Email: nancyzey@shsu.edu

Section Number: HIS 163.09

Section Number: HIS 163.12

*WELCOME TO TEAM TEACHING

This course is team-taught between Dr. Littlejohn and Dr. Zey. On some days we will lecture together, and on others we will lecture alone. Though each of us focuses on different subjects, we make assignments and grade together. You may attend the office hours of either instructor. You may also email us with questions at our individual addresses (littlejohn@shsu.edu or nancyzey@shsu.edu) or at littlejohnzey@gmail.com, which reaches both of us simultaneously.  The advantage of team teaching is that the course is more dynamic and interesting for you. Enjoy the class!

*COURSE DESCRIPTION

HIS 163 is the first part of a two-semester course on the history of the United States. This class offers students an introductory survey of the chief cultural, environmental, intellectual, and political developments in North America between 1400 and 1876.

HIS 163 focuses on four primary topics: 1) the meeting of European, Amerindian, and African cultures during the Age of Exploration; 2) the establishment of the English colonial system in North America; 3) the development of the American Revolution and early Republic; and, 4) the expansion, fracturing, and reconstruction of the American nation in the mid-nineteenth century.

Another key focus is the study of ordinary Americans who became extraordinary.  In addition to a biography of Sam Houston, the namesake of our university, we will read the personal narratives of Benjamin Franklin, Indian captives, and former slaves.  Hands-on history, including field trips and the examination of historical documents, is an important component of this course.  By studying our past, you will understand more clearly how we became who we are today. 

*LEARNING OUTCOMES

1) Students will gain factual knowledge. Students will gain a more in-depth understanding of the periods covered in this course, including the Age of Exploration, the Colonial period, the American Revolution, the Early Republic, the Civil War, and Reconstruction.

2) Students will learn fundamental principles, generalizations, and theories. Students will be taught the fundamental principles of historical scholarship as they encounter traditional and recent interpretations of the American past.

3) Students will learn to analyze and critically evaluate ideas, arguments, and points of view. Students will learn to evaluate primary documents and secondary sources as they consider conflicting historical interpretations.

*REQUIRED BOOKS

Sam Houston and the American Southwest (3rd. edition) – Randolph B. Campbell
Purchase at local bookstores or online: $20.67; ISBN-10: 0-321-38572-1

American Narratives
Purchase in History Department office – AB4, Room 441: $20.00

American Saga: 1607-1877 – James S. Olson
Purchase in History Department office – AB4, Room 441: $20.00

In addition to the books listed above, you will be assigned various primary documents and scholarly articles over the course of the semester. These readings should be completed by the date they appear on the syllabus.

A note on reading assignments: Professors and students often play a cat and mouse game when it comes to assigned readings. While some students read every word the professor assigns, many skim through the pages and some skip the assignment altogether. As much as humanly possible, strive to be the student who reads everything at least once. Even if you don’t enjoy the chapter or book, you need to read the assignment in order to complete coursework and participate in discussions. Quizzes are a common way of encouraging students to read and “getting” those who don’t. Though we find them unpleasant to write, read, and grade, we will give them if there appears to be an epidemic of non-reading. It is the responsibility of the student to obtain required books and complete all reading assignments on time. 

*COURSEWORK AND GRADING

*COURSEWORK DESCRIPTION

Exams: Each exam will cover the section of the course immediately preceding it and will be based on class lectures as well as assigned readings. Part of each exam will be objective (e.g., multiple choice or matching) to test your factual knowledge, and part will be in the form of short responses and/or essay.  Written responses test your factual knowledge and give you an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to synthesize and analyze information. Please note: Make-ups will not be given except for excused University absences.  All make-ups will be in the form of an essay exam and be administered on Dead Day.  Review sheets will be posted before each exam. 

Independence Project:  In this assignment you will work with classmates to analyze the rough draft and final version of the Declaration of Independence to determine why changes were made.  A portion of the class will be devoted to this project over several days, but one section involves outside written work.

Course Portfolio: Because so much of the class focuses on assigned readings, you are expected to contribute thoughtfully and regularly to discussions. To help you keep track of your contributions, you will keep a “Course Portfolio,” which can also include attendance at educational University events. We will make periodic announcements about such events and offer recommendations about films, History Channel programs, etc. that you can pursue for outside participation. Also, from time to time you will be given a question to think about as you read and asked to compose a brief written response. Some questions will involve detection of facts while others ask you to engage critically with the text/document. To obtain full credit, responses must fill (at a minimum) the space allotted.  Moreover, they must fully address the question(s) and demonstrate thorough knowledge of the reading.  Periodically, you will be assigned in-class responses to readings due that day. Participation in class and in writing over the semester will help you become a better reader, writer, and thinker. 

