American History, 1607-1877

Dr. Patrick D. Reagan

          
History 2010-041 (#11110)						Dr. Reagan
9:40-11:40 a.m. MTWThF							Summer 2005
HH 108									HH109

Instructor Information

Office: Henderson Hall 109
Office Hours: 11:45--12:45 p.m. M-F and by appointment
Telephone: 372-3342 (office), 372-3332 (message), 528-3998 (home)
E-mail: preagan@tntech.edu
Professional experience of Dr. Reagan

Course Requirements

Read section below on Study Tips for History Classes first week and before examinations.

The objective of the course is to obtain a working thematic and factual knowledge of U.S. history between 1607 and 1877 through class attendance, lectures, readings, discussions, and examinations. Be sure toreview the materials in the Study Tips section below for excellent, practical study advice through the course, especially as you prepare for examinations.

• Class attendance (up to 5 bonus points)
• Examination-- July 14 (100 points)
• Examination-- July 26 (100 points)
• Final essay examination-- August 5 (100 points)
• Final Grade based on total points earned:
  270-300 points= A
  240-269 points= B
  210-239 points= C
  180-209 points= D
  below 180 points= F
• To pass course, all requirements must be met on time and all exams taken.

Disability Accommodations

Students with a disability requiring accommodations should contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS). An Accommodation Request (AR) should be completed as soon as possible, preferably by the end of the first week of classes. The ODS is located in the Roaden University Center, Room 112, telephone 372-6119.

Study Tips for History Classes

• Understanding University Success (Center for Educational Policy Research)
• David Bollier, "Reclaiming the Commons: why we need to protect our public resources from private encroachment," Boston Review 27 (Summer 2002)
• Facing History and Ourselves: Examining History and Human Behavior
• Quality, Affordability, and Access: Americans Speak on Higher Education, June 2003 (ETS)
• The Big Payoff: Educational Attainment and Synthetic Estimates of Work-Life Earnings
  July 2002, U.S. Census Bureau Special Report
• Textbook Information on the Internet
• History 201-202 at Tennessee Tech
• Tennessee Tech History web site
• Connecting Information [TTU Computer center]
• History and the Internet: A Guide by Patrick D. Reagan (McGraw-Hill)
• A Tour Through the Internet for Students of History
• Especially for Researchers (Library of Congress)
• Locating Information on the Internet (Library of Congress)
• A Student's Guide to the Study of History (S. Kreis)
• TTU Student Handbook
• How to Succeed as a Student (K. Bucknall)
• Counseling Center (Tennessee Technological University)
• Counseling Center Workshops, TTU
• How to Read a Book (P.N. Edwards, University of Michigan)
• Study Guides and Strategies (University of St. Thomas)
• The Learning Strategies Database (Muskingum College)
• Content-Specific Learning Strategies for History
  (The Learning Strategies Database, Muskingum College)
• Tips for History Students (Ohio State University)
• Critical Reading (D. Kurland)
• Guides to Historical Research (University of Washington Library)
• Study Guides for History Classes
• How to Prepare for and Take Essay Examinations
• The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing (M. Harvey, Washington College)
• Reading, Writing, and Researching for History: A Guide for College Students (P. Rael, Bowdoin College)
• A Student's Guide to Research with the WWW (C. Branham, St. Louis University)

Required Books

• Text, Steven M. Gillon and Cathy D. Matson. The American Experiment: A History of the United States, Volume I: To 1877, Second Edition (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2006). (Text below) Web site for The American Experiment
• Thomas L. Hartshorne, Robert A. Wheeler, John C. Cary, Julius Wenberg, editors. The Social Fabric: American Life from 1607 to 1877, ninth edition. (New York: Longman, 2003). (Hartshorne below)

Course Themes

• Political values and institutions
• Economic development and its social impact
• Society and Culture (Indians, dissenters, immigrants, women, and blacks)
• Slavery and freedom: Race, Nationalism, and Sectionalism
• Key role of war in creating the United States of America

Reading Assignments with
Lecture and Discussion Schedule

Readings should be completed before/during the week assigned.

Assignment: Text, Preface and pp. 1-39; Hartshorne, Preface; and review course web site
Internet Resources:

• Study Tips for Students of History
• European History
  
• Columbus and the Age of Discovery
  

From Colonies to Nation, 1607-1776

Assignment: Text, pp. 39-203; Cary, Hartshorne, Preface and pp. 3-50, 69-94
Internet Resources:

• Charleston Multimedia Project (Charleston County Library)
  
• Colonial Williamsburg
  
• Mayflower Web Page (C. Johnson)
  
• Official Tourguide and Historical Reference for Plymouth, Massachusetts
  
• Native American History and Studies
  
• Africans in America: America's Journey Through Slavery (PBS)
  
• In Motion: The African-American Migration Experience
  (Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library)
• The African-American Mosaic: A Library of Congress Resource Guide for the Study of Black History and Culture
  
• African-American History and Studies
  
• A Midwife's Tale: Eighteenth-century America through a woman's eye (American Experience, PBS)
• Benjamin Franklin: An Extraordinary Life, An Electric Mind (PBS)
• The Papers of Benjamin Franklin (Yale University Library)
• Seven Years War Website (The Discriminating General)

Creating a Republic, 1776-1815

Assignment: Declaration of Independence and Constitution (in back of text) and text, pp. 204-300; Hartshorne, pp. 97-122 and STUDY FOR EXAMINIATION,/I>
Internet Resources:

• Thomas Jefferson (PBS/American Experience)
  
• The Thomas Jefferson Papers, 1606-1827 (American Memory, Library of Congress)
• Patriots Day: Lights! Camera! Revolution! [battles of Lexington and Concord] (American Experience, PBS)
• Declaration of Independence Road Trip
• Patriots Day: Lights! Camera! Revolution! [battles of Lexington and Concord] (American Experience, PBS)
• Liberty! The American Revolution (PBS)
  
• The American Revolution (H-Net site to accompany PBS series)
  
• The American Revolution HTML Project
  
• American Revolutionary War (Northeastern University)
  
• The American Revolution: The Struggle for Independence (R. Brainard)
• The Papers of James Madison (University of Virginia)
• The Papers of James Madison (University of Virginia)
• Constitution Day, September 17, 1787 (National Archives and Records Administration)
  
• The Annotated Constitution (GPO/Congressional Record Service)
  
• The National Constitution Center (U.S. Constitution information)
  
• "Special Issue on the Constitution," Common-Place: A Common Place, An Uncommon Voice, July 2002
• Words and Deeds in American History (Library of Congress)
  
• Thomas Jefferson (PBS/American Experience)
  
• The Thomas Jefferson Papers, 1606-1827 (American Memory, Library of Congress)
• Thomas Jefferson Online Resources at the University of Virginia
• Papers of Thomas Jefferson (Avalon Project, Yale Law School)
• The Writings of Thomas Jefferson (Constitution Society)
• Thomas Jefferson Heritage Society
• The Papers of James Madison (University of Virginia)