History 202: American History II (1865-present)

Goshen College

Spring 2006; MWF, 9:00 am

Newcomer Center, Room 17

Prof. Steve Nolt

office: Wyse Hall 312

telephone: (office) 535-7460; (home) 534-6438

e-mail: stevemn@goshen.edu

course web site: http://blackboard.goshen.edu

Course overview:

This course of study examines the history of the Unites States from 1865 to the present. At the beginning of this period the U.S. was emerging from the catastrophic shock of Civil War that had divided the population, overturned legal and constitutional assumptions, destroyed and created wealth, and potentially changed the lives of thousands of former slaves. In the years that followed, the United States became an economic and military world power whose actions affected people around the globe, while at home Americans continually struggled over what being American meant and who could lay claims to its rights and national promise. Three themes will be especially important in our study:

(1) The nature of American identity was a constant and often heated point of discussion

throughout this period. Who can claim to be American and what do they do with that label once they hold it? We will look at the changing definition of America and how that definition has been extended and contracted.

(2) A second theme will be the promises and perils associated with American faith in progress. From a culture of expectation to the assumptions behind popular and official decision-making, this theme has shaped the choices and responses of the United States and its people in many ways.

(3) Finally, we will look at power and responsibility in American history, examining the

decisions of a powerful nation, domestically and internationally. We will consider not only ordinary political power, but also the power of social movements, religious leaders, or groups without traditional political standing, asking how and why change occurs and how power and responsibility have functioned. Along the way we will listen for alternative voices that speak for those on the cultural and social margins of American life, and consider how their perspectives add to or alter the ‘mainstream’ story. The Juhnke and Hunter readings will help us especially here.

Course goals:

(1) To gain knowledge of the events, people, and issues of this period, especially related to the themes, above.

(2) To identify various perspectives on a given event or topic and consider what historical sources actually tell us about the past and how we can use them to understand history.

(3) To think historically, evaluate sources, consider contexts, construct arguments, and raise and answer counter-arguments.

(4) To improve written and oral communication skills.

Grading and other requirements:

Evaluation will be based on 510 possible points:

Map quiz 20 points

Two written essays 70 points (each)

Discussion participation 110 points

Two midterm exams 70 points (each)

Final examination 100 points

Final letter grades are figured at 90%=A; 80%=B; 70%=C; 60%=D.

Attendance policy: I will take attendance. For each unexcused absence more than two, the final course grade will be reduced two percentage points. Notice of excused absences for athletic or school-related functions should be presented prior to the absence, and any assignments due on such days must be submitted on time. Inform me of absence due to illness as soon as possible. Exams or quizzes given on days of unexcused absences cannot be made up, nor can discussion participation for days of unexcused absences. Extensions on written assignments are granted only in unusual circumstances, but see me is you feel you are facing such a situation. The grade for any late written work, other than for medical reasons or otherwise negotiated with the instructor in advance, will be reduced ten percent per day for each day that it is late.

Assignments:

(1) The map quiz will be given at the beginning of class, Wednesday, January 18. Along with this syllabus is a list of geographic features or locations and a blank outline map for you to use in study/practice. For the quiz, you will accurately mark on an identical blank map twenty of the features or locations that I will choose from the longer list.

(2) Two written essays: Each paper will be 5 pages in length, thesis-oriented, and evaluated on historical content and argumentation, as well as writing style and grammar. Specific information about the essays is posted on the course web site. The first paper will be based on documents in Plessy v. Ferguson and the second on documents in Brown v. Board of Education. A detailed outline for Essay 1 is due at the beginning of class, Wednesday, February 1; the final paper is due the beginning of class, Friday, February 10. A detailed outline for Essay 2 is due at the beginning of class, Wednesday March 22; the final paper at the beginning of class, Friday, March 31.

