SPECIAL TOPICS: ANTEBELLUM AMERICA: 1789-1840

Course Description: The course will examine key issues in American history from the conclusion of the American Revolution to the end of the era of Andrew Jackson. Among the major themes to be examined are the formation of a working national government, the development of a political party system, early American relations with its neighbors and the major world powers, western expansion and settlement, the start of industrialization, antebellum reform movements, rise of a second party system, slave life and labor, and the growth of sectionalism. Students are strongly advised to have taken History 105 prior to enrolling in History 303 since time does not permit a comprehensive review of the essential background history for this period.

A special feature of this course will be the emphasis on class discussion. The two primary focuses of those discussions will be: (1) essays on important interpretative questions regarding antebellum American history; and (2) primary source documents from that era. A portion of most classes will be devoted to discussing those essays and documents. A number of quizzes also will be given on that assigned reading material.

Nature and Amount of Undergraduate Student Responsibility: The success of this course depends upon completion of the reading and writing assignments and participation in class discussion by the students. If a student falls behind in his/her work in the course, she/he will soon find it difficult to follow the subject matter of class discussion or join in it. Students should feel free to ask questions about unclear material at any time during the class. Students also should feel free to talk to the instructor about any course-related problems especially in cases when a student believes that his/her assignment grades do not accurately reflect her/his performance in the course.

There will be three types of graded assignments during the course of the semester: In-class examinations; papers; and quizzes. A description of each type of assignment and their intended purpose follows.

1) There will be two in-class examinations for this course. Students are required to take mid-term examinations tentatively scheduled for October 10th as well as the final examination scheduled for December 12th. On both examinations, students will answer two essay questions that the instructor will select from a list of three or four questions given to the class in advance of the examination date. The general content of these questions will be drawn from the topics dealt with in course reading and class discussion. Each question will be framed to encourage students to exercise their own judgment and interpretative skills in dealing with an important subject of historical debate. In addition to the essay question, there will be a number of short answer questions requiring students to identify and interpret short excerpts from the assigned readings. The subject matter covered on each of the examinations will not be cumulative. (Value: First Exam = 25% + Final Exam = 35% = 60% of the course grade.)

2) Students also will prepare a research project describing and analyzing the participation of an individual American in an historically significant event or activity from the period 1781-1840. The research report should provide the basic biographical information about the project's chosen subject and an in-depth description of at least one historically significant activity that she or he engaged in during the antebellum period. Students should prepare a two-page Aprospectus,@ briefly identifying their paper=s topic and a tentative bibliography by September 26th. Students are strongly encouraged to meet at least once with the instructor before submitting their prospectus in order to receive assistance in selecting their topic. The final paper for the project should incorporate information drawn from both primary sources and modern historical literature. The final paper should be from 8-10 typed double spaced pages and are due on November 30th. This assignment is intended to permit students to strengthen skills in selecting a feasible topic, finding and exploiting available sources, and presenting the results of their research. (Value: 25% of the course grade.)

3) In addition to the examinations and papers, there will be six 10-15 minute Atake-home@ quizzes during the course of the semester. The subject matter of these quizzes will be the reading assignment for that week. The format of these quizzes will be mini-essay. There will be no make-up for these quizzes but the instructor will count only the student's five best scores to determine this portion of the grade. This assignment is designed to familiarize students with the types of historical issues commonly dealt with on the examinations. (Value: 3% for each quiz = 15% of the course grade.)

In addition to the grades on each of the major assignments, elements such as effort, interest, improvement, attendance, and participation in class discussion will be weighed by the instructor in determining the final course grade. Failure to turn in a written assignment by the announced deadline, without prior permission from the instructor, will automatically result in a penalty in grading.

Nature and Amount of Instructor's Responsibilities: The instructor's goal is to have each class be a mixture of lecture and discussion. The atmosphere of the class will be kept informal to encourage general participation and a full variety of viewpoints. The instructor will make himself available during office hours and at mutually arranged appointments to offer students additional advice on preparing course assignments. Students are encouraged to take advantage of such assistance. The instructor also will prepare detailed guidelines for all written assignments. Grading is a necessary evil of the present academic system but the instructor has an obligation to explain the reason for giving a grade to a student and to suggest possible ways for improving performance on later assignments.

Required Readings: The five books listed below are required and are available at the IUPUI Bookstore. The bookstore has the annoying habit of returning unsold copies of course books to the publisher at mid-semester, so you are advised to purchase all the books as soon as possible.

1. Sean Wilentz, Major Problems in the Early Republic, 1787-1848 (D.C. Heath)

This reader is combination of both interpretative essays by leading scholars and excerpts from letters, speeches, articles, and books from the antebellum era. These readings will be the principal focus for the course's discussion sessions as well as the source for the course's six quizzes. Therefore it is very important that students keep up with their reading assignments from this book.

2. Noble E. Cunningham, Jefferson Vs. Hamilton : Confrontations That Shaped a Nation (Bedford Series in History and Culture)

The short volume presents both historical documents and scholarly assessments of two of the leading Founders, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. The work will be utilized to explored the ideological conflicts that resulted in the formation of the nation=s first party system.

3. John Mack Faragher, Sugar Creek : Life on the Illinois Prairie (Yale University Press)

A model of the new social history/community study, Sugar Creek examines the social, economic, political, and environmental development of a rural American community in the first half of the nineteenth century.

4. Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (W.W. Norton)

The autobiography of the best-known runaway slave in American history sheds light on both the physical and psychological dimensions of the slave experience as well as interracial dynamics in the Antebellum United States.

5. Harry L. Watson, Andrew Jackson Vs. Henry Clay : Democracy and Development in Antebellum America (Bedford Series in History and Culture)

In the same series as Cunningham book, Watson=s volume contrasts the political careers of the two central figure of the nation=s second party system: Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay. Although it is organized differently, the book combines scholarly interpretation and historical documents to examine the political culture of the 1820s and 1830s.

Course Schedule: The following is a prospective schedule of class topics, reading assignments, written assignments, and examinations: