HIST 253 History of the United States since 1877

Course Overview

This class will present an overview of U.S. history since 1877. The class will explore general trends in political and social history, such as immigration, civil rights, and industrialization, as well as specific watershed events such as the Haymarket bombing, the Dust Bowl, and the Watergate scandal. Students will examine these events through secondary literature and a variety of online primary sources, including newspaper articles, films, music recordings, radio programs, photographs, advertisements, and posters.

Texts

Eric Foner, Give Me Liberty: An American History, Volume 2, Seagull Edition (New York: W.W. Norton, 2009), at the University bookstore at the Sir George Williams (downtown) campus.

Primary documents, all available online.

Assessment

Successful completion of the course depends on regular attendance in class, evidence of preparation and application, active participation in class discussions based on close readings of the required texts, and completion of all assignments on time.

Wikipedia Assignment - 15%

Midterm - 25%

Research Paper - 25%

Final - 35%

Participation

Attendance at lectures is essential-to complete all written assignments you will need information provided during lectures.

People who actively participate in class discussions during the semester will have their final grades raised by half a grade (i.e. if your grade based on midterms and research paper is a B+ your final grade will be an A).

Deadlines

The penalty for late papers and projects will be 5% of the grade per day. No extensions will be granted except in cases of a DOCUMENTED emergency.

Assignments

Wikipedia Assignment

Update a Wikipedia entry on post-1877 U.S. history. Choose an entry that needs refinement in content and explanation and concerns a topic you already know something about. Add 2-3 paragraphs conveying significant historical points, with details and references (at least 2-3 references). Grading will be based on historical significance of the information you added and the clarity of your explanation.

1. Go to Wikipedia Main Page and find an article on an aspect of post-1877 U.S. History.

2. Create an account (click on "create account" in the top right corner) and sign in.

3. Edit the article and save.

4. Email me the link to the entry you edited, including your Wikipedia username so I can trace your edits.

You have to follow Instructions on how to cite in Wikipedia, in particular sections on Footnotes, Embedded Links, and Images.

Midterm and Final Exams

Both midterm and final exams will consist of two parts, both based on lectures and assigned primary documents. Part A quotes will be taken from documents assigned before the break for the midterm, and after the break for the final. Three essay study questions will be given one week in advance.

Part A: Identify, situate chronologically (approximately), and briefly explain any THREE of the FOUR provided quotes from primary documents assigned for this class (worth 40%). Answer these questions about each: Who said it? What was he or she referring to? What major theme in post-1877 American history this quote relates to? Why are this quote and the person who said it important?

Part B: Answer any ONE of the TWO provided questions with a complete, well-organized essay (worth 60%).

Research Paper

Write a 7-10 page research paper analyzing an aspect of post-1877 U.S. history. Your paper must be based on at east 3 primary sources and use 2-3 secondary books and articles for historical context. Your paper should present a clear thesis supported by evidence and footnotes. For citation guidelines, use the Chicago Manual of Style Quick Guide. You may not use reference works as the main sources for this assignment, but look in Wikipedia and lecture notes/slides for further references to primary documents and secondary studies.

See writing checklist and suggested topics.

Policies

Plagiarism: Plagiarism is an affront to me and to your peers. Plagiarism is submitting work that is not your own as if it were yours. This includes copying material, even a few sentences, from published or unpublished sources, from the internet, or from another student without citing the source. It also includes presenting another person's ideas or paraphrasing the work of another person without citing the source. Plagiarism also includes handing in bought papers, papers obtained from free essay websites, or having another person write your paper for you. Anyone suspected of copying other people's work without clear acknowledgement, or of any comparable act, will be reported to the Faculty of Arts and Science for plagiarism.

Syllabus: I reserve the right to make changes to the syllabus during the year if/as necessary. Please check the online syllabus before every class.

SHAC Announcement

Students of History Association of Concordia represents all undergraduate students registered in one or more history classes at Concordia. We organize social and academic events; publish the undergraduate journal Historiae; and run a peer tutoring program. For information on volunteering, getting help with classes, getting published, or for upcoming events , check our website at: http://alcor.concordia.ca/~shac/index.htm (or access through the History Department site), or stop by our office for free coffee (LB-620.2). We can be reached at shacconcordia@yahoo.com.

Schedule

Use textbook chapters as background reading for each week. All assigned readings are available online. You are expected to print out the item so that you will have it with you in class.

Jan. 8. Introduction

Jan. 15. The Gilded Age (Foner, Ch. 16) - slides

Documents: Louis Ling, Address to the Court, Famous Speeches of the Chicago Anarchists (Chicago: 1912). Reprinted in Dave Roediger and Franklin Rosemont, eds., Haymarket Scrapbook (Chicago: Charles H. Kerr Publishing Company, 1986), 46-47.
Document: George Kills in Sight Describes the Death of Indian Leader Crazy Horse

Jan. 22. Limits of Freedom at Home and Abroad (Foner, Ch. 17) - slides

Document: Mary Elizabeth Lease, Speech to the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, 1890
Document: Rudyard Kipling, "The White Man's Burden: The United States & The Philippine Islands, 1899"

Jan. 29. The Progressive Era and World War I (Foner, Chs. 18 and 19) - slides

Document: B.E.G. Jewett (Evansville, Indiana), "To the editor," Detroit Socialist, 4 May 1878.
Document: A. Mitchell Palmer, "The Case Against the 'Reds,'" Forum 63 (1920): 173-185.

Feb. 5. The Twenties (Foner, Ch. 20) - slides

Document: Calvin Coolidge, "Government and Business," Foundations of the Republic: Speeches and Addresses (New York, 1926), 317-332.
Document: John Held, Jr., Cover of Life, 1926.
Document: Leon "Bix" Beiderbecke, "Sorry," 1928.
Document: Louis Armstrong, "Weather Bird," 1928.

Wikipedia Assignment due.

Feb. 12. The New Deal (Foner, Ch. 21) - slides

Document: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Inaugural Address, March 4, 1933.
Document: Joe Louis knocks out Max Schmeling, 1936.
Document: Orr C. Fischer, The Corn Parade, 1941.
Document: Walker Evans, The Fields family, Hale County, Alabama, Summer 1936.