylor, Principles of Scientific Management on Blackboard. Allan Nevins, Ford v. 1, pp. 447-480. (link on Blackboard) Sept 29 Oct 1 WEEK 6 – Mass Production, Mass Consumption Oct 4 (Mon): Lynd, Middletown, pp. 1-89, on Blackboard Oct 6 Oct 8 WEEK 7 – Corporatism and the Logic of Organizations Oct 11 (Mon): Whyte, The Organization Man, pp. 63-128, on Blackboard Oct 13 Oct 15 ASSIGNMENT 1 DUE WEEK 8 – The New Knowledge Economy Oct 18 (Mon): Kerr, The Uses of the University Oct 20 Oct 22 WEEK 9 – Consequences of Affluence Oct 25 (Mon): Galbraith, The Affluent Society, on Blackboard The Port Huron Statement, link on Blackboard Oct 27 Oct 29 EXAM Unit 3 – Education to Finance WEEK 10 – A View of the Future Nov 1 (Mon): Daniel Bell, The Coming of Post-Industrial Society on Blackboard Nov 3 Nov 5 WEEK 11 – The Washington Consensus Nov 8 (Mon): Barry Bluestone, The De-Industrialization of America, chs. 5-6 Nov 10 Nov 12 WEEK 12 – A Financial Future Nov 15 (Mon): Davis, Managed by the Markets, pp. 1-153 Nov 17 Nov 19 WEEK 13 – An Economy of Risk Nov 22 (Mon): Davis, pp. 154-255. Geoghegan, “Infinite Debt: How Unlimited Interest Rates Destroyed the Economy” Harper’s Magazine April 2009, pp. 31-39 Nov 24 Nov 26: NO CLASS WEEK 14 – The Consequences of Uneven Political Economy Nov 29 (Mon): Levy and Temin, “Inequality and Institutions In 20th Century America” on Blackboard Dec 1 Dec 3 ASSIGNMENT 2 DUE Dec 6 (Mon): REVIEW Dec 8 EXAM ASSIGNMENTS 1. 4-page paper on the economic history of your hometown or your metropolitan region 2. 4-page paper on family economic history