This course examines the fundamentals of American history by tracing the social, cultural, economic, and political developments in the United States and its core institutions from the Colonial Era to the present day. We will highlight the major principles and values of American Civilization – their origins, how they evolved over time, and the implications for the present.

We will not attempt to cover all aspects of U.S. history; after all, history is very long! Instead, we will focus on four crucial themes that Americans have visited and re-visited throughout their history –

• Democracy: What is democracy and how democratic has the United States been? How democratic should it be? How have the theories and institutions of democratic governance changed throughout American history?
• The economy and the role of government: How and why has the American economy evolved? What role should the government have in order to address economic transformations? To what extent did the rise of capitalism necessitate a reevaluation of American principles?
• Equality, identity, and diversity: What does the declaration “all men are created equal” mean and how should this principle be put into practice and enforced? Who belongs in the American nation? What values, beliefs, and identities have been attached to American nationalism and which ones excluded from it?
• U.S. relations with the world: How and why has the relationship between the United States and the rest of the world changed over time? What responsibility does the United States have to concern itself with populations and occurrences outside of its borders?

Studying history at the collegiate level involves something far greater than memorizing names, dates, and numbers – we must also interpret the meaning of the past. A key purpose of this course, therefore, is to cultivate critical thinking by examining why historical change happens and drawing out potential lessons for the present. Answering these difficult, yet exciting, questions can produce many different opinions and interpretations. As such, students will learn a basic knowledge of the historical method with its reliance on evidence, debate, skepticism, criticism, the recognition of bias, and the ways historians derive theories about the nature of the past. Please bring a willingness to participate to these class discussions. The instructor reserves the right to call on students randomly for participation. Incivility, unkindness, and disrespect of any kind will not be tolerated.

All required materials for assignments in this course will be provided free of charge in the corresponding modules.

SUU’s American Institutions Learning Outcomes:

Students will demonstrate skill with the following:

1. Use of Primary Documents – analyze, contextualize, and use primary source documents to understand the history, principles, form of government, and economic system of the United States;
2. Interpretation – explain and use historically, politically, and economically relevant information;
3. Communication – communicate effectively about the history, principles, form of government, and economic system of the United States;
4. Diversity – engage a diversity of viewpoints in a constructive manner that contributes to a dialogue about the history, principles, form of government, and economic system of the United States;
5. Integration – use historical, political, and economic methods to come to an understanding of the United States that integrates those viewpoints.

Grade Allocation

Exams – 50% of final grade

Two exams will be administered for this course; one mid-term exam and one final exam. For each exam, there will be made available a study guide a week before the exam date. Exams will consist of a mixture of multiple-choice, true/false, and written response questions.

The exams will be administered in-class. Stay up-to-date with the schedule on CANVAS in the “modules” tab for more information, including specific dates.

Assignments – 50% of each term grade

Reading responses (or “RRs”) are the most frequent graded assignment in this course. For these students will complete historical readings/viewings and submit a so-called “reading response” online to a series of questions posed by the instructor, all of which can be found in CANVAS “modules.” With the exception of Thanksgiving holiday, Spring Break, and exam weeks – most weeks will consist of two assigned modules. Reading responses will be graded periodically and entered as scores into the gradebook. Not all reading responses will be graded. Which reading responses are to be graded and which will not - is entirely random and not disclosed with the students.

Late work policy: Because students will have access to these modules in advance*, all late-work will be penalized* unless the instructor has been notified in advance about extraneous circumstances. Extremely late submissions (such as assignments completed for the first half of the course but submitted after the mid-term exam) will not be graded.

Critical thinking: Module assignments will regularly invite students to think critically about history and develop/share opinions about the past and present. Our goal is to ponder the significance of the past beyond mere facts, dates, and data. As such, each module will include various challenging questions of ethics/morality, interpretation, and significance for the present. Be prepared to develop and share these opinions in each assignment.

Extra Credit: For extra credit students may watch a selected historical film and write a 500-word response.

At multiple places on CANVAS such as the Home Page or in the “modules” tab under “Class resources” students can find an “extra credit film list.” This list contains films from which students may freely choose. Each film has a corresponding prompt to consider while watching the film. These 500-word responses can be sent to the instructor anytime at and a score will be awarded out of 5 points. Extra credit points will be added to the “Exam” portion of the grade. In other words, a score of 40/50 on the midterm exam can be adjusted to 45/50. Students may complete up to 2 extra credit assignments total throughout the semester. Thus, each exam can be improved up to 5 points.

Students may only complete extra credit if they have no missing assignments in CANVAS.

Response instructions:

• Access the extra credit film list on CANVAS
• Choose a film to watch
• Take note of the prompt that corresponds to the film you’ve chosen
• Write a 500-word response to that prompt
• Send the assignment to

Finally, the last module assignment of the course is optional. Students who complete it will get additional up to 10 points extra credit towards any poor scores on previous RR(s).

Course Calendar

*See CANVAS “modules” tab for specific dates

Week 1 –

Modules to complete:

• Read the syllabus

Week 2 –

Modules to complete:

• American Origins
• Origins of Religious Freedom

Week 3 –

Modules to complete:

• American Founding(S)
• Rise of Market Capitalism and the Entrenchment of Slavery

Week 4 –

Modules to complete:

• Andrew Jackson and Populism
• Origins of the Civil War: A Conflict over Slavery

Week 5 –

Modules to complete:

• The Civil War and the Lincolnian Revolution
• The Era of Reconstruction

Week 6 –

Modules to complete:

• Mass Immigration in American History
• Industrial Revolution

Week 7 –

Modules to complete:

• American Imperialism at the Turn-of-the-Century
• MID-TERM EXAM!
• Exam is in-class (see the “modules” tab on CANVAS for specific day and time)

Week 8 –

Modules to complete:

• The Progressive Era
• World War I

Week 9 –

Modules to complete:

• The Roaring 20s
• The Great Depression

Week 10 –

Modules to complete:

• The New Deal
• Communism as a Transnational History

Week 11 –

Modules to complete:

• Fascism as a Transnational History
• World War II

Week 12 –

Modules to complete:

• The Holocaust as Transnational History
• Origins of the Cold War

Week 13 –

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Week 14 –

Modules to complete:

• The Golden 50s
• Consensus Breakdown in the 1960s

Week 15 –

Modules to complete:

• The New Left
• The New Right

Week 16 –

FINAL EXAM!

Exam is in-class (see the “modules” tab on CANVAS for the specific day and time)

No modules due this week – study for the exam using the mid-term study guide!

Late work policy: Because students will have access to these modules in advance*, all late-work will be penalized* unless the instructor has been notified in advance about extraneous circumstances. Extremely late submissions (such as assignments completed for the first half of the course but submitted after the mid-term exam) will not be graded.

Regular attendance is required at all class meetings. Occasional graded pop-quizzes will be administered. You are required to notify the instructor if extraneous circumstances may necessitate an accommodation. In the case of a missed pop-quiz – and only for extraneous or school approved circumstances – students will be allowed to take the pop quiz in the instructor’s office during office hours.