NEW YORK CITY COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY The City University of New York

School of Arts & Sciences

Department of Social Science

Course Outline

Course code: HIS 1110

Course title: US History to 1865

Class hours/credits: 3 c lass hours, 3 c redits

Prerequisite: CUNY Proficiency in Reading and Writing

Pathways: US Experience in its Dive rsity

Catalog Description:

A survey of American history from Native American inhabitation to the Civil War. Topics include the European

colonization of the New World and the origins of African slavery, the causes and consequences of the American

Revolution, the formation of the republic, the market revolution of the 19th century, westward expansion, the

evolution of sectional conflict and the Civil War.

Course Specific Learning Outcomes and Assessment Measures

Learning outcomes Assessment Methods*

Students will be able to identify significant

events that contributed to the development of

the United States.

Class discussions, Exams And Essays

Students will be able to discuss competing

interpretations of major historical events in

American history from colonization to the Civil

War.

Class discussions, Essays and Exams

Students will be able to discuss sources of

historical change, and explain cause and effect

relationships as they pertain to historical

transformations.

Final exams, essays and class discussions

Students will be able to use vocabulary common to

history and to be able to explain the historical

developments of the American society up to 1865.

Class discussions, Essay and exams

General Education Objectives and Assessment Methods

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: For the successful

completion of this course, students should be able to:

ASSESSMENT METHOD: Instructional Activity, Evaluation

Methods and Criteria.*

KNOWLEDGE: Engage in historical inquiry, research,

and analysis.

Students will demonstrate the ability to evaluate a variety of historical

sources for their credibility, position, and perspective, as well as

contextualize materials from the past with appropriate precision and

detail. Students will demonstrate this competency complete written

exams, quizzes, assignments, in-class discussion and presentations.

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LEARNING OBJECTIVES: For the successful

completion of this course, students should be able to:

ASSESSMENT METHOD: Instructional Activity, Evaluation

Methods and Criteria.*

Skills: Understand the complex nature of the historical

record and generate significant, open-ended questions

about the past and devise research strategies to answer

them.

Students will demonstrate the ability to 1) Distinguish between primary

and secondary source materials and decide when to use each, 2) Choose

among multiple tools, methods, and perspectives to investigate and

interpret materials from the past, and 3) Recognize the value of

conflicting narratives and evidence, 4) Generate significant, open-ended

questions about the past and devise research strategies to answer them,

5) Seek a variety of sources that provide evidence to support an

argument about the past, 6) Develop a methodological practice of

gathering, sifting, analyzing, ordering, synthesizing, and interpreting

evidence, and 7) Identify and summarize other scholars’ historical

arguments. Students will demonstrate this competency complete written

exams, quizzes, assignments, in-class discussion and presentations.

Integration: Craft historical narrative and argument. Students will demonstrate the ability to 1) Generate a historical

argument that is reasoned and based on historical evidence selected,

arranged, and analyzed, 2) Write effective narrative that describes and

analyzes the past for its use in the present, 3) Understand that the ethics

and practice of history mean recognizing and building on other scholars’ work, peer review, and citation, and 4) Defend a position publicly and

revise this position when new evidence requires it. Students will

demonstrate this competency complete written exams, quizzes,

assignments, in-class discussion and presentations.

Values, Ethics, and Relationships: Practice historical

thinking as central to engaged citizenship.

Students will demonstrate the ability to 1) Engage a diversity of

viewpoints in a civil and constructive fashion, 2) Work cooperatively

with others to develop positions that reflect deliberation and differing

perspectives, and 3) Apply historical knowledge and analysis to

contribute to contemporary social dialogue. Students will be assessed

through written exams, quizzes, assignments, in-class discussion and

group presentations.

Suggested Texts1:

James West Davidson et al, US: A Narrative History, Vol. I, (McGraw Hill).

Elizabeth Cobbs-Hoffman, Edward J. Blum, and Jon Gjerde. Major Problems in American History, Volume I,

(3rd ed., Wadsworth).

1 Instructor Choice

Scope of Assignments*

• Three quizzes worth a total of 5% each: Quizzes will be comprised of multiple choice and true/false

questions.

• Five low-stakes writing assignments (each worth 1% each) in which students will write a 1-page response to

an argument made in an essay from the Major Problems reader.

• A 5-10 page paper which will count for 20% of the course grade.

• Exams which will count for 60% of the course grade. *Suggested allocation; instructors may modify these at their discretion.

