HISTORY 4261-006 SPRING 2017 G.L. SELIGMANN
HISTORY OF ANTE-BELLUM POLITICS1787-1861
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I DO NOT DO TEXT MESSAGES
THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE QUOTES
“It has been frequently remarked that it seems to have been reserved to the people of this country, by their conduct and example, to decide the important question, whether societies of men are really capable or not of establishing good government from reflection and choice, or whether they are forever destined to depend for their political constitutions on accident and force. If there be any truth in the remark, the crisis at which we are arrived may with propriety be regarded as the era in which that decision is to be made; and a wrong election of the part we shall act may, in this view, deserve to be considered as the general misfortune of mankind.”
FEDERALIST 1, Hamilton
“By a faction, I understand a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or a minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.
There are two ways of curing the mischiefs of faction: the one, by removing its causes; the other, by controlling its effects.
There are again two methods of removing the causes of faction: the one by destroying the liberty which is essential to its existence: the other by giving to every citizen the same opinions, the same passions, and the same interests.
It could never be more truly said than of the first remedy, that it is worse than the disease. Liberty is to faction what air is to fire, an ailment without which it instantly expires. But it could not be less folly to abolish liberty, which is essential to political life because it nourishes faction, than it would be to wish the annihilation of air, which is essential to animal life, because it imparts to fire its destructive agency.
The second expedient is as impracticable as the first would be unwise. As long as the reason of man continues fallible, and he is at liberty to exercise it, different opinions will be formed. As long as the connection subsists between his reason and his self-love, his opinions and his passions will have a reciprocal influence on each other: and the former will be objects to which the latter will attach themselves. The diversity in the faculties of men, from which the rights of property originate, is not less an insuperable obstacle to a uniformity of interests. The protection of these faculties is the first object of government. From the protection of different and unequal faculties of acquiring property, the possession of different degrees and kinds of property immediately results; and from
the influence of these on the sentiments and views of the respective proprietors, ensues a division of the society into different interests and parties.”
FEDERALIST 10Madison.
“The other point of difference is, the greater number of citizens and extent of territory which may be brought within the compass of republican than of democratic government; and it is this circumstance principally which renders factious combinations less to be dreaded in the former than in the latter. The smaller the society, the fewer probably will be the distinct parties and interests, the fewer the distinct parties and interests, the more frequently will a majority be found of the same party; and the smaller the compass within which they are placed, the more easily will they concert and execute their plans of oppression. Extend the sphere, and you take in a greater variety of parties and interests; you make it less probable that a majority of the whole will have a common motive to invade the rights of other citizens; or if such a common motive exists, it will be more difficult for all who feel it to discover their own strength, and to act in unison with each other. Besides other impediments, it may be remarked that where there is a consciousness of unjust or dishonorable purposes, communication is always checked by distrust in proportion to the number whose concurrence is necessary.”
FEDERALIST 10 Madison
“Is it not the glory of the people of America, that, whilst they have paid a decent regard to the opinions of former times and other nations, they have not suffered a blind veneration for antiquity, for custom, or for names, to overrule the suggestions of their own good sense, the knowledge of their own situation, and the lessons of their own experience? To this manly spirit, posterity will be indebted for the possession, and the world for the example, of the numerous innovations displayed on the American theatre, in favor of private rights and public happiness.”
FEDERALIST 14 Madison
“But what is government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would e necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself. A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government; but experience has taught mankind the necessity of auxiliary precautions.”
FEDERALIST 51 Madison
The purpose of this class is not to cram you full of facts. Facts are important, but they are a means to an end—that of understanding meaning. In this course you will be asked to synthesize a variety of diverse and often contradictory facts and to question both their value and their meaning. Ideally this questioning will take place privately when you
study and contemplate the material and publicly in class. Classroom participation, if it is to be of value to all, should rest on a background of reading, studying and contemplation. It should not be a collage of unsupported opinions. AND IT WILL BE CIVIL.
IF YOU ARE NOT COMFORTABLE IN A CLASS REQUIRING CONSIDERABLE READING, ESSAY EXAMS, AND A TERM PAPER THIS IS NOT THE CLASS FOR YOU.
All students will be required to turn in seven (7) book reviews, five (5) of which will be the required texts for this course. These reviews will adhere strictly to the format which you will be given on a separate handout. Thesereviews will be due May 1, 2017.
GRADING:
Mid-term Exam 35%
Final Exam 35%
Term Paper 20%
Class Participation 10%
A curve will NOT be applied.
ADA STATEMENT:
The University of North Texas makes reasonable academic accommodations for students with disabilities. Students seeking accommodations must first register with the Office of Disability Accommodation (ODA) to verify their eligibility. If a disability is verified, the ODA will provide you with an accommodation letter to be delivered to the faculty to start a private discussion regarding your specific needs in a course. You may request accommodation at any time, however, ODA notices should be provided as early as possible in the semester to avoid any delay in their implementation, Note the students must obtain a new letter of accommodation for every semester and must meet the faculty member prior to implementation in each class. For additional information see the Office of Disability Accommodation website at You may contact them by phone at 940-565-4323.
TEXTS:
Yazawa, MiltonCONTESTED CONVENTIONS: THE STRUGGLE TO ESTABLISH THE CONSTITUTION AND SAVE THE UNION, 1787-1789
Elkins, Stanley and Eric Mckitrick THE AGE OF FEDERALISM:THE
EARLY AMERICAN REPUBLIC, 1788-1800
Smelser, Marshall.THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC: 1801-1815.
Howe, Daniel WalkerWHAT HATH GOD WROUGHT: THE TRANSFORMATION OF AMERICA, 1815-1848
McPherson, JamesTHE BATTLE CRY OF FREEDOM: THE CIVIL WAR ERA
READING SCHEDULE:
Jan.17-Feb. 21 Yazawa, Milton Entire volume.
Smelser, Marshall Entire volume
Elkins and McKitrick Entire volume.
Woodward, C. Vann “The Age of Reinterpretation” *
Key, V.O. “A Theory of Critical Elections”*
Feb. 28 MID TERM EXAM
March7-May 2 Howe, Entire volume
McPherson, Entire volume.
Woodward, “The Age of Reinterpretation”*
Key, V.O. “A Theory of Critical Elections.”*
May 9 FINAL EXAM 1:30-3:30.
* ON RESERVE UNT LIBRARY
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