H 105 American History I
American Origins through the Civil War
Section 28601, 3 Credit Hours
Fall 2010
Location: Cavanaugh Hall, Room 217
Time: Mondays and Wednesdays, 4:30to 5:45 p.m.
Instructor: Richard Gantz, Ph.D.
Office Hours: Mondays 11:00 to 11:45 a.m., Wednesdays 3:30 to 4:15 p.m. and other times by appointment. CavanaughHall, Room 313, Cubicle “T”
E-mail:
Course: This course will provide a broad survey of major political, cultural, social, diplomatic, and economic developments in America from the time of contact between Europeans and Native Americans to the end of the Civil War. The class will look at how and why people have reacted to events, movements, and ideas and how diverse peoples formed a new nation.
This course will seek to incorporate many of the educational goals as outlined in the “IUPUI Principles of Undergraduate Learning.” These principles include basic skills in communication, critical thinking, and analysis to understand society and culture. Just as America did not develop in a vacuum, history is part of a larger stream of human experience that includes art, literature, culture, science, different societies, religion, and technology. Students are encouraged to apply knowledge from other disciplines to the study of historical movements and events. A copy of the “Principles of Undergraduate Learning” is posted on the Department of History’s Home Page at
Text: Alan Brinkley, The Unfinished Nation, A Concise History of the American People, Volume I: To 1877. 6th edition (2010).
Assigned Books:
Edmund S. Morgan, The Puritan Dilemma: The Story of John Winthrop. 3rd edition (2007).
R. David Edmunds, Tecumseh and the Quest for Indian Leadership. 2nd edition (2007).
Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, Written by Himself. 2nd edition (2003).
Quizzes and written assignments will be based on assigned readings. Follow the reading assignments as listed in the syllabus; the instructor will note any exceptions to the published schedule. Check Oncourse for changes, assignments, and any announcements.
Semester Schedule:
August 23 – Introduction, The First Immigrants.
August 25 – Native American Cultures. Read Brinkley, Ch. 1.
August 30 – Europe & the New World, Virginia. Read Brinkley, Ch. 2.
September 1 – Pilgrims.
September 6 – Labor Day, no class.
September 8 – Puritans. Read all of Puritan Dilemma. Quiz over assigned reading.
September 13 – Middle & Southern Colonies. Read Brinkley, Ch. 3
September 15 – The Glorious Revolution.
September 20 – The Colonies Mature, Part I. Read Brinkley, Ch. 4
September 22 – The Colonies Mature, Part II.
September 27 – Causes of Colonial Unrest.
September 29 – First Examination.
October 4 – The Revolution. Read Brinkley, Ch. 5.
October 6 – The Confederation & Constitution. Read Brinkley, Ch. 6
October 11 – Establishing the New Government.
October 13 – Jefferson’s America. Read Brinkley, Ch. 7.
October 18 – Fall Break, no class.
October 20 – War of 1812. Read all of Tecumseh. Quiz over assigned reading.
October 25 – Nationalism in the Early Republic. Read Brinkley, Ch. 8.
October 27 – Jacksonian Democracy. Read Brinkley, Ch. 9.
November 1 – Jackson & Nationalism.
November 3 – Second Examination.
November 8 – Economic & Transportation Revolutions. Read Brinkley, Ch. 10.
November 10 – Reforming America. Read Brinkley, Chapters 11 & 12. Quiz over
assigned reading.
November 15 – Women’s Rights Movement.
November 17 – Nature of Slavery. Read all of Narrative of the Life of Frederick
Douglass. Written assignment due.
November 22 – Antislavery Movement.
November 24 – Thanksgiving Vacation, no class.
November 29 – Mexican War. Read Brinkley, Ch. 13.
December 1 – America Divides.
December 6 – War at Last. Read Brinkley, Ch. 14.
December 8 – Civil War.
December 13 – War Ends.
December 20 –Final Examination.
Grading: The semester grade will be based on the following elements:
Attendance and class participation10%
Three highest quiz & written assignment grades24%
First examination22%
Second examination22%
Final examination22%
The grading scale is as follows:
A+ 99-100B+ 87-89C+ 77-79D+ 67-69
A 93-98B 83-86C 73-76D 63-66
A- 90-92B- 80-82C- 70-72D- 60-62
Quizzes and Written Assignment: Quizzes over the reading assignments will be given in class on September 8, October 20, and November 10. The quizzes will be over the reading assigned for that day (September 8, October 20, and November 10). During the quizzes you may use any study notes that you have taken.
A written assignment will be due on November 17; details on this assignment will be provided later in the semester. Students should use complete sentences and an essay format in the written assignment. Back up your statements and conclusions with explanations, examples, and quotations cited from the readings. If you are ill on November 17, you may either e-mail the assignment to me or put it in my mail box in the History Office (Cavanaugh Hall, Room 504M). Make sure that you keep a copy of your paper. If you e-mail your paper, I will always e-mail you back that I have received and printed out your paper. A late paper will be dropped a grade step (B to B- for example) for each day that it is late.
Only the three highest 3 scores of the quizzes and written assignment will be counted.
Examinations: The examinations will cover the readings in the text, class lectures, and other materials presented in class in handouts and audio-visual presentations. Students will be expected to know significant facts, causes, and results in American history to the end of the Civil War. It is more important to know the sequence of events, since this relates to cause and effect, rather than simply memorizing dates. Students should also be able to use critical thinking to interpret and compare ideas, episodes, and movements from the different periods of American history up to 1865.
Cheating: Cheating, plagiarism, or fabrication of research or work will result in a zero for the paper, quiz, test, or project involved. This includes use of another student’s work or use of published and/or Internet materials without citations. Students will be expected to adhere to the Student Code of Conduct as adopted by IUPUI.
Attendance: Attendance and participation in class discussions are important. The entire class will benefit from your ideas, questions, and reactions. Each student will be allowed 2 absences for illness and family emergencies; a student’s semester average will be docked 2% for each absence after the first two. Students who leave class early, leave for a portion of the class time, are habitually late, or are disruptive will lose 2% of their semester average for every occurrence. Students must attend at least 16 classes to be considered for a passing grade for the course.
Makeup Policy: Except for the final examination, there will not be makeup quizzes or examinations. If a student has an excused absence due to illness or a provable emergency on a day of one of the midterm examinations, the other midterm and final test scores will be increased in weight to compensate for the excused work. A student must have written documentation to support an excused absence.
Cell Phones: Cell phones and other communication devices are disruptive to everyone in class. All cell phones and media communication devices must be turned off and put away during class.