Please note: Outside participation opportunities are especially helpful for those who are too shy to speak up in class. At the end of the semester, full credit will be given to those students who make informed comments, ask thoughtful questions, demonstrate preparedness, and actively involve themselves throughout the semester. Full credit also depends on consistent civility—please see “Classroom Rules of Conduct” below.

*ATTENDANCE

Either you or some kind third-party is paying a lot of money for you to be enrolled in this course. Divide the amount paid for the course by the total number of times we meet, and write that amount down every time you miss class. That was money spent for no return benefit.  And the class loses out, too, by not having your contributions that day. Make the course a success and make the most of your investment by coming to every class. Attendance is required and will be taken at the start of class.  Anyone arriving after attendance has been taken will be counted absent as will those who leave early without informing me in advance. You will also be keeping track of your attendance and make a note in the Course Journal about the reason for your absence—no need to inform me unless you are going to be out for a prolonged period. Please note: Students who miss more than three classes may receive a grade reduction at the end of the term. Students who miss more than six classes will be recommended to drop the course altogether.

Section 51.911(b) of the Texas Education Code requires that an institution of higher education excuse a student from attending classes or other required activities, including examinations, for the observance of a religious holy day, including travel for that purpose. A student whose absence is excused under this subsection may not be penalized for that absence and shall be allowed to take an examination or complete an assignment from which the student is excused within a reasonable time after the absence.  SHSU policy 861001 provides the procedure to be followed by the student and instructor.  A student desiring to absent himself/herself from a scheduled class in order to observe (a) religious holy day(s) shall present to the instructor involved a written statement concerning the religious holy day(s). This request must be made in the first fifteen days of the semester in which the absence(s) will occur. The instructor will complete a form notifying the student of a reasonable timeframe in which the missed assignments and/or examinations are to be completed.

*COMMUNICATION

You are expected to check your University email and check our class Blackboard page at least once a day (check either early in the evening or early in the morning in case we post a “Class Cancelled” announcement).  For email, you can either go to Blackboard or send directly to nancyzey@shsu.edu or littlejohn@shsu.edu, or to our joint email address: littlejohnzey@gmail.com.

*CLASSROOM RULES OF CONDUCT

Students must to adhere to the SHSU Code of Student Conduct, which can be found at https://www.shsu.edu/students/guide/dean/codeofconduct.html. And within this classroom, students must also demonstrate civility at all times.  In other words, please do not come in late, leave early, text message, sleep, whisper, do Sudoku, or anything else that disrupts the class or distracts us.  Civility must also be maintained in all communications with us and with other classmates whether online or in person.  Keep in mind that this class is a community, and the community cannot function if we don’t all show basic courtesy and respect and devote our full attention to each other during the time we’re together. Students who demonstrate incivility may be asked to complete additional assignments and/or leave the classroom.

*SAM CENTER

You are very fortunate to be enrolled at SHSU, which has an outstanding academic resource to help you succeed as a student: the SAM Center.  The SAM Center is now located in CHSS (the new building across from AB4) in Suite 170 on the first floor. The SAM Center offers academic advising and counseling for numerous issues. They also offer an excellent study skills course during the semester.  Visit their website for more information: http://www.shsu.edu/~sam_www/. If anything is getting in the way of your academic success, the friendly people here will do their best to help you.  In some cases, we may require you to go.

*WRITING CENTER AND READING CENTER

For those who need help with any writing assignment or such things as job applications (even creative writing), go to Farrington 111. Visit the Writing Center’s website: http://www.shsu.edu/~wctr/. For those who need help with reading strategies, go to the Reading Center located in Farrington 109. See their website: http://www.shsu.edu/~rdg_www/. As with the SAM Center, we may require you to visit one or both of these resources.

*ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

The University expects all students to engage in all academic pursuits in a manner that is above reproach. Students are expected to maintain complete honesty and integrity in the academic experiences both in and out of the classroom.  Any student found guilty of dishonesty in any phase of academic work will be subject to disciplinary action.

