HIST 3433.001--Jacksonian Era to the Civil
War (Antebellum
Fall 2016
Class Sessions: TR 2:30 - 3:45 PM HMH 223
Instructor:
Brad L. Duren, Ph.D.
Office:
Hamilton Hall 213
Email:
duren@opsu.edu
Office Phone: 349-1498
Office Hours: MTWR 10:00-11:00 AM; 1:30 – 2:30 PM
or by appointment
Instructor’s website: www.angelfire.com/ok5/historynerdherd
I. INTRODUCTORY COMMENTS
This course
examines the development of the
The underlying
objectives of this course include improving the student's
analytical/interpretive skills and building an increased awareness about the
complex nature of society, politics, and culture within
II.
COURSE COMPETENCIES
At the conclusion
of this course, students should be able to:
1. Know the major themes of
2. Understand how the political growth, major
events, and individuals affected the development of the
3. Examine and analyze historical documents which contributed to the establishment and growth
of the government of the
4. Identify and describe events, trends,
individuals, and movements which shaped the social,
economic, and cultural development of the
5. Analyze events and identify individuals who
defined and continue to impact the role of the
III.
ASSESSMENT OF COURSE COMPETENCIES
Students will be
assessed (evaluated) on their knowledge of the aforementioned competencies by
the following measurements: 1. Two major
examinations 2. Two book reviews 3.
Historical problems papers. Each measurement requires
satisfactory demonstration of the stated competency or competencies. See below for more complete
descriptions.
IV.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Attendance and
Class Participation
1.
Attendance is required. The
student is expected to attend all class sessions. STUDENTS WHO DO NOT BOTHER TO COME TO CLASS
WILL NOT PASS THE COURSE. We will be
covering a large amount of material in this course, so missing class is not a
good idea. Because of the smaller size
of the class, you are depriving your classmates and yourself each time you
miss. Understand that you are
responsible for any and all work missed and that the
nature of the course makes overcoming absences a major challenge. Things happen (illness, death in the family,
family commitments), but you will be held responsible for any
and all class material missed...no exceptions.
2. When
you do come to class, please be as coherent as possible. Do not sleep, work
on other assignments, or engage in small talk with your classmates. More importantly, BE
ON TIME. There is no excuse for being
late. I realize
that 2:30 PM is early for some of us, but if I can be here, so can you. Please arrange your schedules accordingly. In addition, ALL CELL PHONES MUST BE EITHER OFF OR SILENCED DURING CLASS TIME. If you refuse to put away your phones during
class, I will confiscate the phone and return it to
you when class is over…no exceptions!
Likewise, turn off your music and remove the earphones during
class. I will
not hesitate to confiscate those devices as well and return them to you when
class is over. Got it? Good!
3.
Classroom participation is an important element in both the
effectiveness and enjoyment levels of the class. Don’t just show up,
park yourself in a seat, and become one of the living dead. Don’t be shy! PARTICIPATE!
Discussion topics frequently reappear as exam questions, so engage your mind and take thorough class notes. A GOOD SET OF CLASS
4. Each
student is individually responsible for ALL assignments, lecture materials, and
for meeting submission deadlines on any and all
assignments. Absences are no
excuse. If you must miss a class
session, check with the instructor or a trusted classmate for any missed notes
or assignments. Grade deductions will be made for assignments handed in after the scheduled
deadlines.
Required
5. Keep
up with your reading assignments. There
are three required books for this course, and they are available for rental at the OPSU
Bookstore. Your REQUIRED texts are (1)
Glyndon Van Deusen, The Jacksonian
Era: 1828-1848;
(2) Sean Wilentz, editor, Major Problems
in Early American History and (3) David M. Potter, The Impending Crisis. I may also assign specific primary source material readings
or include some handout essays for your perusal. Reading assignments will be
announced at each class session.
If you do not read your assigned chapters before class, the lectures and
discussions will make little sense, as lectures will not come straight from the
books. The reading may seem heavy at
times, but hey, this is an upper-division history course. Historians read...a lot.
Major Examination Information
6.
There will be two major examinations comprised of identification and
essay questions derived from your readings, class lectures, and class
discussions.
Each exam is worth
100 possible points:
*Essay--50 points
*Identification--50
points.
You will receive a
study guide one week prior to each exam.
This study guide will include important terms (persons, events,
concepts) and two potential essay questions, one of which will appear on the
exam. In other words, you will have no
surprises as to the content of each exam.
