Monday, January 31, 2011
The New Nation to Jefferson
I. Creating the Constitution
Structural Features: Three Branches:
Judiciary/Executive/Legislative
Key Concepts:
a. Federalism
1. Virginia Plan
(TWO HOUSES, BASED ON POP.)
2. New Jersey Plan
(ONE HOUSE, ONE VOTE PER STATE)
3. Connecticut Plan
b. Democracy
c. Liberty: we are preoccupied with rights
"Liberty is to be free from restraint and violence from others." Locke
--he was crucial in that he helped Americans envision the attainment of natural rights.
"Men by nature are free, equal, and independent."
Rousseau, The Social Contract 1762
"Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains."
d. Limited government
e. Equality: belief in an equal chance at life
f. Civic Duty: perfect society has a price
II. Ratification of the Constitution
PROTECTING LIBERTY: The Bill of Rights…how many can you list?
CHOOSE ONE OF THE AMENDMENTS:
1. IN YOUR OWN WORDS, WHAT DOES IT SAY?
2. WHY DOES THIS AMENDMENT MATTER?
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
________________________________________
Amendment II
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
________________________________________
Amendment III
No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
________________________________________
Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
________________________________________
Amendment V
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
________________________________________
Amendment VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.
________________________________________
Amendment VII
In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
________________________________________
Amendment VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
________________________________________
Amendment IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
________________________________________
Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
III. First Party System:
Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists
Hamilton vs. Jefferson
Hamilton: People are “ambitious, vindictive, and rapacious…and seldom judge or determine right.”
IV. Election of 1796: (Adams)Alien and Sedition Acts
V. Election of 1800
SHAPE OF THE NATION:
2.5 million in 1775
5.3 million in 1800
300,000 in towns of 2500 or more (less than 7% “urban”)
"My father was A farmer and by the help of his trusty rifle kept the family in wild meat such as bear, elk, deer, and wild Turkey."
"My Farm gave me and my family a good living on the produce of it; and left me, one year after another, one hundred and fifty dollars, for I have never spent more than ten dollars a year, which was for salt, nails, and the like. Nothing to wear, eat, or drink was purchased, as my farm produced all."
VI. Revolution of 1800?
VII. The Courts
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
VIII. The West: Completing the Vision
A. Louisiana Purchase
B. Lewis and Clark
IX. Slavery
Monday, January 24, 2011
THE ROAD TO REVOLUTION
I. Changing Policies:
(ending “salutary neglect”)
A. Navigation Acts:
B. Sugar Act (1764)
George Grenville
C. Stamp Act (1765)
D. Townshend Duties (1767)
II. Escalation:
A. The Boston Massacre
In spite of each parasite, each cringing slave
Each cautious dastard, each oppressive knave
Each gibing ass, that reptile of an hour
The supercilious pimp of abject slaves in power
We are met to celebrate in festive mirth
The day that gave our freedom second birth
That tells us, British Grenville never more
Shall dare usurp unjust, illegal power
Or threaten America’s free sons with chains,
While the least spark of ancient fire remains
B. Burning of the Gaspee
C. The Boston Tea Party, 1773
Revolutionary Tea, ANONYMOUS SONG
There was an old lady lived over the sea
And she was an island queen.
Her daughter lived off in a new country
With an ocean of water between.
The old lady’s pockets were full of gold
But never contented was she,
So she called on her daughter to pay her a tax
Of three pence a pound on her tea,
Of three pence a pound on her tea.
“Now, mother, dear mother,” the daughter replied,
“I shan’t do the thing you ax.
I’m willing to pay a fair price for the tea,
But never the three-penny tax.”
“You shall,” quoth the mother, and reddened with rage,
“For you’re my own daughter, you see,
And sure ’tis quite proper the daughter should pay
Her mother a tax on her tea,
Her mother a tax on her tea.”
And so the old lady her servant called up
And packed off a budget of tea;
And eager for three pence a pound, she put in
Enough for a large family.
She ordered her servant to bring home the tax,
Declaring her child should obey,
Or old as she was, and almost full grown,
She’d half whip her life away,
She’d half whip her life away.
The tea was conveyed to the daughter’s door,
All down by the ocean’s side,
And the bouncing girl poured out every pound
In the dark and boiling tide;
And then she called out to the island queen,
“Oh, mother, dear mother,” quoth she,
“Your tea you may have when ’tis steeped quite enough
But never a tax from me,
But never a tax from me.”
D. Intolerable Acts
(1774, also called The Coercive Acts)
1. Boston Port Bill
2. Massachusetts Bay Regulating Act
3. Impartial Administration of Justice Act
--RELATED BUT NOT CALLED INTOLERABLE EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE INTOLERABLE--
The Quartering Act
The Quebec Act
III. Events plus Ideas=
Revolution
A. EVENTS:
Lexington and Concord
B. IDEAS:
1. Thomas Paine,
“Common Sense” 1776
“But where says some is the King of America? I'll tell you Friend, he reigns above, and doth not make havoc of mankind like the Royal Brute of Britain...let it be brought forth placed on the divine law, the word of God; let a crown be placed thereon, by which the world may know, that so far as we approve of monarchy, that in America THE LAW IS KING.”
“Small islands not capable of protecting themselves, are the proper objects for kingdoms to take under their care; but there is something very absurd, in supposing a continent to be perpetually governed by an island. In no instance hath nature made the satellite larger than its primary planet, and as England and America, with respect to each Other, reverses the common order of nature, it is evident they belong to different systems: England to Europe- America to itself.”
2. Thomas Jefferson:
Declaration of Independence
(ending “salutary neglect”)
A. Navigation Acts:
B. Sugar Act (1764)
George Grenville
C. Stamp Act (1765)
D. Townshend Duties (1767)
II. Escalation:
A. The Boston Massacre
In spite of each parasite, each cringing slave
Each cautious dastard, each oppressive knave
Each gibing ass, that reptile of an hour
The supercilious pimp of abject slaves in power
We are met to celebrate in festive mirth
The day that gave our freedom second birth
That tells us, British Grenville never more
Shall dare usurp unjust, illegal power
Or threaten America’s free sons with chains,
While the least spark of ancient fire remains
B. Burning of the Gaspee
C. The Boston Tea Party, 1773
Revolutionary Tea, ANONYMOUS SONG
There was an old lady lived over the sea
And she was an island queen.
Her daughter lived off in a new country
With an ocean of water between.
The old lady’s pockets were full of gold
But never contented was she,
So she called on her daughter to pay her a tax
Of three pence a pound on her tea,
Of three pence a pound on her tea.
“Now, mother, dear mother,” the daughter replied,
“I shan’t do the thing you ax.
I’m willing to pay a fair price for the tea,
But never the three-penny tax.”
“You shall,” quoth the mother, and reddened with rage,
“For you’re my own daughter, you see,
And sure ’tis quite proper the daughter should pay
Her mother a tax on her tea,
Her mother a tax on her tea.”
And so the old lady her servant called up
And packed off a budget of tea;
And eager for three pence a pound, she put in
Enough for a large family.
She ordered her servant to bring home the tax,
Declaring her child should obey,
Or old as she was, and almost full grown,
She’d half whip her life away,
She’d half whip her life away.
The tea was conveyed to the daughter’s door,
All down by the ocean’s side,
And the bouncing girl poured out every pound
In the dark and boiling tide;
And then she called out to the island queen,
“Oh, mother, dear mother,” quoth she,
“Your tea you may have when ’tis steeped quite enough
But never a tax from me,
But never a tax from me.”
D. Intolerable Acts
(1774, also called The Coercive Acts)
1. Boston Port Bill
2. Massachusetts Bay Regulating Act
3. Impartial Administration of Justice Act
--RELATED BUT NOT CALLED INTOLERABLE EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE INTOLERABLE--
The Quartering Act
The Quebec Act
III. Events plus Ideas=
Revolution
A. EVENTS:
Lexington and Concord
B. IDEAS:
1. Thomas Paine,
“Common Sense” 1776
“But where says some is the King of America? I'll tell you Friend, he reigns above, and doth not make havoc of mankind like the Royal Brute of Britain...let it be brought forth placed on the divine law, the word of God; let a crown be placed thereon, by which the world may know, that so far as we approve of monarchy, that in America THE LAW IS KING.”
“Small islands not capable of protecting themselves, are the proper objects for kingdoms to take under their care; but there is something very absurd, in supposing a continent to be perpetually governed by an island. In no instance hath nature made the satellite larger than its primary planet, and as England and America, with respect to each Other, reverses the common order of nature, it is evident they belong to different systems: England to Europe- America to itself.”
2. Thomas Jefferson:
Declaration of Independence
TWO WRITING WORKSHOPS THAT YOU MAY WANT TO CONSIDER
Avoiding Plagiarism by Understanding Citations taught by Rebecca Hewett, English
January 26th at 12:00 pm
February 25th at 11:00 am
How to manage the writing paper: How to write an academic and scholarly paper taught by Jan Titus, English
February 1st at 12:00 pm
March 1st at 12:00 pm
All of these workshops are scheduled in the Vice President for Student Affairs Conference Room.
