History 1877

The United States to 1877

Fall 2005

Department of History, University of Houston

Announcement:
Due to Hurricane Rita, the Midterm Examination is postponed
until Thursday, October 6.
In class on Thursday, September 29, the instructor will announce review sessions and a new extra-credit opportunity.

Instructor:

Steven Mintz

546 Agnes Arnold Hall

713.743-3109

SMintz@uh.edu

Course Description:
This course is a portrait of the basic forces that shaped American history from the country's colonial roots to its rise as a world power in the late nineteenth century. It is a story of explosive growth, enormous material achievement, and soaring idealism. It is a story, too, of injustice, prejudice, violence, and rinding disorder.

The first part of American history saw some of the nation's most shameful barbarities, but also some of its noblest efforts to achieve social justice. It witnessed the growth of the world’s largest system of slavery; virtual removal of Native Americans east of the Mississippi River, the conquest of a vast empire of land from Spain and Mexico, and the triumph of a new set of urban and industrial values. It also witnessed the defeat and final collapse of slavery, the birth of the American reform tradition, and the rise of new ideals of liberty, equality, and democracy.

Superficially, the history we are going to study in this course may seem distant and even irrelevant. Even at the end of our period, America remained predominantly a nation of farmers and residents of small towns. And yet the issues raised during this period of American history could scarcely be more important or relevant. These Americans were the first to confront challenges we still face: of urban and industrial patterns of life; the first confrontation between Europeans and people of what we now call the third world; and the ordeal of total war.

Online Resources:

	Digital History Website An extensive collection of primary sources, reference resources, and interactive materials in American history.
	Outline of American History An outline of the major events, themes, and issues in American history from its colonial roots to its rise as an industrial power in the late nineteenth century.
	Calendar of Lectures
	Review Sheet

	Caution Objectionable Materials Warning: Some of the film clips that we will watch during the semester contain scenes of explicit violence, sexual brutality, ethnic and gender stereotyping, nudity, obscenity, adult themes, profanity, and offensive language that might be found objectionable by some. There may be also be ideas or practices endorsed by specific motion pictures that some might consider immoral or amoral. All of these films, however, were already in wide circulation in the culture at large and are, in the instructor’s opinion, essential to understanding American cultural history. If these clips will make you uncomfortable, please do not enroll in the course.
	Important Dates Last Day to Drop a Course Without Receiving a Grade: Monday, September 19 Last Day to Drop a Course: Wednesday, November 2 Examinations Midterm Examination: Thursday, September 29 Second Examination: Thursday, December 1 Each examination will include multiple-choice, identification, and essay questions based on the lectures, readings, and other class activities. NO MAKE-UPS will be given under any circumstances. Extra-Credit Opportunities: Extra-credit opportunities will be announced in class.
	Class Policies: Attendance: Class attendance is mandatory. Academic Honesty: All work must be your own. In any case of cheating or plagiarism, the penalty will be flunking the course. For written work, keep your preparation materials, and be prepared to explain the meaning of everything you write. Any unacknowledged use of the words, ideas, insights, or the original research of another is strictly prohibited. Cheating includes (but is not confined to): • passing off someone else's work as your own • giving or receiving any assistance during an examination As a condition of taking this course, all required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com or a similar service for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers. Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: Your instructor is committed to ensuring that students with health impairments, learning disabilities, physical disabilities, psychiatric disorders, or other disabilities are able to successfully compete with non-disabled students. Students requesting an accommodation must contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester. Under UH’s policy, only students who are registered with the Center for Students with DisAbilities may request academic accommodations; students must also have an approved recommendation from UH’s Academic Accommodations Evaluation Committee. UH’s disabilities policy is available at: http://www.uh.edu/provost/documents/disability.html. Cell Phones and Pagers: Cell phones, beepers, or pages are a significant distraction and must be placed on vibrate or silent mode prior to coming to class. Do not answer phones during class. If you are expecting an emergency phone call, you must make arrangements with the instructor prior to class. Those using a cell phone must leave the classroom for the remainder of the class period. Students who repeatedly violate this policy will be dropped from the class. Disruptive Behavior: Any behavior that adversely affects the normal educational functioning or the professional standards of the class will result in failure for the course.
	Student Support Services: University Studies Division, 320 Student Service Center: support for students in transition, freshmen students on Academic Notice, Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) eligible students, pre-health professional students and prospective students. For helpful information, access the USD website at http://www.uh.edu/academics/usd. Academic Advising, available for declared majors in the college or department of their major. Center for Students with DisABILITIES, Justin Dart, Jr. "Live the Dream" Center for Students with DisABILITIES CSD Building # 568, Room 100 (832)842-7104: provides numerous academic support services to individuals with any type of learning disability, health impairment, physical limitation or psychiatric disorder. Learning Support Services, 321 Social Work: tutoring in most subjects and workshops in reading and study skills and exam preparation. University Career Services, 106 Student Service Center: computer-based career search tools and major choice workshops. University Counseling and Psychological Services, 226 Student Service Center: personal counseling and academic workshops in choice of major, time management, test anxiety, adjustment from high school to college, etc. Writing Center, 217 Agnes Arnold Hall: writing tutoring.