An examination of "classic" documents in American history from the seventeenth through the twentieth centuries, including writings by authors such as John Winthrop, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison; Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, and Abraham Lincoln; Horatio Alger, Jacob Riis and Thorstein Veblen; Franklin D. Roosevelt, Betty Friedan, Bob Dylan, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Music, taped speeches, television programs, motion pictures, and/or other visual materials may also be included. Class meetings consist primarily of discussions and there is one required museum trip.

America’s tradition as a pluralistic society dates back to before its birth as a modern nation state. Before the first European outposts of Jamestown and Plymouth were erected, North America was already populated with nearly 160 culturally different Native American tribes — without a common language. The introduction of European culture to North America only injected more diversity into an already competitive pluralistic society. The objective of this course will be to examine how such diversity influenced the arc of American history and society through a careful analysis of the people, events, themes, and consequences that shaped the American experience from the pre-Columbian to the post-Civil War period — with special attention paid to religion, culture, language, and politics, as well as class, gender, and ethnicity. At the end of the semester, you will have enough knowledge to identify recurrent themes and events in American History. You will also have the opportunity to improve your critical thinking, reading, research and writing skills through assignments where you will have to identify, contextualize, and analyze events, sources, and viewpoints within US history.

Supports the teaching of HIST 3401, 'American Pluralism to 1877,' by offering materials for customizable syllabi. These include open source textbooks, databases, primary source documents, videos and more.

This class is a global survey of the great transformation in history known as the "Industrial Revolution." Topics include origins of mechanized production, the factory system, steam propulsion, electrification, mass communications, mass production and automation. Emphasis on the transfer of technology and its many adaptations around the world. Countries treated include Great Britain, France, Germany, the US, Sweden, Russia, Japan, China, and India. Includes brief reflection papers and a final paper.

Aims to develop a teaching knowledge of the field through extensive reading and discussion of major works. The reading covers a broad range of topics -- political, economic, social, and cultural -- and represents a variety of historical methods. Students make frequent oral presentations and prepare a 20-page review essay.

This course is a graduate reading seminar, in which historical and contemporary studies are used to explore the interaction of technology with social and political values. Emphasis is on how technological devices, structures, and systems influence the organization of society and the behavior of its members. Examples are drawn from the technologies of war, transportation, communication, production, and reproduction.

Our linked subjects are (1) the historical process by which the meaning of technology has been constructed, and (2) the concurrent transformation of the environment. To explain the emergence of technology as a pivotal word (and concept) in contemporary public discourse, we will examine responses--chiefly political and literary--to the development of the mechanic arts, and to the linked social, cultural, and ecological transformation of 19th- and 20th-century American society, culture, and landscape.

U.S. History is designed to meet the scope and sequence requirements of most introductory courses. The text provides a balanced approach to U.S. history, considering the people, events, and ideas that have shaped the United States from both the top down (politics, economics, diplomacy) and bottom up (eyewitness accounts, lived experience). U.S. History covers key forces that form the American experience, with particular attention to issues of race, class, and gender.Senior Contributing AuthorsP. Scott Corbett, Ventura CollegeVolker Janssen, California State University, FullertonJohn M. Lund, Keene State CollegeTodd Pfannestiel, Clarion UniversityPaul Vickery, Oral Roberts UniversitySylvie Waskiewicz

This class is a survey course in United States History to 1865. You will find links to the lecture outlines on the menu above. Each lecture covers a key topic in US History. There is no need to purchase any course material. We will be using an online textbook, The American Yawp. I’ve posted a link on the tool bar above. If you would like a hard copy of the textbook, you can purchase a copy directly from Stanford University Press.

U.S. History is designed for a two-semester American history sequence. It is traditional in coverage, following a roughly chronological outline, and using a balanced approach that includes political, economic, social, and cultural developments. At the same time, the book includes a number of innovative and interactive features designed to enhance student learning. Instructors can also customize the book, adapting it to the approach that works best in their classroom.