HIS 1215 - Survey of Early U.S. History

3 cr

The European colonization of the Americas and the subsequent emergence of the United States held tremendous consequences for the peoples of the modern world. Colonial regimes set in motion a chain of events that destroyed unique Native American cultures, and the demands of merchants and planters in the Americas fueled the African slave trade, one of the largest forced migrations in human history. At the same time, political elites and ordinary people participated in a transatlantic Age of Revolutions that introduced to the world new ways of organizing government and thinking about human rights. Students in this introductory survey course will study these foundations of national life in the United States. The topics to be considered include Native American cultures and colonialism; slavery and its destruction; the role of race and gender relations in American life; and the emergence of liberalism and nationalism in the modern world.
Fulfills the World Views Frame of Reference.
Every semester