HISTORY 127 THE UNITED STATES TO 1865 UNC CHAPEL HILL SPRING 2016

Dr. Matthew Andrews Office: Hamilton 515 My Office Hours: M 12-2; Tu 3-5; W 1-3; F 12-2 Email: andrewsm@email.unc.edu

Teaching Assistants and their email addresses: Josh Hevert – jphevert@live.unc.edu Lucas Kelley – lucaspk@live.unc.edu Alexandra Locking – locking@live.unc.edu COURSE TOPICS This course will investigate the major issues and events that affected the development of “America” and the United States from early European settlement to the end of the Civil War. Rather than try to race through and cover everything—an impossible task—we will instead focus on four eras, slowing down and digging deep, in an attempt to better uncover significant historical meaning. Our four eras and chief topics of inquiry will be: 1. Colonial Development. Here we will explore the varied interactions between Europeans, Africans, and the native populations in the “New World”—the interactions that created “America” 2. The Revolutionary Era. We will examine the intellectual ferment surrounding the American Revolution and the creation of the United States Constitution, and ask the question, “just how ‘revolutionary’ was the American Revolution?” 3. The Expanding Republic. In this section we will assess the effects of technological development and territorial expansion in the first half of the nineteenth century. We will also interrogate the personality and politics of the era’s dominant public figure, Andrew Jackson. 4. The Civil War Era. Will conclude the semester with a discussion of the relationship between slavery, sectionalism, and the Civil War, as well as explore the different ways Americans have “remembered” that war.

2

In addtion to this historical content, we will disscuss what it is historians do. Indeed, you will do history. You will read and seek meaning in primary source documents—that is, document from the pre-1865 era. In lecture I will ask you to interpret political cartoons, poems, and paintings. In addition, you will read the different accounts that historians—past and present—have offered of these eras and you will be asked to identify and consider the key differences between their accounts. By the time this semster is over, then, you should have a solid understanding of not only the major events of the pre-1865 past, but a keen sense of how these events have been interpreted and reinterpreted by others. CLASS STRUCTURE AND ATTENDANCE The rhythm of this course is as follows—there are two lectures every week (Tuesday and Thursday from 11:00-12:15). Eight times during the semester students will also meet for Document Workshops (the Registrar’s Office calls them “recitations”). Your document workshop will be led by one of the Teaching Assistants and will last 50 minutes. Depending on which one you registered for, your document workshop takes place on either a Thursday or a Friday. The dates we have document workshops are marked clearly in this syllabus. Though I do not plan to take attendance in lecture, I expect you to attend every meeting. You are also expected to attend every scheduled document workshop, where your TA will take attendance. In a large lecture course such as this, document workshops are a vital part of this course. If you miss more than one document workshop your course grade will be negatively affected. My policy about excused absences comes from the Dean of Students Office: Your absence from a document workshop will only be excused if you provide university paperwork attesting to the reason of your absence and you notify your TA about your upcoming absence in advance. You also must arrange to take the quiz (see below) at a time convenient to your TA and within one week of the original quiz date. COURSE READINGS

Michael Schaller, et al., American Horizons: U. S. History in Global Context, volume 1 to 1865 Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave Documents on Course Sakai Page

The readings are listed under each lecture/document workshop topic and should be read before coming to class. This is especially essential for all non-textbook readings assigned for lecture and all readings assigned for document workshops. Carefully read the assigned piece(s) before class meetings and always bring the material for reference. You can access the documents on the Course Sakai Page by clicking the “Resources” tab on the left side of the page. I have listed the documents in the order that we will be reading and discussing them. A strategy for reading the textbook: The textbook is dense. It is filled with a lot of information. This is the book’s value, but it also means you cannot possibly digest all of the material in one reading. I suggest that you read each assigned textbook segment twice. The first time, read or skim with the goal of understanding the general narrative in preparation for lecture—don’t get bogged down in the details. Later, go back and re-read the assigned segments with an eye toward sifting out specific information that you can use to answer the essay questions. ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADES Your course grade will be determined by the quality of your three argument essays, your in-class final exam, your performance on quizzes in document workshop, and your document workshop engagement. The argument essay prompts will be posted on Sakai and discussed in lecture at least two weeks before each essay is due. We will give you a “final exam study guide” at least two weeks before the final exam. Keeping good notes throughout this semester will help you immensely when we get to the final exam.