(3) Discussion participation grades: Learning takes place not only through reading and listening, but also through talking about the material at hand and asking questions. While questions and comments are appropriate and welcome in any whole-class situation, there will be eleven “discussion days” that will be given especially to discussion in smaller group settings. I will divide the class into groups of about 8 students, each with a discussion leader. To prepare, you will read the assigned text for the day, paying attention both to content and methodological issues. Each discussion day will begin with a 5-point quiz on the reading. Thereafter, the class will break into discussion groups for the remainder of the period. Discussion group leaders will help me evaluate your participation in each week’s discussion group. You can receive 5 points for consistent and active participation, and fewer points for lesser levels of participation. Thus, each discussion day will be worth up to 10 points (5 for the reading preparation quiz, and 5 points for active in-group discussion). Since there are eleven scheduled discussion days, the total discussion points possible are 110.

(4) Two midterm exams and a final exam are scheduled for Friday, February 3; Friday, March 10; and Thursday, April 20. The midterms will include short-answer identification questions and an essay question. The final will include short-answer identification questions and two essay questions.

Textbooks:

John M. Murrin, et al., Liberty, Equality, Power: A History of the American People. Concise 3^rd edition, vol. 2 (Thomson Wadsworth, 2004).

James Davidson and Mark Lytle, After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection, 5^th ed., vol. 2 (McGraw-Hill, 2005).

James C. Juhnke and Carol M. Hunter, The Missing Peace: The Search for Nonviolent Alternatives in United States History, 2^nd ed. (Pandora Press, 2004).

Brook Thomas, ed., Plessy v. Ferguson: A Brief History with Documents (Bedford/St.Martin’s, 1997).

Walso E. Martin, Jr., ed., Brown v. Board of Education: A Brief History with Documents (Bedford/St.Martin’s, 1998).

Academic Integrity: Plagiarism (the undocumented use of words or ideas from the works of others or from your own work prepared for another class) is not acceptable. Plagiarized assignments receive no credit. All cases of plagiarism or exam/quiz cheating are reported to the Office of the Associate Academic Dean for processing.

Date Preparation for Class Class

W Jan 4		Course introduction, themes, goals, assumptions, assignments.
F Jan 6	Read After the Fact, Prologue—The Strange Death of Silas Deane; Juhnke and Hunter preface.	Topic: “The Strange Death of Silas Deane.” Topic: America Reconstructed?
M Jan 9	Read Murrin chap. 17; Juhnke and Hunter chap. 6.	Topic: Reconstruction and African American Society.
W Jan 11	Read After the Fact, chap. 8. Question to answer for discussion group: What did you learn from comparing the two interviews in this chapter?	Discussion Day: “View from the Bottom Rail: Oral History and the Freedpeople.”
F Jan 13	Read Murrin chap. 18.	Topic: The Trans-Mississippi West and cultural encounters
M Jan 16	Martin Luther King, Jr. Study Day
W Jan 18	Read Juhnke and Hunter chap. 7.	Topic: Mass immigration, part 1. Map quiz
F Jan 20	Read After the Fact, chap. 9. Question to answer for discussion group: How are Riis’ ideas about immigrant life reflected in his photographs?	Discussion Day: “Mirror with a Memory: Photographic Evidence and the Urban Scene.”
M Jan 23	Read, Murrin chap. 19.	Topic: Mass immigration, part 2.
W Jan 25	Read Thomas, Plessy, 1-18, 28-38, 61-101.	Topic: Jim Crow. Film: “Ida B. Wells”
F Jan 27	Read Thomas, Plessy, 101-24, 127-35, 139-49, 169-76. For discussion group: work on ideas for Essay 1.	Discussion Day: Plessy v. Ferguson.
M Jan 30	Read, Murrin chap. 20.	Topic: American thought and society at the turn of the century: Teddy Roosevelt and race.
W Feb 1	Read Murrin chap. 22; Juhnke and Hunter chap. 9. Finish Essay 1 outline.	Topic: Imperialism, War, and U.S.-Latin American relations. Essay 1 outline due.
F Feb 3	Study for Exam 1.	Exam 1.