January 26th at 12:00 pm
February 25th at 11:00 am
How to manage the writing paper: How to write an academic and scholarly paper taught by Jan Titus, English
February 1st at 12:00 pm
March 1st at 12:00 pm
All of these workshops are scheduled in the Vice President for Student Affairs Conference Room.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Mid-Century Challenges Outline
I. Great Awakening:
There is nothing that keeps wicked men, at any one moment, out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God.
That world of misery, that lake of burning brimstone is extended abroad under you. There is the dreadful pit of the glowing flames of the wrath of God; there is hell's wide gaping mouth open; and you have nothing to stand upon, nor any thing to take hold of: there is nothing between you and hell but the air; ‘tis only the power and mere pleasure of God that holds you up.
Your wickedness makes you as it were heavy as lead, and to tend downwards with great weight and pressure towards hell; and if God should let you go, you would immediately sink and swiftly descend and plunge into the bottomless gulf, and your healthy constitution, and your own care and prudence, and best contrivance, and all your righteousness, would have no more influence to uphold you and keep you out of hell, than a spider's web would have to stop a falling rock.
The bow of God's wrath is bent, and the arrow made ready on the string, and Justice bends the arrow at your heart, and strains the bow, and it is nothing but the mere pleasure of God, and that of an angry God, without any promise or obligation at all, that keeps the arrow one moment from being made drunk with your blood.
The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect, over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked ; his wrath towards you burns like fire; he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else, but to be cast into the fire; he is of purer eyes than to bear to have you in his sight; you are ten thousand times so abominable in his eyes as the most hateful venomous serpent is in ours. You have offended him infinitely more than ever a stubborn rebel did his prince; and yet ‘tis nothing but his hand that holds you from falling into the fire every moment. Jonathan Edwards
"Father Abraham, whom have you in heaven? Any Episcopalians? No! Any Presbyterians? No! Any Independents or Methodists? No, No No! Whom have you there? We don't know those names here. All who are here are Christians...Oh, is this the case? The God help us to forget your party names and to become Christians in deed and truth." GW
II. French and Indian War
III. Economic Shift
IV. Land Conflicts
A. Susquehannah Company
(Pennamite Wars)
B. Paxton Boys
C. South Carolina Regulators
D. North Carolina Regulators
E. The Boston Fire of 1760
F. The Great Migration of 1773
From 1763 to 1776 there was an influx of immigrants into British North America:
55,000 Protestant Irish
40,000 Scots
30,000 English
12,000 Germans (mostly to Philadelphia)
84,500 enslaved Africans
How might this immigration alter the historical trajectory of the colonies?
By the way, total population of the
13 colonies was about 2.5 million…
and the largest city in the colonies in 1776 is Philadelphia with 25,000.
…one example, a family of four from Heuchelheim, Germany.
V. Significance
There is nothing that keeps wicked men, at any one moment, out of hell, but the mere pleasure of God.
That world of misery, that lake of burning brimstone is extended abroad under you. There is the dreadful pit of the glowing flames of the wrath of God; there is hell's wide gaping mouth open; and you have nothing to stand upon, nor any thing to take hold of: there is nothing between you and hell but the air; ‘tis only the power and mere pleasure of God that holds you up.
Your wickedness makes you as it were heavy as lead, and to tend downwards with great weight and pressure towards hell; and if God should let you go, you would immediately sink and swiftly descend and plunge into the bottomless gulf, and your healthy constitution, and your own care and prudence, and best contrivance, and all your righteousness, would have no more influence to uphold you and keep you out of hell, than a spider's web would have to stop a falling rock.
The bow of God's wrath is bent, and the arrow made ready on the string, and Justice bends the arrow at your heart, and strains the bow, and it is nothing but the mere pleasure of God, and that of an angry God, without any promise or obligation at all, that keeps the arrow one moment from being made drunk with your blood.
The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect, over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked ; his wrath towards you burns like fire; he looks upon you as worthy of nothing else, but to be cast into the fire; he is of purer eyes than to bear to have you in his sight; you are ten thousand times so abominable in his eyes as the most hateful venomous serpent is in ours. You have offended him infinitely more than ever a stubborn rebel did his prince; and yet ‘tis nothing but his hand that holds you from falling into the fire every moment. Jonathan Edwards
"Father Abraham, whom have you in heaven? Any Episcopalians? No! Any Presbyterians? No! Any Independents or Methodists? No, No No! Whom have you there? We don't know those names here. All who are here are Christians...Oh, is this the case? The God help us to forget your party names and to become Christians in deed and truth." GW
II. French and Indian War
III. Economic Shift
IV. Land Conflicts
A. Susquehannah Company
(Pennamite Wars)
B. Paxton Boys
C. South Carolina Regulators
D. North Carolina Regulators
E. The Boston Fire of 1760
F. The Great Migration of 1773
From 1763 to 1776 there was an influx of immigrants into British North America:
55,000 Protestant Irish
40,000 Scots
30,000 English
12,000 Germans (mostly to Philadelphia)
84,500 enslaved Africans
How might this immigration alter the historical trajectory of the colonies?
By the way, total population of the
13 colonies was about 2.5 million…
and the largest city in the colonies in 1776 is Philadelphia with 25,000.
…one example, a family of four from Heuchelheim, Germany.
V. Significance
SLAVERY ESSAY ASSIGNMENT
DUE MONDAY, FEBRUARY 7TH.
DUE THAT NIGHT TO TURNITIN.COM
Double-Spaced, Typed
This project has two sections. You will label them on the page as Parts A and B.
Part A will be a straightforward summary with none of your own opinion. Here’s the biggest question to consider for this section: what does this book say? This part will be 1-2 pages. You may use quotes from the book, but you should do so sparingly.
Part B will be an analysis of the book’s key arguments. This part will be 1-2 pages.You may want to think about analysis through the following questions. Is this a valid argument? Does the book persuade you of something? What are the implications of the author’s argument? What’s the best evidence that the author uses? Why is this good evidence? Here’s the biggest question to consider for this section: Why does this book matter?
You may use quotes from the book, but you should do so sparingly. Remember the rule, only use quotes if the original statement is utterly brilliant and impossible to put into your own words. REMEMBER, if you use quotes from any part of this book or any other source, you MUST PUT THEM IN QUOTATION MARKS and cite them in any way that shows me the origin of the quote.
I am more than happy to read rough drafts. You must bring them to my office or set up an appointment to revise the draft.
DUE THAT NIGHT TO TURNITIN.COM
Double-Spaced, Typed
This project has two sections. You will label them on the page as Parts A and B.
Part A will be a straightforward summary with none of your own opinion. Here’s the biggest question to consider for this section: what does this book say? This part will be 1-2 pages. You may use quotes from the book, but you should do so sparingly.
Part B will be an analysis of the book’s key arguments. This part will be 1-2 pages.You may want to think about analysis through the following questions. Is this a valid argument? Does the book persuade you of something? What are the implications of the author’s argument? What’s the best evidence that the author uses? Why is this good evidence? Here’s the biggest question to consider for this section: Why does this book matter?
You may use quotes from the book, but you should do so sparingly. Remember the rule, only use quotes if the original statement is utterly brilliant and impossible to put into your own words. REMEMBER, if you use quotes from any part of this book or any other source, you MUST PUT THEM IN QUOTATION MARKS and cite them in any way that shows me the origin of the quote.
I am more than happy to read rough drafts. You must bring them to my office or set up an appointment to revise the draft.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
COMMON SENSE READING GUIDE:
As you are reading through this document, keep notes of one simple issue:
What are Paine's argument, in your words, for why the colonies should be free?
THE READING IS DUE IN CLASS ON MONDAY, 1/24
What are Paine's argument, in your words, for why the colonies should be free?
THE READING IS DUE IN CLASS ON MONDAY, 1/24
Declaration of Independence Assignment: DUE FRIDAY, JANUARY 28
The names that are struck through are not available. We will cover those people in class.
Delaware
• George Read
• Caesar Rodney
• Thomas McKean
Pennsylvania
• George Clymer
• Benjamin Franklin
• Robert Morris
• John Morton
• Benjamin Rush
• George Ross
• James Smith
• James Wilson
• George Taylor
Massachusetts
• John Adams
• Samuel Adams
• John Hancock
• Robert Treat Paine
• Elbridge Gerry
New Hampshire
• Josiah Bartlett
• William Whipple
• Matthew Thornton
Rhode Island
• Stephen Hopkins
• William Ellery
New York
• Lewis Morris
• Philip Livingston
• Francis Lewis
• William Floyd
Georgia
• Button Gwinnett
• Lyman Hall
• George Walton
Virginia
• Richard Henry Lee
• Francis Lightfoot Lee
• Carter Braxton
• Benjamin Harrison
• Thomas Jefferson
• George Wythe
• Thomas Nelson, Jr.