7. The
instructor will supply answer paper for each exam. It is the individual
responsibility of the student who misses a scheduled exam to inform the
instructor IN WRITING no later than one class period after the missed exam to
arrange a make-up test. The
make-up test for either of the major exams will consist of different questions
than the regular exam. In other words,
YOU DO NOT WANT TO TAKE A MAKE-UP EXAM!
The date for the mid-term exam is Tuesday, October 18. The scheduled date for the final exam is Tuesday,
December 13 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM. All students must take the final exam at
the allotted time, as there will be no make-up on the final exam due to
time constraints regarding grade reports being filed
with the registrar before the holiday break.
THERE IS NO MAKE-UP ON THE FINAL EXAM!!!
8. You
will also do two book reviews over a topic of your choosing during the course
of the semester. The book reviews are
worth 100 points each. The books and
topics have been selected to give you an overview of
the historiography of particular subjects relating to antebellum
9. You
will also do three “historical problems” papers over the course of the
semester. Each topical paper will
address a specific historical issue, often controversial in nature. The paper will be four to six pages in
length, typed and double-spaced. This is
a “scholarly opinion” paper which calls upon you to
interpret the topic at hand based on readings and class discussion pertaining
to that subject. In other words, YOU are
the historian. You will then bring these
papers to class and share them with your classmates in an informal, but
scholarly, exchange on the topic. Each
of these papers is worth 100 points (75 points for the written work, 25 points
for in-class participation), for a total of 300 points or one-third of your
course grade. Don’t
just write the paper and blow off the class discussion...it is a two-part
project and the interaction with your classmates is half the fun! As with the book reviews,
there will be a ten point per day penalty on late papers. Potential topics for the “historical problems”
papers include: Jackson’s Indian Removal
Policy: Genocide or the Will of the
People?; Expansion
of Suffrage: Is it as good as it
sounds?; The Mexican War: Manifest Destiny or Manifest Greed?; Slavery:
John C. Calhoun, John Brown, Stephen Douglas or Abraham Lincoln?
The historical
problems papers are to be cited using Turabian Format, also known as Chicago
Style.
An excellent
resource with examples of the format is available at http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/DocChicago.html
I highly recommend that you consult
this website, become familiar with the style, and learn it. This site is very helpful, so bookmark it and
USE IT!!!
10. You are to do your own work on assignments and exams. Note that academic dishonesty in this course
will result in automatic failure of the course and that academic misconduct
will result in failure for a given assignment.
Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated
under any circumstances. If you cheat or
plagiarize any assignment (and I will catch you), you will receive a 0 for that assignment and I will ask you to drop the class
immediately. No
exceptions. Do
your own work and this will not be a problem. Plagiarism is defined as
"Verbatim copying of an entire paper or other assigned work, not writing
or composing your own work, submitting anyone else’s (student, friend,
professional, web) work, structure, or ideas, in whole or in part, without
adequate acknowledgement of the sources used to construct a paper or other
assigned work, giving or obtaining answers on a test." The
following includes, but does not limit, specific items that constitute
plagiarism:
1. un-cited ideas,
structure, organization, data, or information;
2. verbatim
passage(s) or phrase(s) not in quotation marks and cited;
3. submitting
another student’s paper or program or art or musical composition or design or
machine, etc. as your own.
4. submitting a
paper (etc) written by a spouse, relative, roommate, parent, etc.,
5. mosaic
plagiarism, i.e. plagiarized passages included in the author’s own work,
6. submitting a
paper (etc) so heavily edited by a tutor or anyone else that it is no longer
the original student’s work,
7. submitting the
same paper (etc) in two different classes without the knowledge and approval of
instructor,
8. using any source
without citation, including web/internet sources,
9. buying or
downloading a paper (etc),
10. having someone else do a substantial
portion of the work for you - called by some improper collaboration,
11. submitting any
work which you were to have created but didn’t as your own.
11. Grades for both book reviews and historical
problems papers will be based on the following scale:
A - The essay gives
imaginative treatment to a significant and striking central idea. The plan of the essay shows a strategy for
persuasion. Generalizations are carefully supported.
Details show originality, concreteness.
Sentences show a variety of patterns and are rhetorically
effective. Style is authentic and
demonstrates that ideas have been carefully analyzed.
B+/B - The essay’s central idea is interesting and significant. The organization of the essay demonstrates
careful planning. Details are specific
and sharp, and there is concern for showing rather than telling. Sentences show a variety of purpose and
pattern. Diction is
chosen with clear awareness of audience and purpose.