5.31 The University and its official representatives, acting in accordance with Subsection 5.32, may initiate disciplinary proceedings against a student accused of any form of academic dishonesty including, but not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, collusion, and the abuse of resource materials.
"Cheating" includes the following and similar actions:
(1) Copying from another student's test paper, laboratory report, other report, or computer files, data listings, and/or programs.
(2) Using, during a test, materials not authorized by the person giving the test.
(3) Collaborating, without authorization, with another student during an examination or in preparing academic work.
(4) Knowingly, and without authorization, using, buying, selling, stealing, transporting, soliciting, copying, or possessing, in whole or in part, the contents of an unadministered test.
(5) Substituting for another student, permitting any other person, or otherwise assisting any other person to substitute for oneself or for another student in the taking of an examination or test or the preparation of academic work to be submitted for academic credit.
(6) Bribing another person to obtain a test or information about an unadministered test.
(7) Purchasing, or otherwise acquiring and submitting as one's own work any research paper or other writing assignment prepared by an individual or firm. This section does not apply to the typing of the rough and/or final versions of an assignment by a professional typist.

5.32 "Plagiarism" means the appropriation and the unacknowledged incorporation of another's work or idea into one's own work offered for credit.
5.33 "Collusion" means unauthorized collaboration with another person in preparing work for credit.
5.34 "Abuse of resource materials" means the mutilation, destruction, concealment, theft or alteration of materials provided to assist students in the mastery of course materials.
5.35 “Academic work” means the preparation of an essay, dissertation, thesis, report, problem, assignment, or other project that the student submits as a course requirement or for a grade.

2.00 PROCEDURES IN CASES OF ALLEGED ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
2.01 Procedures for discipline due to academic dishonesty shall be the same as in disciplinary actions specified in The Texas State University System Rules and Regulations and Sam Houston State University Student Guidelines except that all academic dishonesty actions shall be first considered and reviewed by the faculty member teaching the class. The faculty member may impose failure or reduction of a grade in a test or the course, and/or performing additional academic work not required of other students in the course. If the faculty member believes that additional disciplinary action is necessary, as in the case of flagrant or repeated violations, the case may be referred to the Dean of Student Life or a designated appointee for further action. If the student involved does not accept the decision of the faculty member, the student may appeal to the chair of the appropriate academic department/school, seeking reversal of the faculty member's decision.
2.02 If the student does not accept the decision of the chair of the academic department/school, he/she may appeal to the appropriate academic dean. The chair of the academic department/school may also refer the case directly to the academic dean if the case so warrants. 

*STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

It is the policy of Sam Houston State University that individuals otherwise qualified shall not be excluded, solely by reason of their disability, from participation in any academic program of the university. Further, they shall not be denied the benefits of these programs nor shall they be subjected to discrimination. Students with disabilities that might affect their academic performance are expected to visit with the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities located in the Counseling Center. They should then make arrangements with the instructor in order that accommodations can be made to assure that participation and achievement opportunities are not impaired.  SHSU adheres to all applicable federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. If you have a disability that may affect adversely your work in this class, then we encourage you to register with the Counseling Center and to talk with us about how we can best help you.  All disclosures of disabilities will be kept strictly confidential.  Please note: No accommodation can be made until you register with the Counseling Center and provide us with proper documentation.

*VISITORS IN THE CLASSROOM

Unannounced visitors to class must present a current, official SHSU identification card to be permitted to the classroom.  They must not present a disruption to the class by their attendance.  If the visitor is not a registered student, it is at the instructor’s discretion whether or not the visitor will be allowed to remain in the classroom.

*INSTRUCTOR EVALUATIONS

At the end of the semester, students will be asked to complete an evaluation of the course, but we welcome feedback about readings, assignments, and our instruction throughout the semester.  Let’s work together to make this a successful and rewarding learning experience.

*VISITORS IN THE CLASSROOM

Unannounced visitors to class must present a current, official SHSU identification card to be permitted to the classroom.  They must not present a disruption to the class by their attendance.  If the visitor is not a registered student, it is at the instructor’s discretion whether or not the visitor will be allowed to remain in the classroom.

*INSTRUCTOR EVALUATIONS

At the end of the semester, students will be asked to complete an evaluation of the course, but I welcome feedback about readings, assignments, and my instruction throughout the semester.  Let’s work together to make this a successful and rewarding learning experience.