North Carolina
• William Hooper
• John Penn
• Joseph Hewes
South Carolina
• Edward Rutledge
• Arthur Middleton
• Thomas Lynch, Jr.
• Thomas Heyward, Jr.
New Jersey
• Abraham Clark
• John Hart
• Francis Hopkinson
• Richard Stockton
• John Witherspoon
Connecticut
• Samuel Huntington
• Roger Sherman
• William Williams
• Oliver Wolcott
Maryland
• Charles Carroll
• Samuel Chase
• Thomas Stone
• William Paca
SCHMOLL/H231/Dec. of Ind. Assignment/DUE FRIDAY, JANUARY 28 Your name:
STEP ONE: Go online and read Thomas Jefferson’s account of the signing of the Declaration of
Independence: http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/account/index.htm (three pages)
STEP TWO: Sign up for one of the signatories of the Declaration and find information on that person.
You may use online sources, but be sure to keep track of your sources. The key information you need is why this person signed the declaration.
STEP THREE: Find an image of the person you are studying. Print that image out at a reasonable size,
one that will fit in the space below.
STEP FOUR: Fill out the form below.
Declaration of Independence:
Signed by ___________________.
From the colony of ___________________.
Here is an image of this signatory:
My social and political position in the colony was
Something interesting about my life is that
I signed this document because
Delaware
• George Read
• Caesar Rodney
• Thomas McKean
Pennsylvania
• George Clymer
• Benjamin Franklin
• Robert Morris
• John Morton
• Benjamin Rush
• George Ross
• James Smith
• James Wilson
• George Taylor
Massachusetts
• John Adams
• Samuel Adams
• John Hancock
• Robert Treat Paine
• Elbridge Gerry
New Hampshire
• Josiah Bartlett
• William Whipple
• Matthew Thornton
Rhode Island
• Stephen Hopkins
• William Ellery
New York
• Lewis Morris
• Philip Livingston
• Francis Lewis
• William Floyd
Georgia
• Button Gwinnett
• Lyman Hall
• George Walton
Virginia
• Richard Henry Lee
• Francis Lightfoot Lee
• Carter Braxton
• Benjamin Harrison
• Thomas Jefferson
• George Wythe
• Thomas Nelson, Jr.
North Carolina
• William Hooper
• John Penn
• Joseph Hewes
South Carolina
• Edward Rutledge
• Arthur Middleton
• Thomas Lynch, Jr.
• Thomas Heyward, Jr.
New Jersey
• Abraham Clark
• John Hart
• Francis Hopkinson
• Richard Stockton
• John Witherspoon
Connecticut
• Samuel Huntington
• Roger Sherman
• William Williams
• Oliver Wolcott
Maryland
• Charles Carroll
• Samuel Chase
• Thomas Stone
• William Paca
SCHMOLL/H231/Dec. of Ind. Assignment/DUE FRIDAY, JANUARY 28 Your name:
STEP ONE: Go online and read Thomas Jefferson’s account of the signing of the Declaration of
Independence: http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/account/index.htm (three pages)
STEP TWO: Sign up for one of the signatories of the Declaration and find information on that person.
You may use online sources, but be sure to keep track of your sources. The key information you need is why this person signed the declaration.
STEP THREE: Find an image of the person you are studying. Print that image out at a reasonable size,
one that will fit in the space below.
STEP FOUR: Fill out the form below.
Declaration of Independence:
Signed by ___________________.
From the colony of ___________________.
Here is an image of this signatory:
My social and political position in the colony was
Something interesting about my life is that
I signed this document because
Friday, January 14, 2011
DISCOVERY AND SETTLEMENT
I. The Colonizers:
Remember, colonies=tensions.
(Anglo-Indian, Anglo-French, etc.)
A. French: (mainly Jesuit priests)
Giovanni da Verazzano: 1524
French priest: "It is you women who are the cause of all our misfortunes... it is you who keep the demons among us. You are lazy about going to prayers; when you pass before the cross you never salute it; you wish to be independent. Now, know that you will obey your husbands."
Quebec: 1608
B. The Dutch:1609-1644:
Hudson River Valley
Peter Stuyvesant
New Amsterdam: 1624
Dutch West India Company
By 1700:
Manhattan=5000 inhabitants
--mostly Dutch, but quite religiously and ethnically diverse:
15% African (overwhelmingly slaves), also some Jews, Dutch Reformed, Walloon, British Anglicans, Presbyterians, French Protestant, Roman Catholics, Quakers, singing Quakers, ranting Quakers, Sabbatarians and anti-Sabbatarians, Anabaptists
C. The English:
Why colonize?
Religious Reasons
Social Reasons
Economic Reasons
1. Pilgrims: Plymouth, 1620
Mayflower Compact: Why is this considered the first
document that establishes American democracy?
IN THE NAME OF GOD, AMEN. We whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread sovereign Lord, King James, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, etc.
Having undertaken, for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith and honor of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia, do by these presents, solemnly and mutually in the presence of God, and of one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic, for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute and frame such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions and offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the Colony: unto which we promise all due submission and obedience.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF we have hereunder subscribed our names at Cape Cod, the 11 of November, the year of the reign of our sovereign Lord James; of England, France and Ireland the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth. Ano Dom. 1620.
2. Virginia
North—New England—Massachusetts
South—Chesapeake—Virginia
Founding Pains
A. Settlement
B. Headright
C. House of Burgesses
D. Royal Colony
Economy: “The Crop that Cureth”
A. The Chesapeake
B. Labor trouble
Indentured Servitude
Slavery
Social and Political Life:
Cavalier Culture
A. Violence
B. Bacon’s Rebellion
3. The Puritans
a. Religious Life:
Puritan Theology
Heresy:
Roger Williams
--complete separation of church and state
--1635=banished
Anne Hutchinson
--“you have rather
been a husband than a wife.”
--1638: banished
--1642=killed
3. Danger in N.E.--Witchcraft
Magic in Puritan society
The Witch Hunt Itself
--175 arrested, 28 convicted, 22 executed
4. Other Dangers:
King Philip’s War,
1675-1676
Historian Bernard Bailyn:
“Borderland violence and bizarre distensions of normal European culture patterns had become fused with a growing civility into a distinctive way of life.”
KEY AMERICAN CONTRADICTION:
SLAVERY/FREEDOM
BRUTALITY/KINDNESS
PRIMITIVISM/CIVILIZATION
SAVAGRY/COMPASSION
Bernard Bailyn: “What did it mean to Jefferson, slave owner and philosophe, that he grew up in this far western borderland world of Britain, looking out of Queen Anne rooms of spare elegance onto a wild, uncultivated land? We can only grope to understand.”
Remember, colonies=tensions.
(Anglo-Indian, Anglo-French, etc.)
A. French: (mainly Jesuit priests)
Giovanni da Verazzano: 1524
French priest: "It is you women who are the cause of all our misfortunes... it is you who keep the demons among us. You are lazy about going to prayers; when you pass before the cross you never salute it; you wish to be independent. Now, know that you will obey your husbands."
Quebec: 1608
B. The Dutch:1609-1644:
Hudson River Valley
Peter Stuyvesant
New Amsterdam: 1624
Dutch West India Company
By 1700:
Manhattan=5000 inhabitants
--mostly Dutch, but quite religiously and ethnically diverse:
15% African (overwhelmingly slaves), also some Jews, Dutch Reformed, Walloon, British Anglicans, Presbyterians, French Protestant, Roman Catholics, Quakers, singing Quakers, ranting Quakers, Sabbatarians and anti-Sabbatarians, Anabaptists
C. The English:
Why colonize?
Religious Reasons
Social Reasons
Economic Reasons
1. Pilgrims: Plymouth, 1620
Mayflower Compact: Why is this considered the first
document that establishes American democracy?
IN THE NAME OF GOD, AMEN. We whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread sovereign Lord, King James, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, etc.
Having undertaken, for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith and honor of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia, do by these presents, solemnly and mutually in the presence of God, and of one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic, for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof to enact, constitute and frame such just and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions and offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the Colony: unto which we promise all due submission and obedience.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF we have hereunder subscribed our names at Cape Cod, the 11 of November, the year of the reign of our sovereign Lord James; of England, France and Ireland the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth. Ano Dom. 1620.
2. Virginia
North—New England—Massachusetts
South—Chesapeake—Virginia
Founding Pains
A. Settlement
B. Headright
C. House of Burgesses
D. Royal Colony
Economy: “The Crop that Cureth”
A. The Chesapeake
B. Labor trouble
Indentured Servitude
Slavery
Social and Political Life:
Cavalier Culture
A. Violence
B. Bacon’s Rebellion
3. The Puritans
a. Religious Life:
Puritan Theology
Heresy:
Roger Williams
--complete separation of church and state
--1635=banished
Anne Hutchinson
--“you have rather
been a husband than a wife.”