C+/C - The essay
has a clear central idea. The plan of
the essay is clear with an identifiable introduction and conclusion. Generalizations are
supported by details. Paragraphs
are unified and coherent. Transitions
are clear. Sentences make sense and
conform to conventional patterns.
Subjects and verbs agree. Verb
tenses are consistent. Punctuation is
conventional. Words are
spelled correctly.
D/F - Central idea
is weak and confused. Organization is
poor. Paragraphs lack unity and
coherence. Generalizations are
unsupported by evidence. Sentence
structure is confused. Errors in usage,
grammar, spelling, or punctuation are frequent or serious.
Additional Information (Additional Assignments, Grading Scale,
AWOL Students)
12. The instructor reserves the right to assign
additional class or take home assignment(s) as part of the course instruction
and/or extra credit. The instructor also
reserves the right to require individual conferences with students when
necessary, and/or have students redo an assignment.
13. I will try to incorporate audio/visual
material (in other words, TV stuff) during the course of the semester or have a
guest speaker or two. Nobody wants to
listen exclusively to me, and a little variety never
hurts.
14. The grading scale is as follows:
Based on a scale of 700 possible points:
2 Exams @ 100 points each = 200 points
2 Book Reviews @ 100 points each = 200
points
3 Historical Problems papers @ 100 points
each = 300 points
90-100% = A (630 total points and above)
80-89% =
B (560-629
total points)
70-79% =
C (490-559
total points)
60-69% =
D (420-489 total points)
Below 59% = F (419 total points and below)
15. Students who stop attending class without
officially dropping the course will receive a failing grade unless they
officially drop the course. NO EXCEPTIONS.
Preserve my sanity, your reputation, and your
GPA. If you decide or circumstances
warrant that you cannot take the class as scheduled, please obtain an official
drop/add immediately. Do not just stop
coming to class. It is not fair to you,
your instructor, or your classmates. If
you do not plan on attending class, get out now,
saving you money and me time! Here are
the important dates you need to know:
FINAL DAY TO CHANGE
SECTIONS—AUGUST 23
FINAL DAY TO ENROLL
OR ADD A CLASS—AUGUST 23
FINAL DAY TO CHANGE
FROM AUDIT TO CREDIT—AUGUST 23
NO REFUND ON
DROPPED COURSES OR COMPLETE WITHDRAWALS AFTER THIS DATE—AUGUST 30
FINAL DAY TO PAY
GRADUATION FEE AND FILE GRADUATION APPLICATION—AUGUST 30
BEGINNING DAY FOR
AUTOMATIC GRADE OF “W” FOR DROPPED COURSES—AUGUST 31
FINAL DAY TO CHANGE
FROM CREDIT TO AUDIT—NOVEMBER 3
BEGINNING DAY OF
GRADE OF “W” OR “F” FOR DROPPED COURSES—NOVEMBER 4
FINAL DAY TO
WITHDRAW OR DROP A CLASS—NOVEMBER 18
16. Requests for accommodation for disabilities should have been made prior to the start of the semester
through the Vice President for Academic Affairs Office (academic, i. e.
learning disabilities) or the Vice President for Student Affairs Office
(physical, i. e. mobility, vision, hearing).
However, if you think that you have a disability and are in need of
special accommodations, the instructor will work with you to provide a
reasonable accommodation to ensure that you have a fair opportunity to perform
in this class. Please advise the
instructor (and appropriate VP) of such a disability and the desired
accommodation at some point before, during, or immediately after the first
scheduled class period.
Reading Topic List
You may choose
books not found on this list, but you must get the instructor’s approval for
such books. Topics are available on a
first-come, first-served basis!