3

In every document workshop, except the first, there will be a short quiz. In order to take the quiz, you must be in your document workshop and be on time. Each quiz will consist of five multiple-choice questions that will cover material discussed in lecture in the weeks immediately prior to the document workshop and/or the readings for that day. We will drop your lowest quiz score from your final grade. The Teaching Assistants, in consultation with me, will read, evaluate, and comment on your work. Your final grade will be calculated as follows: First Argument Essay 17% Second Argument Essay 19% Third Argument Essay 21.5% Final Exam 22.5%

Quizzes 10% Document Workshop Engagement 10% ____

Total 100% Policy regarding late work: Argument essays are due at the beginning of class on the day noted in this syllabus. If you must miss class on the due date, your essay should be emailed to your TA before class begins, and then you MUST give your TA a paper copy at our next class meeting. Any essay not handed in during class (or emailed before class begins) will be considered late. An essay will be marked down one full letter grade (ten points) if it late and then five points for every additional day it is late. So, for example, once we leave the lecture hall, if you have not turned in your essay (or emailed your essay before class began) it will be considered late and penalized 10 points. 24 hours later—i.e. at 12:15 p.m. the next day—it will be considered two days late (and thus penalized a total of 15 points). 24 hours later, it will be docked an additional five points, and so on. If you are turning in a late essay, email it to your TA as soon as it is finished so you are not penalized further. And then make sure to bring a paper copy to the next class meeting—if you do not bring a paper copy to the next class meeting the essay will be considered late and the penalties listed above will apply. DOCUMENT WORKSHOPS Document workshops are a critical part of a large lecture course. They are where you have your best opportunity to do the work of a historian, so if you miss more than one document workshop your course grade will be negatively affected. As the name implies, the point of the document workshop is to “work” and engage with the documents. Therefore, it is mandatory that you have the document with you for reference and discussion. Here is my general grading rubric for Document Workshops: • If you attend every document workshop, always bring the assigned documents for reference, and speak every once in a while, it will be hard for you to get below a C+ for your document workshop grade.

• If you attend every document workshop, always bring the assigned documents for reference, and speak regularly, it will be hard for you to get below a B for your document workshop grade.

• If you attend every document workshop, always bring the assigned documents for reference, speak often, and provide comments that demonstrate that you have spent time thinking about the assigned readings and what they can illuminate about American history, you will likely get an A for your document workshop grade. GRADING SCALE We will keep your grades on the Sakai Gradebook. At the end of the semester you will have a numerical score between 0-100. That number will be translated into a letter grade. Here is the grading scale:

4

100-93: A 89-87: B+ 79-77: C+ 69-67: D+ 92-90: A- 86-83: B 76-73: C 66-60 D 82-80: B- 72-70: C- below 60: F Note that all final grades will be “rounded up.” In other words, if your final mark is 92.50 it will rounded up to a 93 and, thus, an A (a 92.49 would still be an A-). ACADEMIC SUPPORT SERVICES The College of Arts and Sciences has developed several support programs to assist students. Accessibility Resources and Services provides individual support to students with diagnosed learning disabilities (962-8300). The Learning Skills Center offers free instruction in a variety of academic learning strategies (962-3782, 962-6389). The Writing Center—which fills up quickly—provides free tutorial services (962-7710). HONORABLE AND COURTEOUS BEHAVIOR

I encourage you to study together; however, you are bound by the Honor Code in taking exams and in writing your papers. Please consult with me if you have any questions about the Honor Code. THE HONOR CODE: It shall be the responsibility of every student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to obey and to support the enforcement of the Honor Code, which prohibits lying, cheating, or stealing when these actions involve academic processes or University, student, or academic personnel acting in an official capacity. PLAGIARISM: If the grader of your essay suspects plagiarism and I concur, I will report you to the Honor Court and then I will contact you. All suspected cases of plagiarism are immediately sent to the Honor Court. THE CAMPUS CODE: It shall be the further responsibility of every student to abide by the Campus Code; namely, to conduct oneself so as not to impair significantly the welfare or the educational opportunities of others in the University community. The Campus Code asks us to be courteous to each other. In a large class, civility and manners are especially important. COURTESY DURING CLASSES. It is disruptive to others to arrive late to class or to leave early. If you must do it (which I strongly discourage), please be unobtrusive. Also, please turn off all cell phones. Checking your phone and/or texting during class is disruptive and discourteous. BEING COURTEOUS TO YOU. I will work hard to challenge you this semester. I will try to make every lecture as fun and interesting as possible. I am also committed to living up to the regulations and standards presented in this syllabus. Please note that I have the right to make changes to the syllabus, including project due dates and test dates (excluding the officially scheduled final examination), when unforeseen circumstances (like snow!) occur. If this happens, these changes will be announced as early as possible so you can adjust your schedule. LAPTOP COMPUTERS Please do not open your laptop in this class. It’s already hard to stay engaged with the course when we have 165 students in a large room; it’s nearly impossible when laptops are open and students are Facebooking, shoe shopping, and/or watching sports highlights. Numerous studies show that using laptops diminishes not only your attention and performance in a course, but the attention and performance of those around you—in other words, you are distracting others. If you feel you have a special need to use a laptop for note-taking, please come see me. VERY IMPORTANT: This means that when we discuss a document in lecture, you will need to print the document(s) and bring it with you. Please do this.

