United States History to 1865 Return to main page

Michael Trotti History Department 412 Muller  (607)274-1591

Readings
Writing
Ventures
External Sites

This is a survey course, meaning that it will not make any students into experts in the field, but will rather give you a certain kind of historical knowledge -- hitting the high spots in the history of America from the earliest days to the end of the cataclysmic Civil War. It is an amazing period covering the clash of cultures -- Native American, African, and European -- the war for Independence, the development of a nation, and the gradual ripping apart of that nation into two warring states.

I seek to expose students to the most important themes and moments in this period, but more than that, I hope to show you a little something about the historical method, the ways historians find meaning in the past. Far from being
simply about facts and dates, this course will open up a number of contentious historical issues, and in written assignments, it will ask you to interrogate the past.

Below are some of the readings, and an idea about what the written work is for the class. At the end are some very interesting websites I've found relevant to this course and its themes. Contact me if you have any questions!

  Readings for Fall 2009:

We will read the following books:

• Davidson, et. al. Nation of Nations: A Concise History of the United States to 1865. In addition to lectures, this will serve as our major resource for the course.
• Documents for U.S. History to 1865. I have gathered here a number of short documents to allow us to explore several particular moments in American history at greater depth.
• Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. A gripping and influential narrative of the life of a slave who "steals himself" from slavery. It brings the antebellum period to life and illuminates the experience of slavery.

Recommended Reading for all my classes:

• Strunk and White, The Elements of Style. This is not required, and I did not specifically order copies for the course.  It is, however, the most concise and helpful guide to strong writing, and I suggest that you purchase and read a copy.  The student bookstore always has a stockpile of them, as do most used bookstores in town.  It is cheap, short, and extremely helpful -- what a deal!
• Jules R. Benjamin, A Student’s Guide to History. This slim volume contains a host of helpful guidelines for success as a student of history.  Again, I do not require you to get this, but strongly advise it:  this book can help in every stage of this course and far beyond it.

Writing:

I require four short quizzes in this course asking you to define and give the significance of key terms from the class work and readings. Both the midterm and the final exam will consist of short answers and an essay. In addition, you will write a short paper on the film "Black Robe" and readings that will accompany it. You will receive more elaborate instructions on each well before they are due.

I have developed two webpages giving:

• brief tips on writing, and
• help on devising a stronger argument.

Please look into them (and/or come see me) if you need/want any further help.

Venture (ven´-cher), n. - 1. an undertaking involving uncertainty as to the outcome, esp. a risky or dangerous one. 2. a business enterprise or speculation in which something is risked in the hope of profit. v. - to take the risk of, brave the dangers of, dare [late ME var. of adventure]

Twice in this course, I will ask you to venture into a particular situation, text, or sources in an attempt to broaden your understanding of the experiences of various sides of our course. These assignments will not be as analytical as our other written work - the goal here is not so much to test your critical thinking skills as to get you to connect with and exploring this material.

Venture A (when underlined, you can connect here to the webpage for the venture)
This is a perusal and response to an essay on Revolutionary Era cartography and a collection of maps from the war era.

Venture B (when underlined, you can connect here to the webpage for the venture)
This offers a choice of responding to two sites: one on American political history of the Civil War era, and the other on the impact of the Civil War on two communities, one North and one South.

External Links to Sites Relevant to this Course

Revolutionary Generation:

• Documents from the Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention, 1774-1789
• The Charters of Freedom -- Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights
• George Washington Papers at the Library of Congress
• The American Revolution and Its Era: Maps and Charts of North America
• Thomas Jefferson Papers at the Library of Congress

Life in early-Republic New England:

• Martha Ballard interactive website -- an experimental site full of primary documents based around the award-winning book A Midwife's Tale by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich.

Southern United States:

• Documenting the South -- primary documents relating to the history of this region.
• Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writer's Project

Civil War Era:

• Mr. Lincoln's Virtual Library
• Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress
• Valley of the Shadow -- the Civil War in Pennsylvania and Virginia -- an especially rich and multi-layered historical website.
• Civil War Maps: 1861-65
• Civil War Photographs
• Sampler of Civil War Literature from Harper's Weekly
   

Also of Interest:

• Voting America: U.S. Politics, 1840-2008 -- interesting site with all sorts of political information throughout our history, particularly political maps that show sweeping changes over time.

This website is occasionally maintained by Michael Trotti. (Last update: 30 November 2009).