*CHANGES TO THE SYLLABUS

This syllabus is your contract for the course. We will not change the nature of the course, the number of assignments, or the grading system. However, we reserve the right to update the course schedule and reading assignments throughout the term.

*DATES FOR EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Thursday, February 5: Trip to the Caddoan Mounds and Mission Tejas [ photos ] | 9 to 5

Saturday, February 28: Sam Houston Symposium, Sam Houston Memorial Museum | 9 to 5

Monday, March 2: March to Sam Houston's Grave, Austin Hall to Oakwood Cemetery | 10:15 to 12:30

Other dates to be announced

Below is a list of weekly reading assignments. The readings are due on the day they appear.  For example, the first reading assignments are “Kevin A. Miller’s “Why Did Columbus Sail?” and excerpts from Columbus’s journal. They will be due the day they appear in the schedule: Thursday, 1/15. 

Jan 13 – Class Introduction: The Duel
Online Module: The Duel [ html ]

Jan 15 – Reconceptualizing the Past: The Diamond Thesis and Facing East From Indian Country
Video: Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs, and Steel, watch first two minutes [ video ]
Reading: Jared Diamond, “Human History . . . for the Last 13,000 Years” [ html ] 
Resource: Charts to Accompany Jared Diamonds article [ html ]
Question: Jared Diamond says that environmental factors outweigh biological factors in the broader span of history. What does this mean? And, what did you find most interesting about the reading?

Jan 20 – Columbus and Contact
Reading: Kevin A. Miller, “Why Did Columbus Sail?” [ pdf ]
Reading: Excerpts from Columbus’s Journal [ html ]
Film: Columbus and the Taino [ video ]
Question: What were the spiritual/religious origins of Columbus's epic voyage in 1492?

Jan 22 – Virginia Settlement: “The Jamestown Fiasco” and the Rise of African Slavery
Reading: Edmund Morgan, “Jamestown Fiasco” [ pdf ]
Online Handout: Slave Codes in Virginia  [ pdf ]
Website: Africans in America: The Terrible Transformation [ html ]
Website: James River Plantations  [ html ]
Question: What is a fiasco? And, what does Edmund Morgan call early Jamestown a fiasco?

Jan 27 – Massachusetts Settlement, French Imperialism, and the Iroquois Confederacy
Reading: American Saga, chapters 1 and 2
Question: Compare the reasons for English settlement in Virginia and Massachusetts focusing special attention on the role religion played.

Jan 29 – Massachusetts Development and King Philip’s War
Reading: Father Bressani from American Narratives, pages 60-72.
Question: Pretend that you are one of the Iroquois Indians who took Father Bressani captive. Now give a brief version of the story of his captivity from your (the Indian) perspective.

Feb 3 – Indian Captivity, Salem Witch Trials, and Bacon's Rebellion
Reading: Mary Rowlandson from American Narratives, pages 73-106.
Online Module: Salem Witch Trials [ html ]
Question: Why does Mary Rowlandson view the Indians who take her captive in the way that she does? How does she view Indians who have converted to Christianity?

Feb 5 – Trip to Mission Tejas and the Caddoan Mounds
The Caddoan Mounds and Mission Tejas [ photos ] [ map ] | 9 to 5

Feb 10 – Pennsylvania and the Middle Colonies
Reading: David Hackett Fischer, " Divergence in Four Colonial Cultures" [ pdf ]
Optional Reading: Patricia Hudson, "Penning A Legacy" [ pdf ]

Feb 12: EXAM ONE | REVIEW SHEET [ pdf ]

Unit II Course Portfolio [ pdf download ]
Handout: Declaration of Independence Project, due on February 26
Handout: Constitutional Questions, due March 19

Feb 17: British North America in the Eighteenth Century
Reading: Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Part I (123-150 in American Narratives--our pagination)
Question: How does Franklin come across as an "Englishman"?  How does Franklin come across as an "American"?  Include specific examples from the reading. 

Feb 19: The Great War for the Empire
Reading: No reading assignment, continue Benjamin Franklin.
Film: Clips from Last of the Mohicans

Feb 24: Colonial Resistance to British Authority, 1763-1774
Reading: Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Part II (150-188 in American Narratives--our pagination)
Question: How does Franklin make a name for himself in Philadelphia as a printer and a as citizen?  Include specific examples from the reading.
Reading: American Saga, pages 36-43
Debate: Colonial and Brits on Stamp Act

Feb 26: The Radical Revolution and Declaration of Independence, 1774-1776
Assignment: Independence Project Due

March 3: The American Revolutionary War
Watch trailer for "The Patriot" [ link ]
Reading: 1 page review of "The Patriot" [ link ]
Reading: American Mythbuster: A July 4 Interview with Ray Raphael [ link ]
Reading: American Saga, 45-46

March 5: Revolutionary Women and Republican Mothers
Reading: Linda Kerber, "The Republican Mother" [ pdf ]
Question: What was the traditional view of women's role in a nation?  What new role did "Republican Mothers" have in the new nation Americans created?