--1638: banished
--1642=killed
3. Danger in N.E.--Witchcraft
Magic in Puritan society
The Witch Hunt Itself
--175 arrested, 28 convicted, 22 executed
4. Other Dangers:
King Philip’s War,
1675-1676
Historian Bernard Bailyn:
“Borderland violence and bizarre distensions of normal European culture patterns had become fused with a growing civility into a distinctive way of life.”
KEY AMERICAN CONTRADICTION:
SLAVERY/FREEDOM
BRUTALITY/KINDNESS
PRIMITIVISM/CIVILIZATION
SAVAGRY/COMPASSION
Bernard Bailyn: “What did it mean to Jefferson, slave owner and philosophe, that he grew up in this far western borderland world of Britain, looking out of Queen Anne rooms of spare elegance onto a wild, uncultivated land? We can only grope to understand.”
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
BEN FRANKLING READING GUIDE
Reading Guide for The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
Historian Walter Isaacson tells us, Franklin "had faith in the wisdom of the common man and felt that a new nation would draw its strength from what he called 'the middling people'...The essence of Franklin is that he was a civic-minded man. He cared more about public behavior than inner piety, and he was more interested in building the City of Man than the City of God."
You will not turn these questions in, but they should guide your reading and aid your understanding of this book. The more specific page numbers you use, the better our discussion will be.
1. Describe the tone of this autobiography. Point to examples of Franklin’s tone sounding arrogant. Point to examples of Franklin’s humility.
2. How would you describe young Ben's attitude toward education, work, and financial success? Give an example or two to illustrate your answer.
3. In Part 3 of the Autobiography Franklin reflects on the problems encountered when governments are in the hands of people who pursue their own private interests at the expense of the public good. What solution does he advocate? How realistic do you think it is?
4. Give some examples of how Franklin spends his time making society better. Why do you think he does this? What is the purpose of the Junto club?
5. Give some examples of how Franklin spends time trying to improve himself.
6. What was Franklin’s daily life like?
7. Describe Franklin’s religious beliefs. What does the passage about George Whitefield say about Franklin’s view of religion?
Historian Walter Isaacson tells us, Franklin "had faith in the wisdom of the common man and felt that a new nation would draw its strength from what he called 'the middling people'...The essence of Franklin is that he was a civic-minded man. He cared more about public behavior than inner piety, and he was more interested in building the City of Man than the City of God."
You will not turn these questions in, but they should guide your reading and aid your understanding of this book. The more specific page numbers you use, the better our discussion will be.
1. Describe the tone of this autobiography. Point to examples of Franklin’s tone sounding arrogant. Point to examples of Franklin’s humility.
2. How would you describe young Ben's attitude toward education, work, and financial success? Give an example or two to illustrate your answer.
3. In Part 3 of the Autobiography Franklin reflects on the problems encountered when governments are in the hands of people who pursue their own private interests at the expense of the public good. What solution does he advocate? How realistic do you think it is?
4. Give some examples of how Franklin spends his time making society better. Why do you think he does this? What is the purpose of the Junto club?
5. Give some examples of how Franklin spends time trying to improve himself.
6. What was Franklin’s daily life like?
7. Describe Franklin’s religious beliefs. What does the passage about George Whitefield say about Franklin’s view of religion?
COURSE SYLLABUS
HISTORY 231-1 (10789), MWF 10:55-12:15
HISTORY 231-2 (10790) MWF 1:45-3:05
Office: Faculty Towers 201A
Instructor: Dr. Schmoll
Office Hours: MWF 12:30-1:30
…OR MAKE AN APPOINTMENT!!!
Email: bschmoll@csub.edu
Office Phone: 654-6549
Course Description:
The colonial foundations; political, economic, social and cultural developments in the emerging United States; the early agrarian republic; the Civil War.
Required Reading:
1. Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
2. Slavery: A book of your choice
3. Narrative of Frederick Douglass
4. Thomas Paine “Common Sense”
5. A History of the American People, Author: Paul Johnson
6. Weekly blog readings: Each week you will have both primary and secondary sources to read on the blog.
The Blog: If you have questions or comments about this class, or if you want to see the course reader or the syllabus online, just go to our course blog:
http://history231winter2011.blogspot.com/
You need to sign in to this blog this week.
You will also have short weekly readings on the blog. The picture outlines, study guides, and just some valuable historical loot can be found at our course blog. Check it often!
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:
Educational theorists insist that the stating of goals and objectives before entering into an instruction-rich environment is crucial. Hence, I am including here the goals and objectives created by the History Department. If you’d like to read more about the way we learn history, Sam Wineburg, at Stanford, has some wonderful theory on how we adopt historical learning practices. (For example, look up the following articles, Wineburg, S. (1991). On the reading of historical texts: Notes on the breach between school and academy. American Educational Research Journal, 28(3), 495-519. Wineburg, S. & Schneider, J. (2009). Was Bloom’s taxonomy pointed in the wrong direction? Phi Delta Kappan, 91 (4), 56-61.) None of these ideas seem to have been incorporated in what is the official statement of the History Department. Instead, the department seems to define “goals” and “objectives” as events rather than skills. In this course, however, we will grapple with what it means to learn and with the way that the brain engages in historical thinking at certain moments. Hence, this will not only be a course about history, about a bunch of stuff that happened(which is what the goals below seem to suggest), but will also be a course about memory, about the processing of information, about writing effectively from various authorial positions, about why our brains work the way they do and how constructing an historical argument can engage the brain, and about thinking about history itself. We will get meta-cognitive! (and yes, we’ll define that term in class) Obviously, we’ll cover the official goals that follow, and we will respect the departmental guidelines, but we will sacrifice those goals in the interest of quality instruction. For example, if we are having a brilliant discussion on Andrew Jackson, and we begin cutting into the time that I had planned to spend on, let’s say, the Anti-Mason movement, we will sacrifice the Anti-Masons in the interest of real learning. Quantity of history is not, as opposed to what is printed below, the key to sound history learning!
History Department Course Goals and Objectives for History 231 U.S. History to 1865:
Goal 1:
Students will learn the chronology and topical organization of U.S. history from the origins of European colonization to the conclusion of the Civil War.
Objective #1:
Students will be able to identify the major chronological divisions of U.S. history and discuss in writing how and why scholars have divided the past into various periods.
Objective #2:
Students will be able to identify the major topical divisions of U.S. history and recognize on objective tests and discuss in writing the significance of such topics as epidemic disease in the founding period, the role of political ideology in the coming of the Revolution, the rise of slavery and abolitionism, the political consequences of westward expansion, and the origins of the Civil War.
Goal 2:
Student will learn about the origins of European colonization and the consequences of contact among the peoples of America, Europe, and Africa in the colonial period.
Objective #1:
Students will be able to explain the motivations behind European colonization of the New World, the origins of the transAtlantic slave trade, the rise of the plantation economies, and the roles of mercantilism and religious persecution in the founding of the American colonies.
Objective #2:
Students will be able to define and discuss such terms as Columbian Exchange, virgin-soil epidemics, and Eurocentrism.
Goal 3:
Students will acquire an understanding of the principal political documents of U.S. history, including but not limited to the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, Constitution, Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers, and the Emancipation Proclamation.
Objective #1:
Students will be able to write about the core political ideology of the American Revolution as embodied in the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution.
Objective #2:
Students will be able to explain the historical context and significance of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Goal 4:
Students will acquire an appreciation and understanding of diversity through the study of the history of the contributions of ethnic and racial minorities and women.
Objective #1:
Students will be able to write about and discuss orally the contributions of African Americans to early American history in terms of labor, society and culture.
Objective #2:
Students will be able to write about and discuss orally the contributions of and the prescribed role of women in colonial America and how that role changed as a result of the American Revolution and the subsequent urbanization of the United States.
Goal 5:
Students will learn about the lives of significant individuals in American history.
Objective #1:
Students will be able to identify on objective tests and/or essays the significant individuals in the history of the United States from colonial times to 1865.
Objective #2:
Students will be able to write about the contributions of a number of important people in the history of the United States from colonial times to 1865.
Goal 6:
Students will learn about the importance of republican principles and civic education in the sustaining of the American political system.
Objective #1:
Students will be able to identify the core principles of republicanism and the role of an educated electorate through an examination of a number of historical crises in the era preceding 1865, e.g. the colonial debate over taxation and representation, the struggle for the ratification of the Constitution, the Missouri Compromise, the Mexican War, the Nullification Crisis, the Compromise of 1850, and the Secessionist Crisis.
Goal 7:
Students will learn the geographical setting for historical events and the role expansion played in American history.
Objective #1:
Students will be able to identify on maps and/or objective exams and essays the important geographic settings, locations, and context for historical events.
Graded Coursework:
The work you do in this course is listed below. For each of those areas, the best way to succeed will be to come in to receive extra help. Both exams will have multiple choice questions based on the lectures and readings. Hence, it may be a good idea to have me look over your notes. If it does not seem that you are taking sufficient notes, or if you are taking too many, I’ll give you some guidance. The earlier we can catch these issues the better. The final exam will also include an essay. I would love to go over in-class essay writing standards in my office. Come by and we’ll talk about that. There’s also an out of class essay. That should be heavily revised, something else I’d love to help you do. Simply bring a rough draft by my office and we’ll talk. Be active!