5

OFFICE HOURS AND CONTACTING ME I am glad you are in this class and I want you to do well. One of the best ways of doing so is to come and ask questions or just chat with me (or your TA) during office hours. If you cannot make my office hours (they are listed on the front page of this syllabus) please contact me and we will arrange a meeting time convenient to us both. One more time for emphasis—I want students to learn and to receive the good grades they deserve. So please make an appointment with me should you have undue difficulty with your work in this course. I am here to help.

COURSE MAP 12 January (Tue.) First Day 14 January (Thu.) Contact Between Continents Read: American Horizons, 4-26.

COLONIAL DEVELOPMENT

19 January (Tue.) Smoke on the Water – Creating Virginia Read: American Horizons, 26-35; 39-53. 21 January (Thu.) American Slavery Read: Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano (1789) [excerpt]. Read: American Horizons, 121-127; 150-154.

6

21 or 22 January (Thu. or Fri.) Document Workshop – Describing Contact Read: Excerpts from Three U.S. Textbooks (1927-1993). Read: Howard Zinn on “Contact,” from A People’s History of the United States (1980) [excerpt]. Read: Paul Johnson on “Contact,” from A History of the American People (1998) [excerpt]. 26 January (Tue.) City Upon a Hill – Creating New England Read: John Winthrop, “A Model of Christian Charity” (1630). Read: American Horizons, 53-64. 28 January (Thu.) Puritans and Indians Read: American Horizons, 64-69; 88-97. 28 or 29 January (Thu. or Fri.) Document Workshop – Creating a New Society Read: Great Law of the Iroquois League (c. 1300). Read: Richard Hakluyt, “Discourse of Western Planting” (1584). Read: Samuel de Champlain, “The Founding of Quebec” (1608). Read: William Penn, “Laws for the Province of Pennsylvania” (1682). To Do: Quiz # 1 (beginning of class meeting). 2 February (Tue.) Colonial Diversity Read: Gottlieb Mittelberger, Journey to Pennsylvania in the Year 1750 (1754). Read: American Horizons, 74-82; 84-94; 100-103.

THE REVOLUTIONARY ERA

4 February (Thu.) American Unity Read: American Horizons, 135-144; 163-180.

7

4 or 5 February (Thu. or Fri.) Document Workshop – Writing a History Essay Read: “How to Write a Compelling History Essay” Read: “Footnote Guide.” To Do: Quiz # 2 (beginning of class meeting). 9 February (Tue.) Myths of the American Revolution To Do: Hand in First Argument Essay. Read: American Horizons, 191-199. 11 February (Thu.) Origins of the American Revolution Read: American Horizons, 199-218. 16 September (Tue.) The American Revolution – A Tale of Two Franklins Read: Thomas Paine, Common Sense (1776) [excerpt]. Read: American Horizons, 223-233. 18 February (Thu.) The American Revolution – A Tale of Two Washingtons Read: “Pennsylvania Act for the Abolition of Slavery” (1780). Read: American Horizons, 234-244. 18 or 19 February (Thu. or Fri.) Document Workshop – Historians and the Revolution Read: Howard Zinn, “A Kind of Revolution,” from A People’s History of the United States (1980). Read: Joan Hoff, “The Illusion of Change: Women and the American Revolution” (1976) [excerpt] and Mary Beth Norton, Liberty’s Daughters: The Revolutionary Experience of American Women (1980) [excerpt]. Read: Paul Johnson on the Revolution, from A History of the American People (1998) [excerpt]. Read: Thaddeus Russell, “Introduction” and “Drunkards, Laggards, Prostitutes, Pirates, and other Heroes of the American Revolution,” in A Renegade History of the United States (2010). To Do: Quiz # 3 (beginning of class meeting).