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Attendance and Lateness Policy

A student may be absent without penalty for 10% of the number of scheduled class meetings during the

semester as follows:

Class Meets: Allowable Absence:

1 time/week 2 classes

2 times/week 3 classes

3 times/week 4 classes

Excessive Absence

If a student’s class absences exceed the limit established for a given course or component, the instructor will

alert the student that a grade of “WU” may be assigned. If a student remains officially registered for a course

and never attends that course, a final grade of “*WN” will be assigned. If the student withdraws officially from

the course, he/she will be assigned a grade in accordance with the existing withdrawal policy of the College.

Appeals

A student wishing to appeal the excessive absence status and the impending grade should request a meeting

with the chairperson of the department in which the course is offered. The chairperson will consult with the

instructor to render a decision. A student wishing to appeal a “WU” grade may do so through the Committee on

Course and Standards.

Lateness

It is the responsibility of the instructor to keep a record of lateness and to inform each class orally and in writing

of the lateness policy during the first two weeks of class meetings of each semester.

Grading Policy

All grades will be calculated according to the college grade scale:

Letter Grade Meaning of Letter Grade Number Grade

A Exceptional 100-93

A- Superior 92.9-90

B+ Very good 89.9-87

B Good 86.9-83

B- Above Average 82.9-80

C+ Slightly Above Average 79.9-77

C Average 76.9-70

D Poor 69.9-60

F Failure 59.9-0

Academic Integrity Statement:

Students and all others who work with information, ideas, texts, images, music, inventions, and other

intellectual property owe their audience and sources accuracy and honesty in using, crediting, and citing

sources. As a community of intellectual and professional workers, the College recognizes its responsibility for

providing instruction in information literacy and academic integrity, offering models of good practice, and

responding vigilantly and appropriately to infractions of academic integrity. Accordingly, academic dishonesty

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is prohibited in The City University of New York and at New York City College of Technology and is

punishable by penalties, including failing grades, suspension, and expulsion.

Suggested Course Schedule*

Week One: The Americas Before Columbus; The First European Conquests in the New World (Textbook:

Chapters 1 & 2) (Major Problems: Christopher Columbus Recounts His First Encounters with Native People

(1493), Reverend John Heckewelder Records a Native Oral Tradition of the First Arrival of Europeans on

Manhattan Island (1610), and James H. Merrell, The Indians’ New World) Students will gain a basic understanding of what North America looked like before the arrival of

Europeans in the 15th century. Students will gain a basic understanding of the composition and lifestyle of

native Indian tribes throughout North America.

Students will study the characteristics of the first European settlements of the Spanish (New Spain),

Dutch (New Amsterdam), and French (New France) to understand how and why the first European

settlements in North America were founded for different reasons and by different methods.

Weeks Two & Three: The Founding of Britain’s North American Colonies (Textbook: Chapters 3, 4 & 5)

(Major Problems: Indentured Servant Richard Frethorne Laments His Condition in Virginia (1623), Southern

Planter William Byrd Describes His Views Toward Learning and His Slaves, 1709-1710, and Philip D. Morgan,

The Effects of Paternalism Among Whites and Blacks.)

Students will begin their study of the British colonization of North America by exploring the various

motivations for Britain’s expansion into North American. Students will study the characteristics of the

Southern Colonies (Jamestown), and the New England Colonies (Plymouth/Massachusetts Bay) to

understand how and why the first English settlements in North America were founded for different purposes

and by different methods. Students will examine the history of the introduction of African slavery into

British North America.

Week Four: The Imperial Crisis (Textbook: Chapter 6) (Major Problems: The Stamp Act Congress Condemns

the Stamp Act (1765), Pamphleteer Thomas Paine Advocates the "Common Sense" of Independence (1776),

and Gordon S. Wood, Radical Possibilities of the American Revolution)

Students will examine how the British victory in the French and Indian War altered the imperial

relationship between England and its North American colonies. Students will begin to explore the

origins of the American Revolution by analyzing the mercantile system forced upon the American

colonists after the French and Indian War.

Week Five: America’s War for Independence (Textbook: Chapter 7) (Major Problems: General Washington

Argues for Greater Military Funding by Portraying the Plight of Soldiers at Valley Forge (1778)

Students will examine the military and diplomatic history of the American Revolution from 1775 to

1783. Particular emphasis will be placed upon the military engagements in and around New York City

(i.e. The Battle of Long Island and The Battle of Brooklyn).

Exam #1

Week Six: Making an American Republic (Textbook: Chapter 8) (Major Problems: The Federalist Papers

Illustrate the Advantages of Ratification of the Constitution (1787-1788), Patrick Henry Condemns the

Centralization of Government If the Constitution Is Ratified (1788))

Students will explore the meaning of republicanism and how America’s Founding Fathers sought to use

classical European republicanism to create the American nation. Students will explore the debates

between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton to understand their divergent ideas about what

character the United States of American should be founded upon.