Arthur M. Schlesinger, The Age of
John William Ward, Andrew Jackson: Symbol of an Age
Richard E. Ellis, The
Crisis
Religious
Revivalism
Whitney R. Cross, The Burned-Over District
Nathan O. Hatch, The Democratization of American Christianity
Curtis D. Johnson, Redeeming
Economic Change
George R. Taylor, The Transportation Revolution
Peter Temin, Jacksonian Economy
Charles Sellers, The Market Revolution: Jacksonian
Reform Movements
Steven Mintz, Modernists and Moralizers
Richard J. Ellis, American Political Cultures
Robert H. Abzug, Cosmos Crumbling: American Reform and the Religious Imagination
Utopian Societies
Mark Holloway, Heavens on Earth: Utopian Communities in
Nineteenth
Century
Carl J. Guarneri, The Utopian Alternative: Fourierism in Nineteenth-Century
American
Romanticism
Christopher Lasch, The True and Only Heaven
Irving Howe, The American Newness: Culture and
Politics in the Age of Emerson
Harold P. Simonson, Radical Discontinuities: American Romanticism and Christian
Consciousness
Abolitionism and
Anti-Slavery
James Brewer Stewart, Holy Warriors: The Abolitionists and American Slavery
John McKivigan, The War Against Proslavery Religion: Abolitionism and the Northern
Churches,
1830-1865
Waldo E. Martin, The Mind of Frederick Douglass
Women
Ellen Dubois, Feminism and Suffrage: The Emergence of
the Independent Women’s Movement
In
Jean Fagan Yellin, Women and Sisters: Antislavery Feminists in American Culture
Nancy F. Cott, The Bonds of Womanhood
Family Life/Social
Life
Mary P. Ryan, The Cradle of the Middle Class
Thomas Bender, Community and
Social Change in
Paul Johnson, A Shopkeeper’s Millennium
Antebellum South
Bertram Wyatt-Brown, Honor and Violence in the Old South
Lacy K. Ford, The Origins of Southern Radicalism
James Oakes, Slavery and Freedom: An Interpretation
of the Old South
Northern
Society/Labor
Paul Gilje, Rioting in
Bruce Laurie, Artisans into Workers: Labor in Nineteenth-Century
Sean Wilentz, Chants Democratic
Manifest Destiny
Robert Walter Johannsen, ed., Manifest Destiny and Empire: American Antebellum
Expansionism
Frederick Merk, Manifest Destiny
and
Michael A. Morrison, Slavery and the American West: The Eclipse of Manifest Destiny and the
Coming of
the Civil War
The Second Party
System
Richard McCormick, The Second Party System: Party Formation in the Jacksonian Era
Harry L. Watson,
William H. Gienapp, The Origins of the Republican Party
Slavery
Eugene D. Genovese, Roll Jordan Roll: The World the Slaves Made
John Blassingame, The Slave Community
Charles Joyner, Down by the
Coming of the Civil
War
Michael F. Holt, The Political Crisis of the 1850s
J. Mills
Eric Foner, Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men
FORMAT FOR BOOK REVIEWS
I. Introduction
Identify the work which you are evaluating (author, title, place of
publication, publisher, date of publication).
Summarize it in general terms (subject of study, methodology, broader
issues with which it deals, importance to the field of these issues) and relate
your overall evaluation with respect to whether you find the argument(s) sound
or unsound.
II. Reconstruction
Discuss the work in
detail. Include the major thesis and any
central subthesis (subarguments) relevant to the position the author has
taken. Note the assumptions, premises,
conclusions, data and existing theory used to develop
and support the arguments. You should
summarize and quote directly from the author where appropriate, noting page
numbers when necessary with parentheses or using footnotes/endnotes (Chicago
Style format) to avoid plagiarism.
III.
Critical Analysis
On
the basis of sections I and II, critically evaluate the
work with respect to the strengths and weaknesses of the author’s position and
fully document your analysis. Again use quotes (parentheses or footnotes/endnotes) where
appropriate. In your evaluation, address
the following when relevant to the work you are analyzing.
a. The logical
development of the major thesis and the arguments developed in its defense.
Are
the assumptions made by the author(s) adequately defended? Are the premises on which the conclusion is
based acceptable, relevant and sufficient to support
the conclusion? Is a cause/effect
relationship proposed and adequately supported?
Are the arguments presented relevant to the author’s
intent?
b. Documentation
for the major thesis and the arguments developed in its defense.
Is
the thesis supported by relevant, accurate, and empirical
data? Assess the type of research that
supports the position. Are there
research methods more valid than the one(s) employed? Assess the degree of support in existing
theoretical and historical literature.
Does the author overgeneralize relative to his/her degree of documentation? What are the author’s credentials?
c. Presentation
Is there an
adequate distinction between fact and opinion?
Does the author’s tone suggest an “emotional” rather than a “rational”
appeal to the reader? Is
the information distorted to substantiate the author’s position? Are analogies faulty? Does the author stereotype? Does the author oversimplify the issue?
IV. Conclusion
Summarize your
analysis, including a restatement of your major observations concerning the
work(s) and your conclusions. Restate
your assessment of the work’s implications for the area addressed.