March 9 -15: Spring Break

March 17: Confederation and Shays's Rebellion
Reading: Alden T. Vaughan, "The 'Horrid and Unnatural Rebellion' of Daniel Shays" [ link ]
Question: What were the roots of Shays's Rebellion? Were Daniel Shays and his men justified in taking the actions that they did? Why or why not?

March 19: The Constitutional Convention and Ratification Debates
Reading: American Saga, 47-53
Reading: The Constitution of the United States [ link ]
Assignment: Constitutional Questions Due

March 24: The First Party System
Reading: American Saga, 53-59
Reading: Stuart Leibiger, "Founding Friendship" [ link ]
Question: Describe the changes that occurred in the relationship between George Washington and James Madison. Were the changes the result of political issues? If so, what issues divided the two men?
Debate: Federalists and Republicans

March 26: EXAM TWO | REVIEW SHEET [ see study terms in blackboard]

Unit III Course Portfolio [ pdf download ]
Handout: Sam Houston Assignment, due April 21 [ pdf ]

March 31: American Slavery
Optional Resource: Texas Slavery Project [ html ]

April 2: The World of Thomas Jefferson
Reading: Drew McCoy, "Jefferson and the Empire of Liberty" [ html ]
Reading: Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Virginia, Query XIV on race [ pdf ]
Optional Resources on Jefferson: Biography [ html ]; Monticello [ html ]; Exhibition [ html ]
Question: According to Drew McCoy, Thomas Jefferson believed that three essential conditions were necessary to create and sustain a republican political economy. What were these conditions? Explain.

April 7: Awakenings and Anti-Slavery
Reading: Incidents in the Live of A Slave Girl, chapters I-II (275-279), VIII and IX (292-296)
Optional Resource: The Revival Experience [ html ]
Image: Liberator Masthead [ link ]
Primary Source: William Lloyd Garrison, Inaugural Editorial, "The Liberator" [ html ]
What was it like growing up in slavery? What did slaves learn about life in the North and South?

April 9: Nat Turner's Rebellion and the Market Revolution
Reading: Incidents in the Live of A Slave Girl, chapters XII-XIII (300-306)
Reading II: Scott French, The Confessions of Nat Turner [ html ]
Reading III: Market Revolution, TBA

April 14: Utopian Communities
Reading: Incidents in the Live of A Slave Girl, chapters XXI-XXIII (321-325)
Skim Louisa May Alcott, "Transcendental Wild Oats" [ pdf ]

April 16: North and South, 1815-1848
Reading: Incidents in the Live of A Slave Girl, chapters XXX (338-340) and XXXV (345-346)
Reading: James McPherson, Differences Between the Antebellum North and South [ pdf ]
Reading: Henry Box Brown [ html ]

April 21: Sam Houston’s National Significance
Sam Houston Assignment due April 21 [ pdf ]

April 23: Sam Houston Memorial Museum Tour

April 28: The Tumultuous 1850s
Reading: Incidents in the Live of A Slave Girl, chapters XL (351-353)
Reading: American Saga, 109-124.
Question: Harriett Jacobs speaks strongly against the Fugitive Slave Law. How did proslavery Southerners defend it, and what did Northern states pass to counteract its effects (American Saga, 114)?

April 30: The Civil War, 1861-1865
Reading, American Saga, 125-137
Question: How did Abraham Lincoln's position on slavery change during the Civil War? Focus on three critical points in his political career.
1) Before and during the Election of 1860 (American Saga, 123)
2) With the Emancipation Proclamation, Sept 1862 - Jan 1863 (American Saga, 134-135)
3) With the end of the War (American Saga, 136-137)

May 5: Reconstruction, 1865-1877
Reading: American Saga,
Optional Website: Reconstruction: The Second Civil War [ html ]
Question: How did the Civil War change the landscape for Native and African Americans?

May 7: Exam III