Grading Scale:
Participation: 10%
Library Assignment: 2%
Dec of Independence Assignment: 3%
Indian Removal Debate: 5%
The Slavery Essay: 20%
Midterm Exam 25%
Final Exam: 30%
Attendance:
Just to be clear, to succeed on tests and papers you really should be in class. That’s just common sense, right? To pass this class, you may not miss more than two classes. If you miss that third class meeting, you are missing too much of the quarter. You cannot do that and pass.
So, here’s what we do. Do your best to not miss any class unnecessarily. Let’s say your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, or wife calls and wants to take you to Tahiti this weekend, but you won’t be back until late Tuesday night. Here’s what you say: “Honey, I love you, but Dr. Schmoll seems to value my education more than you do, so we are breaking up.” Ok, that may be harsh, so don’t do that, but just make sure that you do not miss any class until the 8th week. What I’ve found is that it seems inevitable that those who miss two classes early for pathetic reasons like doctor’s appointments that should have been more carefully scheduled get to the 8th week and then have to miss for a legitimate reason (like a surprise meeting at work, a sick child to take care of, or a flat tire). If you get to that 8th week and then have to miss your third class, it’ll be bad. By that point, I’ll be kind, compassionate, a real shoulder to cry on, if you want, when telling you that you’ve now failed the course. Now, if you make it to the 8th or 9th week and you have not missed those two classes, then you have some wiggle room, so that if, heaven forbid, your cat Poopsie gets pneumonia and you have to sit up all night bottle-feeding her liquid antibiotics, you and I don’t have to have that ugly conversation where I tell you that Poopsie gets blamed for you failing the course. Let’s put this another way; do you like movies? No way, me too! When you go to the movies do you usually get up and walk around the theatre for 10-15% of the movie? Let’s say you do decide to do that, out of a love of popcorn and movie posters, perhaps. If you did that, would you expect to understand the whole story? Okay, maybe if you are watching Harold and Kumar, but for anything else, you’ll be lost. So, please, get to class.
Being Prompt:
Get to class on time. Why does that matter? First, it sends the wrong message to your principal grader (that’s me). As much as we in the humanities would like you to believe that these courses are objective (at what time of day did the Battle of Gettysburg begin?), that is not entirely the case. If you send your principal grader the message that you don’t mind missing the first few minutes and disturbing others in the class, don’t expect to be given the benefit of the doubt when the tests and papers roll around. Does that sound mean? It’s not meant to, but just remember, your actions send signals. Being late also means that someone who already has everything out and is ready and is involved in the discussion has to stop, move everything over, get out of the chair to let you by, pick up the pencil you drop, let you borrow paper, run to the bathroom because you spilled the coffee, and so on. It’s rude. There’s an old saying: better two hours early than two minutes late. Old sayings are good.
So, what are the consequences of persistent tardiness? What do you think they should be? Remember that 10% participation? You are eligible for that grade if you are on time. By the way, if you are more than 15 minutes late, it is considered an absence. Get here on time. And no, I’m not the jackass who watches for you to be late that one time and stands at the door and points in your face. One time tardiness is not a problem precisely because it is not persistent. It’s an accident. If you are late a three times, however, you will lose the entire 10% participation grade.
The Unforgivable Curse:
Speaking of one time issues, there is something that is so severe, so awful, that if it happens one time, just one time, no warning, no “oh hey I noticed this and if you could stop it that’d be super,” you will automatically lose all 10 percent of the Participation grade. Any guesses? C’mon, you must have some idea. No, it’s not your telephone ringing. If that happens, it’ll just be slightly funny and we’ll move on. It’s a mistake and not intentional, and the increased heart rate and extra sweat on your brow from you diving headfirst into an overstuffed book bag to find a buried phone that is now playing that new Lady Gaga ringtone is punishment enough for you. So, what is it, this unforgivable crime? Texting. If you take out your phone one time to send or receive messages you will automatically lose 10% of your course grade. That means, if you receive a final grade of 85%, it will drop to 75%. If you receive a final grade of 75%, it will become a 65%. Just to make this more concrete, just last quarter, three people lost their whole participation and hence did no pass the class because of texting. Why is that? The phone ringing is an accident. Texting is on purpose and is rude. It, in fact, is beyond rude. It wreaks of the worst of our current society. It bespeaks the absolutely vile desire we all have to never separate from our technological tether for even a moment. It sends your fellow classmates and your teacher the signal that you have better things to do. Checking your phone during class is like listening to a friend’s story and right in the middle turning away and talking to someone else. Plus, the way our brains work, you need to fully immerse yourself, to tune your brain into an optimal, flowing machine (see Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s incredible book Flow) that can grasp and can let itself go. Students now tend to see school as a stopover on their way to a career. Brothers and sisters, that’s deadly! I wish that I could pay for you all to quit your jobs and just focus on the mind. I can’t yet do that, but if I could I would, because it’d be worth every penny. Devoting time to the mind and to thinking deeply about your world will change who you are and how you approach your future, your family, your job, and your everything. Is that overstated? I believe it to be true. So, until my stock choices really take off so that I can pay all of your bills, promise me one thing. When you are in class or preparing for class, you have to be fully here. Oh crap, now it’s going to sound like a hippy professor from the 1960s: “I mean, like, be here man, just be here.” Maybe the hippies were on to something. Devote yourself fully to your classes by unplugging from the outside world for awhile.
Laptops:
The same principal goes for laptops, too. Remember, if you are taking notes on a laptop, something I think is great, you may not be on the internet at the same time. Yes, you may go to the course blog for the outline or to a document we are using in class, but you may not check email or facebook, or access anything else online. The reason why merits repeating; devote yourself fully to your classes by unplugging from the outside world for awhile.
Class Climate:
No, I don’t mean whether it’s going to rain in here or not. Sometimes I’ll lecture at you, but even then, your participation is vital. How can you participate when someone is lecturing? Any ideas? Turn to a neighbor and tell them the story of your first day at school in kindergarten. Now, if you are the one listening to the story, right in the middle look away, look at your watch, sneer at them, roll your eyes, yawn, wave to someone across the room, nudge a person next to you and tell them a joke, all while the other person is telling about his or her first day of kindergarten. If this happens in social setting we call it rude, and we call the people who listen in that way jackasses. They are not our friends precisely because we deeply value listening and do not put up with those who do not listen well. Right? So, there will be lecturing, and if you abhor what we are doing, then fake it. I used to do that sometimes too: “oh no, professor, I love hearing you talk about President Reagan’s policies of supply side economics.” If we listen to psychologists, by faking interest you’ll be learning much more than if you show your disinterest. The next time you are sad force yourself to smile and you’ll see what I mean. So, sometimes there will be lecture. At other times there will be discussion of short readings that we do in class. During these times, it’s crucial that you do the silly little exercises: turn to a neighbor; find someone you don’t know and discuss this or that; explain to your friend what we just went over in lecture; pick something from the reading to disagree with; find two people on the other side of the room; throw cash at your professor…ok, maybe not that last one. This class is a bit unique in that it violates the normally accepted activity systems of college history classrooms. What we do in discussion will help solidify the concepts of each section of this course in your brain. If you are active in class, you will have to study less, and you’ll find yourself remembering much more.
Reading:
How many of you love reading? I did not read a book until I was 18, so if you have not yet started your journey on this ever widening path, it’s never too late. In any course, there’s no substitute for reading. Theorist Jim Moffett says that “all real writing happens from plentitude,” meaning that you can only really write well about someone once you know about it. Reading is one way to know—not the only, by any means! I want you to have experiences with great texts. I can show you voluminous research proving why you nee to read more, but then if I assign a stupid, long, expensive textbook you probably will end up not reading, or only reading to have the reading done, something we have all done, right? The economy now requires much higher literacy rates (see The World is Flat), and even though reading levels have not gone down in the last 40 years, it is crucial that you start to push your own reading so that your own literacy level goes up. For these ten weeks, diving wholeheartedly into the course reading is vital. Remember to read in a particular way. As reading expert and UCSB professor Sheridan Blau has argued, “reading is as much a process of text production as writing is.” Reading involves revision? Does that sound silly? As you read, think about the different ways that you understand what you read. Most importantly, when you read, think about the words of E.D. Hirsch, who says that we look at what a text says (reading), what it means (interpretation), and why it matters (criticism). Hey, but if you are in a history course, aren’t you supposed to be reading for exactly the number of miles of trenches that were dug in World War One, how many railroad workers died from 1890 to 1917, or what the causes of the Great Depression were? Anyway, the answer is yes and no. There are two types of reading that you’ll do in college. As the literary goddess theorist Louise Rosenblatt explains, there is aesthetic reading, where you are reading to have an experience with the text, and there is efferent reading, where you are reading to take away information from the text. You do both types all the time. Think about a phone book. You have probably never heard someone say of a phone book, “don’t tell me about it, I want to read it for myself.” Reading a phone book is purely efferent. In this course you will practice both types of reading. I have chosen texts that you can enjoy (aesthetic) and that you can learn from(efferent). I want to see and appreciate the detail in our reading, but in this course I’ll give you that detail in class lectures. In the reading, it’s much more important that you read texts that will live with you forever and to inspire you to think more thoroughly about your world. As you read, you should be working hard to create meaning for yourself. As Rosenblatt asserts, “taking someone else’s interpretation as your own is like having someone else eat your dinner for you.” Please, don’t let the numbskulls at wikipedia or sparknotes eat your dinner for you.
