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