M Feb 6	Read Murrin chap. 21.	Topic: Progressivism—policy, politics, and power.
W Feb 8	Read After the Fact, chap. 10. Question to answer for discussion group: Which character had the most political power in this story and why?	Discussion Day: “UDSA Government Inspected: The Jungle of Political History.”
F Feb10	Read Murrin chaps. 23. Finish Essay 1.	Topic: The Progressives’ War—World War I. Essay 1 due.
M Feb13	Read Murrin chap. 24.	Topic: American identity revisited—restricting immigration.
W Feb15	Read After the Fact, chap. 11. Question to answer for discussion group: In the end, why do you think Sacco and Vanzetti were executed?	Discussion Day: “Sacco and Vanzetti: The Case of History versus Law.”
F Feb17	Read Murrin chaps. 25.	Topic: The Great Depression and the New Deal.
M Feb20	Read Murrin chap. 26.	Topic: World War II—defining a cause. Film: “Prelude to War.”
W Feb22	Read Juhnke and Hunter chap. 10.	Topic: War and American identity.
F Feb24	Read After the Fact, chap. 13. Question to answer for discussion group: How might ‘SOP’ help explain why the atomic bomb was dropped?	Discussion Day: “The Decision to Drop the Bomb: The Uses of Models in History.”

Spring Break

M Mar 6	Read Murrin chap. 27.	Topic: Origins of the Cold War.
W Mar 8	Read After the Fact, chap. 14; Juhnke and Hunter chap. 8. Question to answer for discussion group: How did the mass media of the 1950s portray women’s lives?	Discussion Day: “From Rosie to Lucy: Mass Media and Images of Women in the 1950s.”
F Ma 10	Study for Exam 2.	Exam 2.

M Ma 13	Read Juhnke and Hunter chap. 11.		Topic: Civil Rights movements
W Ma 15	Read Martin, Brown, 1-41, 121-26, 142-51.		Topic: Cold War civil rights.
F Ma 17	Read Martin, Brown, 168-223. For discussion group: Work on ideas for Essay 2.		Discussion Day: Brown v. Board of Education.
M Ma 20	Read Murrin chap. 28.		Suburbanization, and society. Film: “Divided Highways.”
W Ma 22	Read Murrin chap. 29.		Topic: Vietnam War. Essay 2 outline due.
F Ma 24	Finish Essay 2 outline.		Topic: Vietnam War at home; social movements of the 1960s.
M Ma 27	Juhnke and Hunter chap. 13.		Topic: Social Movements of the 1960s, cont.
W Ma 29	Read. Read After the Fact, chap. 16. Question to answer for discussion group: Why did some soldiers refuse to shoot, but then never report the incident?		Discussion Day: “Where Trouble Comes: History and Myth in the Films of Vietnam.”
F Ma 31	Read Murrin chap. 30.		Topic: A new age of mass immigration—myths and realities since 1965. Essay 2 due.
M Apr 3	Read After the Fact, chap. 15. Question to answer for discussion group: How are verbatim taped conversations not useful for understanding the past?		Discussion Day: “Breaking into Watergate: Plumbing the Presidency through Audio Tapes”
W Apr 5	Read Murrin chap. 31. Finish Essay 2.		Topic: 1970s-90s—The search for political authenticity.
F Apr 7	Read After the Fact, chap. 17. Question to answer for discussion group: What is one thing you learn about a culture by considering bodies as sources?	Discussion Day: “The Body in Question: Culture and History in the Shaping of Gender Identities”
M Apr10	Read Juhnke and Hunter chap. 12.		Topic: The U.S. in a Post-Cold War world.
W Apr12	Read Juhnke and Hunter chap. 14 and epilogue.		Topic: The U.S. in a Post-Cold War world, cont.

Friday, April 14: Good Friday; Monday, April 17: Reading Day

Final Exam: Thursday, April 20, 10:30 am.

Academic Support: Goshen College wants to help all students be as academically successful as possible. If you have a disability and require accommodations, please contact the instructor or the Director of the Academic Support Center, Lois Martin, early in the semester so that your learning needs may be appropriately met. In order to receive accommodations, documentation concerning your disability must be on file with the Academic Support Center, KU 004, x 7576, lmartin@goshen.edu. All information will be held in the strictest confidence. The Academic Support Center offers tutoring and writing assistance for all students. For further information please see www.goshen.edu/studentlife/asc.php.