The United States from the Colonial Era to the Civil War

his course serves as a general introduction to the main events, themes, and movements in American history from colonization through the Civil War. It seeks to identify and explore the transformative social, cultural, and political moments of this long historical period. Thus, the course examines European contact, conflict, cooperation with and colonization of indigenous peoples; the transatlantic slave trade; coercive labor forms and slave revolts in the American Colonies and the United States; the context that led to, and consequences that came from the American Revolution; Native removal, genocide and resistance; western conquest justified by the logic of Manifest Destiny; immigrant and class conflict in the colonies and early republic; a redefinition of household and gender roles in early American society; the long road to Civil War. Students will also develop skills such as writing for a humanities audience, critical reading of primary and secondary sources, and argument-based discussion. In sum, this course introduces students to a wide variety of analytical tools and approaches to better understand the settlement of North America and the founding of the United States.