Revolutionary American Politics

Catalog description

This course examines the continuing influence on US politics of the American Revolution and the changes that it brought to American public life, focusing on the period between late colonial America (the era of Benjamin Franklin) and the US Civil War—particularly the evolving political and constitutional thought of Abraham Lincoln. Students will engage a wide array of documents of political foundation and argument (e.g., constitutions, statutes, judicial decisions, speeches, and political essays) and a wide-ranging selection of the best and most creative scholarship.