Participation: You do not need to be the person who speaks out the most, asks the most questions, or comes up with the most brilliant historical arguments to receive full credit in participation. If you are in class and on time, discuss the issues that we raise, avoid the temptation to nod off, to leave early, or to text people during class (the three easiest ways to lose credit), and in general act like you care, then you will receive a good participation grade! Just being here does not guarantee a 100% participation grade, since you must be regularly actively involved for that to be possible.
Academic Honesty
You are responsible for knowing all college policies about academic honesty. Any student who plagiarizes any part of his or her papers may receive an “F” in the course and a letter to the Dean. Here’s the opening paragraph of CSUB’s Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities:
Academic Integrity
The principles of truth and integrity are recognized as fundamental to a community of teachers and scholars. The University expects that both faculty and students will honor these principles and in so doing will protect the integrity of all academic work and student grades. Students are expected to do all work assigned to them without unauthorized assistance and without giving unauthorized assistance. Faculty have the responsibility of exercising care in the planning and supervision of academic work so that honest effort will be encouraged and positively reinforced.
http://www.csub.edu/studentconduct/documents/academicintegrity.pdf
Academic Honesty Part Two: Turnitin.com
You will submit the final draft of your essay to turnitin.com. This is a system that checks to ensure that you have quoted all words that are not your own. We will talk much more about this in class, but for now, here’s the information you need to sign in to this site:
Section 1: class id: 372861 password: history
Section 2: class id: 372862 password: history
COURSE SCHEDULE
Week One:
Jan. 5 Intro/Pre-Columbian Americas/“Discovery” and Exploration/Hand out Reading Guide to Franklin/Hand out Library Assignment
Jan. 7 Library Assignment Day
Week Two:
Jan. 10 LIBRARY ASSIGNMENT DUE/BRING THE BOOK OF YOUR CHOICE
Syllabus Sign In Sheet Due
Jan. 12 Early English and Other Colonies: Labor Troubles
Jan. 14 The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Due /American Enlightenment
Week Three:
Jan. 17. MLK DAY HOLIDAY CAMPUS CLOSED
Jan. 19 Great Awakening
Jan. 21 Mid-Century Challenges
Week Four:
Jan. 24 Road to War/Common Sense Reading Due
Jan. 26 Revolutionary War/Declaration of Independence Assignment Due
Jan. 28 Making a New Nation
Week Five:
Jan. 31 Early National Period/MIDTERM REVIEW
Feb. 2 Jefferson’s America
Feb. 4 International Conflicts: War of 1812
Week Six:
Feb. 7 Early Industrialism/Slavery Essay Due/Due to Turnitin.com by midnight
Feb. 9 The 1820s and The World of Andrew Jackson
Feb. 11 MIDTERM EXAMINATION
Week Seven:
Feb. 14 Cherokee Removal Debate Prep
Feb. 16. Cherokee Removal Debate
Feb. 18 “Secret Life of a Developing Country”
Week Eight:
Feb. 21 War with Mexico and other Western Issues
Feb. 23 Sectionalism
Feb. 25 Sectionalism
Week Nine:
Feb. 28 Sectionalism/Final Exam Review
Mar. 2 “Cycles of Distrust”—Sectionalism
Mar. 4 “Cycles of Distrust”—Sectionalism
Week Ten:
Mar. 7 “Cycles of Distrust”—Sectionalism
Mar. 9 Civil War: From Bull Run to the Gettysburg Address
Mar. 11 Civil War: From Bull Run to the Gettysburg Address
Mar. 14: Last day of Class:
FINAL EXAM History 231 Section 1 FRIDAY MARCH 18, 11-1:30
FINAL EXAM History 231 Section 2 FRIDAY MARCH 18, 2-4:30
HISTORY 231-2 (10790) MWF 1:45-3:05
Office: Faculty Towers 201A
Instructor: Dr. Schmoll
Office Hours: MWF 12:30-1:30
…OR MAKE AN APPOINTMENT!!!
Email: bschmoll@csub.edu
Office Phone: 654-6549
Course Description:
The colonial foundations; political, economic, social and cultural developments in the emerging United States; the early agrarian republic; the Civil War.
Required Reading:
1. Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
2. Slavery: A book of your choice
3. Narrative of Frederick Douglass
4. Thomas Paine “Common Sense”
5. A History of the American People, Author: Paul Johnson
6. Weekly blog readings: Each week you will have both primary and secondary sources to read on the blog.
The Blog: If you have questions or comments about this class, or if you want to see the course reader or the syllabus online, just go to our course blog:
http://history231winter2011.blogspot.com/
You need to sign in to this blog this week.
You will also have short weekly readings on the blog. The picture outlines, study guides, and just some valuable historical loot can be found at our course blog. Check it often!
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES:
Educational theorists insist that the stating of goals and objectives before entering into an instruction-rich environment is crucial. Hence, I am including here the goals and objectives created by the History Department. If you’d like to read more about the way we learn history, Sam Wineburg, at Stanford, has some wonderful theory on how we adopt historical learning practices. (For example, look up the following articles, Wineburg, S. (1991). On the reading of historical texts: Notes on the breach between school and academy. American Educational Research Journal, 28(3), 495-519. Wineburg, S. & Schneider, J. (2009). Was Bloom’s taxonomy pointed in the wrong direction? Phi Delta Kappan, 91 (4), 56-61.) None of these ideas seem to have been incorporated in what is the official statement of the History Department. Instead, the department seems to define “goals” and “objectives” as events rather than skills. In this course, however, we will grapple with what it means to learn and with the way that the brain engages in historical thinking at certain moments. Hence, this will not only be a course about history, about a bunch of stuff that happened(which is what the goals below seem to suggest), but will also be a course about memory, about the processing of information, about writing effectively from various authorial positions, about why our brains work the way they do and how constructing an historical argument can engage the brain, and about thinking about history itself. We will get meta-cognitive! (and yes, we’ll define that term in class) Obviously, we’ll cover the official goals that follow, and we will respect the departmental guidelines, but we will sacrifice those goals in the interest of quality instruction. For example, if we are having a brilliant discussion on Andrew Jackson, and we begin cutting into the time that I had planned to spend on, let’s say, the Anti-Mason movement, we will sacrifice the Anti-Masons in the interest of real learning. Quantity of history is not, as opposed to what is printed below, the key to sound history learning!
History Department Course Goals and Objectives for History 231 U.S. History to 1865:
Goal 1:
Students will learn the chronology and topical organization of U.S. history from the origins of European colonization to the conclusion of the Civil War.
Objective #1:
Students will be able to identify the major chronological divisions of U.S. history and discuss in writing how and why scholars have divided the past into various periods.
Objective #2:
Students will be able to identify the major topical divisions of U.S. history and recognize on objective tests and discuss in writing the significance of such topics as epidemic disease in the founding period, the role of political ideology in the coming of the Revolution, the rise of slavery and abolitionism, the political consequences of westward expansion, and the origins of the Civil War.
Goal 2:
Student will learn about the origins of European colonization and the consequences of contact among the peoples of America, Europe, and Africa in the colonial period.
Objective #1:
Students will be able to explain the motivations behind European colonization of the New World, the origins of the transAtlantic slave trade, the rise of the plantation economies, and the roles of mercantilism and religious persecution in the founding of the American colonies.
Objective #2:
Students will be able to define and discuss such terms as Columbian Exchange, virgin-soil epidemics, and Eurocentrism.
Goal 3:
Students will acquire an understanding of the principal political documents of U.S. history, including but not limited to the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, Constitution, Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers, and the Emancipation Proclamation.
Objective #1:
Students will be able to write about the core political ideology of the American Revolution as embodied in the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution.
Objective #2:
Students will be able to explain the historical context and significance of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Goal 4:
Students will acquire an appreciation and understanding of diversity through the study of the history of the contributions of ethnic and racial minorities and women.
Objective #1:
Students will be able to write about and discuss orally the contributions of African Americans to early American history in terms of labor, society and culture.
Objective #2:
Students will be able to write about and discuss orally the contributions of and the prescribed role of women in colonial America and how that role changed as a result of the American Revolution and the subsequent urbanization of the United States.
Goal 5:
Students will learn about the lives of significant individuals in American history.
Objective #1:
Students will be able to identify on objective tests and/or essays the significant individuals in the history of the United States from colonial times to 1865.
