American History to 1877

UPON COMPLETION OF THE COURSE, THE STUDENT WILL BE COMPETENT IN:

• Describing America prior to Columbus’ arrival.
• Identifying the origins and consequences of European exploration and conquest of the New World and contrasting settlement patterns of the Spanish, French, Dutch, and English.
• Describing the development of colonial institutions, life, and culture.
• Describing how colonial American resistance to British imperial policy evolved into the War of Independence.
• Discussing the course of the War for Independence including its effects on American economy, politics, and culture.
• Describing the development of representative government (and federalism) from the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
• Identifying the development and practice of American political institutions including the presidency, the judiciary, and the government’s role in the economy.
• Describing the development of American foreign policy from Washington’s Neutrality Proclamation to the Monroe Doctrine.
• Comparing and contrasting the commercial economies that developed in the North and South prior to the Civil War.
• Discussing the growth of democracy during the Age of Jackson.
• Describing the development of the distinctive culture of the Old South including the cotton culture, slavery, and relations between planters and yeomen.
• Describing the spirit of reform from 1830-1860 that led to the secession of the Southern Confederacy.
• Understanding the military, political, economic, and social features of the Civil War in the North and South.
• Discussing the strategies used to implement Reconstruction and analyzing their effects on black and white racial groups in the North and the South.