8

23 February (Tue.) A More Perfect Union Read: American Horizons, 245-249. 25 February (Thu.) Constitutional Queries

THE EXPANDING REPUBLIC

1 March (Tue.) A Waking Giant To Do: Hand in Second Argument Essay. Read: American Horizons, 270-286; 327-334. 3 March (Thu.) Becoming Urban Read: Harriet Hanson Robinson, Loom and Spindle or Life among the Early Mill Girls (1898). Read: American Horizons, 335-340. 3 or 4 March (Thu. or Fri.) Document Workshop – American Identity Read: Hector St. John Crevecoeur, Letters From an American Farmer (1782) [excerpt]. Read: George Washington’s Farewell Address (1796). Read: Davy Crockett, A Narrative of the Life of Davy Crockett of the State of Tennessee (1834). Read: Henry W. Bellows, “The Influence of the Trading Spirit” (1845). To Do: Quiz # 4 (beginning of class meeting). 8 March (Tue.) What Was Andrew Jackson? Read: American Horizons, 340-353. 10 March (Thu.) Jacksonian Democracy Read: Andrew Jackson on Indian Removal (1830). Read: American Horizons, 359-369; 385-391.

9

15 March (Tue.) SPRING BREAK 17 March (Thu.) SPRING BREAK

22 March (Tue.) Immigration and Nativism Read: American Horizons, 433-446. 24 March (Thu.) Antebellum Reform Read: American Horizons, 397-413; 420-428. 29 March (Tue.) The Serpent in the Garden Read: David Walker, Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World (1829) [excerpt]. Read: American Horizons, 413-420; 447-452.

SLAVERY AND THE CIVIL WAR

31 March (Thu.) The Great Southern Reaction Read: J. H. Hammond Defends Slavery (1836). 31 Mar. or 1 Apr. (Thu or Fri) Document Workshop – The Story of Slavery Read: Frederick Douglass, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (1845). To Do: Quiz # 5 (beginning of class meeting). 5 April (Tue.) The Historiography of Slavery 7 April (Thu.) A House Divided Read: American Horizons, 299-303; 452-462.

10

7 or 8 April (Thu. or Fri.) Document Workshop – John Brown Read: John Brown’s Last Address to the Virginia Court (1859) Read: “Martyr or Madman: Biographies of John Brown.” To Do: Quiz # 6 (beginning of class meeting). 12 April (Tue.) Secession To Do: Hand in Third Argument Essay. Read: Mississippi Declaration of Secession (1861). Read: American Horizons, 467-476. 14 April (Thu.) The Civil War Read: American Horizons, 476-483. 19 April (Tue.) The Meaning of the War Read: Abraham Lincoln, “Gettysburg Address” (1863) (in textbook, A-21). Read: American Horizons, 483-500. 21 April (Thu.) Remembering the War 21 or 22 April (Thu. or Fri.) Document Workshop – History on Campus Read: Bettie Jackson London, “Dedication of Monument” Speech (1913). Read: Julian Carr, “Unveiling of Confederate Monument” Speech (1913). Read: The Real Silent Sam Coalition Manifesto (2015). Read: Ben Jones, “Feeding Frenzy of Cultural Cleansing,” USA Today (2015). Read: Ethan J. Kytle and Blain Roberts, “Take Down the Confederate Flags But Not the Monuments,” The Atlantic (2015). Read: Christopher Phelps, “Removing Racist Symbols Isn’t a Denial of History,” Chronicle of Higher Education (2016).

11

To Do: (1) Go look at the Silent Sam statue in McCorkle place (near Franklin Street). Spend a couple of minutes studying the statue, the inscription, and the surroundings. (2) Read and carefully consider all of these sources. (3) Then please write a one-page letter to the editor of the Daily Tar Heel and state your position on “Silent Sam.” Should he stay? Should he go? Should he be amended in some way? Why? To Do: Quiz # 7 (beginning of class meeting). 26 April (Tue.) The Meanings of Freedom 29 April (Fri.) FINAL EXAM (12:00 noon)

Unveiling of “Silent Sam” Confederate Monument, June 2, 1913