Objective #2:
Students will be able to write about the contributions of a number of important people in the history of the United States from colonial times to 1865.
Goal 6:
Students will learn about the importance of republican principles and civic education in the sustaining of the American political system.
Objective #1:
Students will be able to identify the core principles of republicanism and the role of an educated electorate through an examination of a number of historical crises in the era preceding 1865, e.g. the colonial debate over taxation and representation, the struggle for the ratification of the Constitution, the Missouri Compromise, the Mexican War, the Nullification Crisis, the Compromise of 1850, and the Secessionist Crisis.
Goal 7:
Students will learn the geographical setting for historical events and the role expansion played in American history.
Objective #1:
Students will be able to identify on maps and/or objective exams and essays the important geographic settings, locations, and context for historical events.
Graded Coursework:
The work you do in this course is listed below. For each of those areas, the best way to succeed will be to come in to receive extra help. Both exams will have multiple choice questions based on the lectures and readings. Hence, it may be a good idea to have me look over your notes. If it does not seem that you are taking sufficient notes, or if you are taking too many, I’ll give you some guidance. The earlier we can catch these issues the better. The final exam will also include an essay. I would love to go over in-class essay writing standards in my office. Come by and we’ll talk about that. There’s also an out of class essay. That should be heavily revised, something else I’d love to help you do. Simply bring a rough draft by my office and we’ll talk. Be active!
Grading Scale:
Participation: 10%
Library Assignment: 2%
Dec of Independence Assignment: 3%
Indian Removal Debate: 5%
The Slavery Essay: 20%
Midterm Exam 25%
Final Exam: 30%
Attendance:
Just to be clear, to succeed on tests and papers you really should be in class. That’s just common sense, right? To pass this class, you may not miss more than two classes. If you miss that third class meeting, you are missing too much of the quarter. You cannot do that and pass.
So, here’s what we do. Do your best to not miss any class unnecessarily. Let’s say your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, or wife calls and wants to take you to Tahiti this weekend, but you won’t be back until late Tuesday night. Here’s what you say: “Honey, I love you, but Dr. Schmoll seems to value my education more than you do, so we are breaking up.” Ok, that may be harsh, so don’t do that, but just make sure that you do not miss any class until the 8th week. What I’ve found is that it seems inevitable that those who miss two classes early for pathetic reasons like doctor’s appointments that should have been more carefully scheduled get to the 8th week and then have to miss for a legitimate reason (like a surprise meeting at work, a sick child to take care of, or a flat tire). If you get to that 8th week and then have to miss your third class, it’ll be bad. By that point, I’ll be kind, compassionate, a real shoulder to cry on, if you want, when telling you that you’ve now failed the course. Now, if you make it to the 8th or 9th week and you have not missed those two classes, then you have some wiggle room, so that if, heaven forbid, your cat Poopsie gets pneumonia and you have to sit up all night bottle-feeding her liquid antibiotics, you and I don’t have to have that ugly conversation where I tell you that Poopsie gets blamed for you failing the course. Let’s put this another way; do you like movies? No way, me too! When you go to the movies do you usually get up and walk around the theatre for 10-15% of the movie? Let’s say you do decide to do that, out of a love of popcorn and movie posters, perhaps. If you did that, would you expect to understand the whole story? Okay, maybe if you are watching Harold and Kumar, but for anything else, you’ll be lost. So, please, get to class.
Being Prompt:
Get to class on time. Why does that matter? First, it sends the wrong message to your principal grader (that’s me). As much as we in the humanities would like you to believe that these courses are objective (at what time of day did the Battle of Gettysburg begin?), that is not entirely the case. If you send your principal grader the message that you don’t mind missing the first few minutes and disturbing others in the class, don’t expect to be given the benefit of the doubt when the tests and papers roll around. Does that sound mean? It’s not meant to, but just remember, your actions send signals. Being late also means that someone who already has everything out and is ready and is involved in the discussion has to stop, move everything over, get out of the chair to let you by, pick up the pencil you drop, let you borrow paper, run to the bathroom because you spilled the coffee, and so on. It’s rude. There’s an old saying: better two hours early than two minutes late. Old sayings are good.
So, what are the consequences of persistent tardiness? What do you think they should be? Remember that 10% participation? You are eligible for that grade if you are on time. By the way, if you are more than 15 minutes late, it is considered an absence. Get here on time. And no, I’m not the jackass who watches for you to be late that one time and stands at the door and points in your face. One time tardiness is not a problem precisely because it is not persistent. It’s an accident. If you are late a three times, however, you will lose the entire 10% participation grade.
The Unforgivable Curse:
Speaking of one time issues, there is something that is so severe, so awful, that if it happens one time, just one time, no warning, no “oh hey I noticed this and if you could stop it that’d be super,” you will automatically lose all 10 percent of the Participation grade. Any guesses? C’mon, you must have some idea. No, it’s not your telephone ringing. If that happens, it’ll just be slightly funny and we’ll move on. It’s a mistake and not intentional, and the increased heart rate and extra sweat on your brow from you diving headfirst into an overstuffed book bag to find a buried phone that is now playing that new Lady Gaga ringtone is punishment enough for you. So, what is it, this unforgivable crime? Texting. If you take out your phone one time to send or receive messages you will automatically lose 10% of your course grade. That means, if you receive a final grade of 85%, it will drop to 75%. If you receive a final grade of 75%, it will become a 65%. Just to make this more concrete, just last quarter, three people lost their whole participation and hence did no pass the class because of texting. Why is that? The phone ringing is an accident. Texting is on purpose and is rude. It, in fact, is beyond rude. It wreaks of the worst of our current society. It bespeaks the absolutely vile desire we all have to never separate from our technological tether for even a moment. It sends your fellow classmates and your teacher the signal that you have better things to do. Checking your phone during class is like listening to a friend’s story and right in the middle turning away and talking to someone else. Plus, the way our brains work, you need to fully immerse yourself, to tune your brain into an optimal, flowing machine (see Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s incredible book Flow) that can grasp and can let itself go. Students now tend to see school as a stopover on their way to a career. Brothers and sisters, that’s deadly! I wish that I could pay for you all to quit your jobs and just focus on the mind. I can’t yet do that, but if I could I would, because it’d be worth every penny. Devoting time to the mind and to thinking deeply about your world will change who you are and how you approach your future, your family, your job, and your everything. Is that overstated? I believe it to be true. So, until my stock choices really take off so that I can pay all of your bills, promise me one thing. When you are in class or preparing for class, you have to be fully here. Oh crap, now it’s going to sound like a hippy professor from the 1960s: “I mean, like, be here man, just be here.” Maybe the hippies were on to something. Devote yourself fully to your classes by unplugging from the outside world for awhile.
Laptops:
The same principal goes for laptops, too. Remember, if you are taking notes on a laptop, something I think is great, you may not be on the internet at the same time. Yes, you may go to the course blog for the outline or to a document we are using in class, but you may not check email or facebook, or access anything else online. The reason why merits repeating; devote yourself fully to your classes by unplugging from the outside world for awhile.
Class Climate:
No, I don’t mean whether it’s going to rain in here or not. Sometimes I’ll lecture at you, but even then, your participation is vital. How can you participate when someone is lecturing? Any ideas? Turn to a neighbor and tell them the story of your first day at school in kindergarten. Now, if you are the one listening to the story, right in the middle look away, look at your watch, sneer at them, roll your eyes, yawn, wave to someone across the room, nudge a person next to you and tell them a joke, all while the other person is telling about his or her first day of kindergarten. If this happens in social setting we call it rude, and we call the people who listen in that way jackasses. They are not our friends precisely because we deeply value listening and do not put up with those who do not listen well. Right? So, there will be lecturing, and if you abhor what we are doing, then fake it. I used to do that sometimes too: “oh no, professor, I love hearing you talk about President Reagan’s policies of supply side economics.” If we listen to psychologists, by faking interest you’ll be learning much more than if you show your disinterest. The next time you are sad force yourself to smile and you’ll see what I mean. So, sometimes there will be lecture. At other times there will be discussion of short readings that we do in class. During these times, it’s crucial that you do the silly little exercises: turn to a neighbor; find someone you don’t know and discuss this or that; explain to your friend what we just went over in lecture; pick something from the reading to disagree with; find two people on the other side of the room; throw cash at your professor…ok, maybe not that last one. This class is a bit unique in that it violates the normally accepted activity systems of college history classrooms. What we do in discussion will help solidify the concepts of each section of this course in your brain. If you are active in class, you will have to study less, and you’ll find yourself remembering much more.
