US from Colony to Republic

Catalog description

Designed to introduce students to the practice of historical study, this course is a survey of the origins of the United States - from Europeans' arrival in North America to the founding of the republic. It is designed to offer students a broader understanding about how and why the United States developed into a nation-state, including the political, economic, social, and cultural factors that led to U.S. independence. The course is organized chronologically and will emphasize the theme of identity. Much as it is today, what became the United States of America was a tremendously diverse place in terms of race, class, gender, religion, and place of origin. These differences bred both conflict and accommodation among peoples who became "Americans," the results of which greatly shaped the early republic.