COURSE TITLE: Life in Colonial Virginia
COURSE NUMBER: HIS 155
INSTRUCTOR: Scott Wade, M.A.
Day/Time: Mon. 7:15-9:55
Prerequisites: Placement into ENG 111
E-MAIL: tcwades@tcc.edu
OFFICE: D116 822-7515
I. COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is a thematic survey of Life in Colonial Virginia from
the earliest inhabitants and European settlements to the end of the Revolutionary era. Although
politics and government are an important aspect of Virginia society, this course does not attempt to
be a comprehensive study of Virginia history. We will focus more on the social aspects of Colonial
Virginia from the perspectives of First Virginians, European immigrants, indentured servants and
slaves, and the society and culture of the Colonial Virginia planter aristocracy.
II. COURSE OBJECTIVES:
1. To apply college-level reading and writing skills to works of history.
2. Allow students to develop their own interpretative frameworks for understanding the
significance of various developments in Colonial Virginia history.
3. Provide students with a strong conceptual background to interpret conflict and social change
within a historical framework.
III. METHOD OF INSTRUCTION: The course will consist of a combination of lecture, class
discussion, written work and two examinations, a mid-term and final. Internet access is required for
course readings. All Internet readings and assignments will be posted on Blackboard and on my
faculty web site. These will be hyperlinked for ease of access. Guest speakers and off-site visits will
be announced in class.
IV. REQUIRED READINGS: There is no formal textbook for this course. Readings will come
from a variety of sources, including the WWW, and handouts. The single required book for the
course is:
Mapp, Alf Jr. The Virginia Experiment: 1607-1781 (found in the TCC bookstore.)
V. METHOD OF EVALUATION:
EXAMS: There will two (2) exams, a mid-term and a final. Material for the exams will be taken from
lectures, class readings, discussion, and other course content.
HISTORY JOURNAL.
One major component will be a history journal consisting of written assignments pertaining to the
week’s topic that will be taken from the readings for that week. There will be ten entries worth a
maximum of ten points each. For full credit, each entry should be at least 250-300 words, roughly
one double-spaced typed page.
RESEARCH PAPER: One important part of the course will be to learn the methods and practices
of “doing history” To this end, every student will be required to complete one original research paper
that will be on a topic of the student’s choice regarding Colonial Virginia history. The paper must be
5-7 pages, typed, double-spaced, in a standard font. A sample research paper will be provided for
reference.
GRADES:
Grades will be calculated on a 500-point system as follows:
Two exams
100 points each/ 40%
History Journal
100 points/10 points each/ 20%
Research Paper
150 points / 30 %
Participation
50 points/ 10 %
The final grade is determined by the point total: 450-500=A; 400-449=B; 350-399=C; and 300349=D
VI. ATTENDANCE: Attendance will be taken every class period, and students with more than five
absences prior to the 60% date will be withdrawn from class. Perfect attendance will be rewarded
with three extra credit points added to the final grade. Refer to the student handbook for Tidewater
Community College attendance policies. If a student has to miss class, it is courteous to let the
instructor know either via e-mail or phone. It is the student’s responsibility to make up missed work.
Also, if a student has to leave class it is common courtesy to let the instructor know prior to class.
While in class, cell phones are to be kept off.
VII. DISABILI TIES SERVICES STATEMENT: Tidewater Community College seeks to
provide effective services and accommodations for qualified individuals with documented disabilities.
If you need an accommodation because of a documented disability, you are required to register with
Disability Services preferably at the beginning of the semester. Contact the Disability Services
Counselor in the Counseling Center (A-115) or call 757-822-7211 to make an appointment.
VIII. EMERGENCY PROCEDURES: In the event of a bomb threat, tornado, or fire, students
and staff may be asked to evacuate the building or move to a secure location within the building.
Evacuation routes for movement to an external location or to a shelter within the building are posted
at the front of the room. Students should review the maps and make sure that the exit route and
assembly location for the building are clearly understood. If you have a disability that may require
assistance during an evacuation, please let the instructor know at the end of the first class.
IX. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Cheating will not be tolerated and will result in the failure of the
class as well as disciplinary actions. Consult the Student Handbook for more information.