Reading:
How many of you love reading? I did not read a book until I was 18, so if you have not yet started your journey on this ever widening path, it’s never too late. In any course, there’s no substitute for reading. Theorist Jim Moffett says that “all real writing happens from plentitude,” meaning that you can only really write well about someone once you know about it. Reading is one way to know—not the only, by any means! I want you to have experiences with great texts. I can show you voluminous research proving why you nee to read more, but then if I assign a stupid, long, expensive textbook you probably will end up not reading, or only reading to have the reading done, something we have all done, right? The economy now requires much higher literacy rates (see The World is Flat), and even though reading levels have not gone down in the last 40 years, it is crucial that you start to push your own reading so that your own literacy level goes up. For these ten weeks, diving wholeheartedly into the course reading is vital. Remember to read in a particular way. As reading expert and UCSB professor Sheridan Blau has argued, “reading is as much a process of text production as writing is.” Reading involves revision? Does that sound silly? As you read, think about the different ways that you understand what you read. Most importantly, when you read, think about the words of E.D. Hirsch, who says that we look at what a text says (reading), what it means (interpretation), and why it matters (criticism). Hey, but if you are in a history course, aren’t you supposed to be reading for exactly the number of miles of trenches that were dug in World War One, how many railroad workers died from 1890 to 1917, or what the causes of the Great Depression were? Anyway, the answer is yes and no. There are two types of reading that you’ll do in college. As the literary goddess theorist Louise Rosenblatt explains, there is aesthetic reading, where you are reading to have an experience with the text, and there is efferent reading, where you are reading to take away information from the text. You do both types all the time. Think about a phone book. You have probably never heard someone say of a phone book, “don’t tell me about it, I want to read it for myself.” Reading a phone book is purely efferent. In this course you will practice both types of reading. I have chosen texts that you can enjoy (aesthetic) and that you can learn from(efferent). I want to see and appreciate the detail in our reading, but in this course I’ll give you that detail in class lectures. In the reading, it’s much more important that you read texts that will live with you forever and to inspire you to think more thoroughly about your world. As you read, you should be working hard to create meaning for yourself. As Rosenblatt asserts, “taking someone else’s interpretation as your own is like having someone else eat your dinner for you.” Please, don’t let the numbskulls at wikipedia or sparknotes eat your dinner for you.
Participation: You do not need to be the person who speaks out the most, asks the most questions, or comes up with the most brilliant historical arguments to receive full credit in participation. If you are in class and on time, discuss the issues that we raise, avoid the temptation to nod off, to leave early, or to text people during class (the three easiest ways to lose credit), and in general act like you care, then you will receive a good participation grade! Just being here does not guarantee a 100% participation grade, since you must be regularly actively involved for that to be possible.
Academic Honesty
You are responsible for knowing all college policies about academic honesty. Any student who plagiarizes any part of his or her papers may receive an “F” in the course and a letter to the Dean. Here’s the opening paragraph of CSUB’s Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities:
Academic Integrity
The principles of truth and integrity are recognized as fundamental to a community of teachers and scholars. The University expects that both faculty and students will honor these principles and in so doing will protect the integrity of all academic work and student grades. Students are expected to do all work assigned to them without unauthorized assistance and without giving unauthorized assistance. Faculty have the responsibility of exercising care in the planning and supervision of academic work so that honest effort will be encouraged and positively reinforced.
http://www.csub.edu/studentconduct/documents/academicintegrity.pdf
Academic Honesty Part Two: Turnitin.com
You will submit the final draft of your essay to turnitin.com. This is a system that checks to ensure that you have quoted all words that are not your own. We will talk much more about this in class, but for now, here’s the information you need to sign in to this site:
Section 1: class id: 372861 password: history
Section 2: class id: 372862 password: history
COURSE SCHEDULE
Week One:
Jan. 5 Intro/Pre-Columbian Americas/“Discovery” and Exploration/Hand out Reading Guide to Franklin/Hand out Library Assignment
Jan. 7 Library Assignment Day
Week Two:
Jan. 10 LIBRARY ASSIGNMENT DUE/BRING THE BOOK OF YOUR CHOICE
Syllabus Sign In Sheet Due
Jan. 12 Early English and Other Colonies: Labor Troubles
Jan. 14 The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Due /American Enlightenment
Week Three:
Jan. 17. MLK DAY HOLIDAY CAMPUS CLOSED
Jan. 19 Great Awakening
Jan. 21 Mid-Century Challenges
Week Four:
Jan. 24 Road to War/Common Sense Reading Due
Jan. 26 Revolutionary War/Declaration of Independence Assignment Due
Jan. 28 Making a New Nation
Week Five:
Jan. 31 Early National Period/MIDTERM REVIEW
Feb. 2 Jefferson’s America
Feb. 4 International Conflicts: War of 1812
Week Six:
Feb. 7 Early Industrialism/Slavery Essay Due/Due to Turnitin.com by midnight
Feb. 9 The 1820s and The World of Andrew Jackson
Feb. 11 MIDTERM EXAMINATION
Week Seven:
Feb. 14 Cherokee Removal Debate Prep
Feb. 16. Cherokee Removal Debate
Feb. 18 “Secret Life of a Developing Country”
Week Eight:
Feb. 21 War with Mexico and other Western Issues
Feb. 23 Sectionalism
Feb. 25 Sectionalism
Week Nine:
Feb. 28 Sectionalism/Final Exam Review
Mar. 2 “Cycles of Distrust”—Sectionalism
Mar. 4 “Cycles of Distrust”—Sectionalism
Week Ten:
Mar. 7 “Cycles of Distrust”—Sectionalism
Mar. 9 Civil War: From Bull Run to the Gettysburg Address
Mar. 11 Civil War: From Bull Run to the Gettysburg Address
Mar. 14: Last day of Class:
FINAL EXAM History 231 Section 1 FRIDAY MARCH 18, 11-1:30
FINAL EXAM History 231 Section 2 FRIDAY MARCH 18, 2-4:30
LIBRARY ASSIGNMENT
Name:
HISTORY 231/SCHMOLL/LIBRARY ASSIGNMENT
DUE AT THE START OF CLASS Monday, 1/10
(By the way, also due that day, a paper saying that you read the syllabus)
Step One: Go to the library website: http://www.csub.edu/library/
Click on “CSUB Library Catalogue” (under the heading “Research Tools”)
Step Two: Search for books on slavery in the Americas.
Some good search tools to find the sections on slavery might be the following:
Slavery, United States, plantation, south, antebellum, history.
If you are having trouble finding a book on slavery, speak to a reference librarian
on the first floor. They can be incredibly helpful.
Step Three: Go to the stacks and find the book. Remember, often when you go to one particular book, the area around that book is full of other fine titles.
Step Four: Check the book out.
Step Five: Fill in the information below.
Author Name:
Book Title:
Year Published:
Look at the table of contents. Based on the title of this book and by glancing at the table of contents, what do you think this book will be about? What do you expect the author will discuss? (2-3 sentences)
PLEASE REMEMBER, THERE ARE 90 OTHER PEOPLE DOING THIS SAME ASSIGNMENT. THAT SHOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO GET THIS DONE EARLY. MORE IMPORTANTLY, GET THIS DONE IN AN HONORABLE WAY. IF YOU ARE IN THE STACKS OF BOOKS, DO NOT TAKE TWENTY BOOKS TO A TABLE TO SEE WHICH ONE YOU WANT TO READ. TAKE THEM ONE AT A TIME SO THAT YOU DO NOT HINDER THE SEARCHING OF YOUR CLASSMATES. DO NOT PUT BOOKS IN SECRET LOCATIONS SO THAT YOU CAN GO BACK LATER AND CHECK THEM OUT…
HISTORY 231/SCHMOLL/LIBRARY ASSIGNMENT
DUE AT THE START OF CLASS Monday, 1/10
(By the way, also due that day, a paper saying that you read the syllabus)
Step One: Go to the library website: http://www.csub.edu/library/
Click on “CSUB Library Catalogue” (under the heading “Research Tools”)
Step Two: Search for books on slavery in the Americas.
Some good search tools to find the sections on slavery might be the following:
Slavery, United States, plantation, south, antebellum, history.
If you are having trouble finding a book on slavery, speak to a reference librarian
on the first floor. They can be incredibly helpful.
Step Three: Go to the stacks and find the book. Remember, often when you go to one particular book, the area around that book is full of other fine titles.
Step Four: Check the book out.
Step Five: Fill in the information below.
Author Name:
Book Title:
Year Published:
Look at the table of contents. Based on the title of this book and by glancing at the table of contents, what do you think this book will be about? What do you expect the author will discuss? (2-3 sentences)
PLEASE REMEMBER, THERE ARE 90 OTHER PEOPLE DOING THIS SAME ASSIGNMENT. THAT SHOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO GET THIS DONE EARLY. MORE IMPORTANTLY, GET THIS DONE IN AN HONORABLE WAY. IF YOU ARE IN THE STACKS OF BOOKS, DO NOT TAKE TWENTY BOOKS TO A TABLE TO SEE WHICH ONE YOU WANT TO READ. TAKE THEM ONE AT A TIME SO THAT YOU DO NOT HINDER THE SEARCHING OF YOUR CLASSMATES. DO NOT PUT BOOKS IN SECRET LOCATIONS SO THAT YOU CAN GO BACK LATER AND CHECK THEM OUT…
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