HIST140N: U.S. History from the Colonial Era to Reconstruction

This course will provide an overview of the political, social, economic, and cultural development of the United States from the Pre-Columbian Era through 1877. While a wide range of topics will be explored, emphasis will be placed on examining the European and colonial roots of American democracy; the Revolutionary War period; the Constitutional Convention and the evolution of the new republic; nationalism versus the growth of sectionalism; the Civil War and Reconstruction. In addition, this course will introduce students to a variety of essential skills such as discerning frame of reference in primary and secondary sources, hypothesis formation using the historical method of inquiry, writing persuasive essays, and documenting sources.