IMPORTANT DATES:
Aug. 23 –Classes begin
Aug. 30 – Last day to add or change for a sixteen-week class
Sept.3 – Labor Day – college closed
Sept. 5 – Last day to drop for tuition refund for a sixteen-week class
Nov. 1 -- Last day to withdraw without academic penalty from a sixteen week class
Dec. 10- Last day of instruction
Dec. 11-17 Final exams
Course Schedule
(Off-site trips and guest speakers TBA)
Aug. 27
Introduction to the course: From London to Jamestown
Sept. 3
Labor Day (college closed)
Sept. 10
The settlers of Jamestown
Mapp, Ch. 1
History Resource Center – Introduction to Primary Sources
http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/HistRC/histrcus_researchguide.htm?l=xR&s=1&locID=viva2
_tcc&n=10
Read the Instructions for the Virginia Colony (1606)
http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/D/1601-1650/virginia/instru.htm
Read Virginia’s original charter at:
http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/D/1601-1650/virginia/chart01.htm
The Story of Virginia: Contact and Conflict
http://www.vahistorical.org/sva2003/contact.htm
Life in Jamestown
http://ab.mec.edu/jamestown/jamesfort.html
Kathleen M. Brown “Women in Early Jamestown” Virtual Jamestown
http://www.virtualjamestown.org/essays/brown_essay.html
The Indispensable Role of Women in Virginia
http://www.nps.gov/archive/colo/Jthanout/Women.html
Sept. 17
The World of the Powhatans
Mapp, Ch. 2
Introductory essay about Powhatan
http://www.virtualjamestown.org/Powhat1.html
Society of the Powhatan villages
http://ab.mec.edu/jamestown/powhatan.html
Powhatan Indian Lifeways
http://www.nps.gov/archive/colo/Jthanout/Indianlife.html
Pocahontas
http://www.apva.org/history/pocahont.html
The Massacre of 1622
http://www.history.org/Foundation/journal/Autumn05/tyme.cfm
Sept. 24
Tobacco culture: From Indentured Servitude to Slavery
“Tobacco: The Early History of a New World Crop” - National Park Service
http://www.nps.gov/archive/colo/Jthanout/TobaccoHistory.html
Read the article
http://www.historypoint.org/education/teaching/history_backyard/tobacco_slavery_virginia_colon
ies.asp
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation: Read the background essay
http://www.history.org/Almanack/people/african/aaintro.cfm
Servants and Slaves as Seen Through Runaway Advertisements
http://people.uvawise.edu/runaways
“Our Plantation Is Very Weak”: The Experiences of an Indentured Servant in Virginia, 1623
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6475
From Indentured Servitude to Racial Slavery
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part1/1narr3.html
Oct. 1
Governor’s Berkeley’s Virginia
Mapp, Ch. 6
Read the article in “The Story of Virginia”
http://www.vahistorical.org/sva2003/virginians.htm
“Governor Berkeley and the Creation of the Virginia Aristocracy” National Park Service
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/jamesriver/gentry.htm
Oct. 8
The Golden Age of Virginia
Mapp, Ch. 7
Read the short biography of William Byrd II
http://college.hmco.com/english/lauter/heath/4e/students/author_pages/eighteenth/byrdii_wi.ht
ml
“The Secret Diary of William Byrd”
http://www.wwnorton.com/college/history/ushist/workbook/tinprs3a.htm
Article on William Byrd II (Handout)
Oct. 15
Religion in Colonial Virginia
Essay at Colonial Williamsburg
http://www.history.org/Almanack/life/religion/religionva.cfm
Philip Fithian’s view
http://smith2.sewanee.edu/courses/391/DocsOldSouth/1774-PhilipVickersFithian.html
Oct. 22
Politics in Colonial Virginia
Voting in Colonial America
http://www.history.org/Foundation/journal/Spring07/elections.cfm
Oct. 29
Family Life and Leisure in Colonial Virginia
Linda Rowe “Women and Education in Eighteenth-Century Virginia” Colonial Williamsburg
Foundation
http://research.history.org/Historical_Research/Research_Themes/ThemeFamily/WomenEducatio
n.cfm
Colonial Dress Codes
http://www.history.org/Foundation/journal/Winter03-04/clothing.cfm
Nov. 5
Architecture of Colonial Virginia
James River Plantations – National Park Service
http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/jamesriver/architecture.htm
Carl Lounsbury The Buildings of Williamsburg Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (Read a couple of
these short articles)
http://research.history.org/Architectural_Research/Research_Articles.cfm
Christopher C. Fennell “Log House Architecture in the
Eighteenth-Century Virginia Piedmont”
http://etext.virginia.edu/users/fennell/highland/harper/demoryarch.html
Nov. 12
High on the hog: Foodways in Colonial Virginia
Foodways in Virginia
http://www.history.org/Foundation/journal/Spring07/elections.cfm
Kitchens in Virginia
http://www.history.org/Foundation/journal/Summer07/kitchens.cfm
Nov. 19
A Consumer Revolution
Colonial Williamsburg
http://www.history.org/history/teaching/tradsamp.cfm
Nov. 26
The Gathering Storm: Virginians mid-century
Mapp. Ch. 8 & 9
The Stamp Act Crisis
http://www.history.org/Almanack/life/politics/polhis.cfm
Virginia Stamp Act Resolutions
http://www.history.org/History/teaching/tchcrvar.cfm
Dec. 3
The Revolution: Patriots and Loyalists
Mapp. Ch. 10 & 11
A Summary View of the Rights of British Americans
http://www.history.org/Almanack/life/politics/sumview.cfm
"Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death!"
http://www.history.org/Almanack/life/politics/giveme.cfm
Dunmore’s Proclamation
http://www.history.org/Almanack/people/african/aadunpro.cfm
The Diary of Landon Carter
http://www.history.org/History/teaching/tchaadia.cfm
Dec. 10
Yorktown and beyond: Virginia and the new nation
Mapp, Ch. 12 & 13
Yorktown 1781 (This is a long narrative presented in 1931)
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/RevWar/Yorktown/AWC-Ytn-fm.htm
Final papers and wrap-ups
Dec 17
Final Exam
This syllabus should be considered tentative and subject to change according to the progress
of class.