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Students will examine the principles and mechanics of the federal Constitution of 1787, as well as the

history of its creation and passage, in order to understand how the Founding Fathers sought to inculcate

their republican ideas into the fabric of the new nation.

Week Seven: The Early Republic (Textbook: Chapter 9) (Major Problems: Federalist Alexander Hamilton

Envisions a Developed American Economy (1791), Thomas Jefferson Advances the Power of the States (1798),

Linda K. Kerber, The Fears of the Federalists, Drew R. McCoy, The Fears of the Jeffersonian Republicans.)

Students will examine the impact of the French Revolution of 1789 on the United States and how

President George Washington’s administration sought to deal with events in France and Europe. The

discussion of the debates between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton will be continued to

illustrate how a partisan political system emerged in the early republic.

Week Nine: The United States during the Jeffersonian Era (Textbook: Chapter 9)

Students will examine the important role played by Thomas Jefferson in the formation of the early

republic. Jefferson’s life and writings (The Declaration of Independence and Notes on the State of

Virginia) will be closely scrutinized to allow students to analyze his opinions about freedom,

democracy, and slavery in the American republic. Jefferson’s presidential administration will also be closely studied, particularly the quasi-war with France and his implementation of a trade embargo

against France and Britain.

Exam #2

Week Ten: A Market Revolution in the North (Textbook: Chapter 10) (Major Problems: President John Quincy

Adams Urges Internal Improvements (1825), A Family in Illinois Struggles with Marketing Their Crops (1831),

Daniel Walker Howe, The Changes Wrought by Cotton, Transportation, and Communication)

Students will examine more closely how the transformation to a market-driven capital economy in the

19th century led to an even greater sectional split between North and South. Particular emphasis will be

placed on sectional arguments over internal improvements and tariffs.

Week Eleven: Reform and Politics (Textbook: Chapter 11) (Major Problems: President Andrew Jackson

Condemns the Rights of "Nullification" and Secession (1832), President Andrew Jackson Vetoes the Bank Bill

(1832))

Students will closely examine the presidency of Andrew Jackson. Particular attention will be paid to his

democratic philosophy, his role in the Bank crisis, and his role in the South Carolina Nullification crisis.

Week Twelve: Slavery and the American South (Textbook: Chapters 12 & 13) (Major Problems: Virginian

George Fitzhugh Argues That Slavery Is a Positive Good That Improves Society (1854), African American

Josiah Henson Portrays the Violence and Fears in Slave Life (1858), Anthony E. Kaye, The Neighborhoods and

Intimate Lives of Slaves)

Students will examine the institution of slavery in the American South on the eve of the American civil

War. Students will understand how slavery played an important role in making the American South a

distinct and different section of the United States. Students will closely examine the social fabric of

southern slavery to gain and understanding of how slavery affected all the inhabitants of the American

South, particularly the slaves themselves.

Week Thirteen: Slavery and American Expansion(Textbook: Chapter 14) (Major Problems: Chief Justice

Roger Taney Determines the Legal Status of Slaves (1857), Senate Candidates Abraham Lincoln and Stephen

Douglas Debate Their Positions on Slavery (1858), Abolitionist John Brown Makes His Last Statement to the

Court Before Execution (1859), The Charleston Mercury Argues That Slavery Must Be Protected (1860).

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Students will examine the how slavery exacerbated the tensions between the North and South in the

decades preceding the Civil War. Students will study the history of the slavery debate from the Missouri

Compromise to the Compromise of 1850.

Week Fourteen: The Civil War (Textbook: Chapters 15 & 16) (Major Problems: Senator Robert Toombs

Compares Secession with the American Revolution (1860), President Abraham Lincoln Calls for Peace and

Justice in His Second Inaugural Address (1865), James M. McPherson, The Role of Abraham Lincoln in the

Abolition of Slavery)

Students will study the major political, military and diplomatic events of the American Civil War from

Fort Sumter to Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Courthouse.

Week Fifteen: Reconstructing the Union (Textbook: Chapter 17) (Major Problems: President Andrew Johnson

Denounces Changes in His Program of Reconstruction (1867), Congressman Thaddeus Stevens Demands a

Radical Reconstruction (1867))

Students will examine the political, social, and military problems associated with the federal

government’s effort to reincorporate the South into the Union. Particular emphasis will be placed upon

the tensions between Presidential Reconstruction and Congressional Reconstruction, as well as the

impact that Reconstruction had on the lives of newly emancipated African-Americans.

Final Exam

*guidelines from which instructors may select or adapt

Reviewed/revised by: Stephanie Boyle, Ph.D., Spring 2016

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