Syllabus: History 350--Fall 2006
American Radicalism
Daniel Pope Office: 331 McKenzie, ext.6-4015
Office Hours: 10:00-12:00 Tues,; 1:00-2:00 Wed. E-mail: dapope@uoregon.edu
Syllabus last updated 09/06/2006
History 350 (American Radicalism) focuses on issues, activities and ideas concerning movements for social and cultural change in the United States from the American Revolution through about 1900. This course does not assume previous course work in American history; there are no prerequisites. (History 351, to be offered Winter 2007, deals with twentieth-century movements. Although the two terms develop some common themes, they are independent and can be taken separately.)
Please look the syllabus over soon. The URLis: http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~dapope/350syllabus--fall06.htm . I suggest you bookmark it in your browser. You'll find it contains various web links as well as information about readings, requirements and class sessions. By the time of each class session, you'll find a link here to the outline for that class. The notes on the web are meant as a framework for your own notetaking and consideration of course material. They're not a substitute for class attendance and doing the assignments.
Books:
The following books are required. They should all be available at the U of O Bookstore. Paine and Oates may also be available at used bookstores nearby. Used copies of all of them are also likely to be available at local bookstores or on the web.
Tom Paine, Common Sense (I've ordered an inexpensive edition from Dover Publishers but any edition will do, and it's also on the web at http://www.bartleby.com/133/ .)
Stephen B. Oates, The Fires of Jubilee
Vivian Gornick, The Solitude of Self: Thinking about Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Martin Duberman, Haymarket : A Novel
The following is optional. Readings from it are required, but it's expensive so I'll put several copies on reserve in Knight Library. It will also be used in History 351 winter quarter if you plan to take that class.
Daniel Pope, ed., American Radicalism
I've also ordered some copies of William Styron, The Confessions of Nat Turner . It will be needed for one of the paper topic options. Don't buy it until you've decided that option is the one you want to choose.
Requirements:
A. A midterm exam, Monday, October 30. Midterm is worth about 25% of your grade.
B. A short paper (4-7 pages typed double-spaced) worth about 25%, due Wednesday, November 22 at class time. I'll distribute a handout with various paper topic options in the early weeks of the term.
C. A final exam, Thursday, Dec. 7, 10:15 a.m.. , worth about 50%. You'll have the choice of an in-class exam or a take-home final exam. The take-home will have to be submitted by 10:15 December 7, before the in-class final.
D. Useful class participation (quality, not quantity) will weigh in your favor in borderline cases.
Class Sessions and Reading Assignments:
Note: I'll post links to each class session's outline on this syllabus before (or soon after) the class. This syllabus will also link to information about assignments, study questions, etc.
September 25: Introduction--Some Themes and Controversies
Read: "Introduction: The Nature and Significance of American Radicalism," on line via the link here or in Pope, American Radicalism (pp.1-14).
In this session, I'll offer some definitions, note some themes in the history of American radicalism, and discuss claims that American history is marked by the absence of significant radical movements.
September 27-October 4: American Revolution or War for Independence?
Read: Start reading Paine, Common Sense;
Pope, American Radicalism , Chapter One "Riot and Radicalism in the American Revolution," (pp.15-49).
On line, read Declaration of Independence ; brief excerpts from John Trenchard and Thomas Gordon
In these sessions, we will ask what, if anything, was revolutionary about the American Revolution. First, was the winning of independence also a social revolution for Americans, one that changed basic patterns of life and social relations? Second, was the revolution an ideological revolution that altered fundamental ideas about the relationship between people and government?
October 9-11: Tom Paine--the Nation's First Radical?
Read: Finish Paine, Common Sense and read some of his brief writings--follow these links below:
1. Paine's "An Occasional Letter on the Female Sex" (1775)
2. Paine's letter on "African Slavery in America" (1775)
3. Excerpts from Paine's pamphlet on "Agrarian Justice" (1797)
Tom Paine's life and ideas make him in a very real sense the world's first professional international revolutionary. We will look at his life experiences and his political and intellectual contributions, examining in particular the ideology of artisan republicanism he espoused. Where would he stand on political and social issues today?
October 16-25: Slave Revolts and the Case of Nat Turner
Read: Oates, The Fires of Jubilee (entire book);
Pope, American Radicalism , Chapter Three, "Violence and Manliness in the Struggle Against Slavery," (pp.88-122).
We will look at the varying patterns of slave revolts in the Western Hemisphere and then discuss the Nat Turner revolt, examining motives, tactics and results. What is the relationship between individual psychology and group action? Does Turner serve well as an inspiration for movements of the oppressed? We'll also look at John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry, Virginia, another attempt to attack slavery by force, paying special attention to issues of race and gender.
October 30: MIDTERM EXAM
November 1-13: Elizabeth Cady Stanton: Women's Rights, Anti Slavery, Racism and the Right to Vote
Read: Gornick, The Solitude of Self
Pope, American Radicalism , Chapter Two, "Women's Networks and Women's Protest," (pp.52-87).
The movement for the immediate abolition of slavery in the three decades before the Civil War was the setting for new kinds of activism among both white and African-American women. But the anti-slavery movement itself split around 1840 over what role women should play in the movement. In the years following the Civil War and the defeat of slavery, the movement for women's rights had to decide whether to support citizenship and voting rights for African-American men or to insist that women's rights required equal and immediate attention. Once again, racism and conflict over women's place divided movements for social change. In the late nineteenth century, advocates of women's suffrage debated strategies and rationales for gaining the right to vote. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the most dynamic and philosophically profound advocate of women's rights in her era, confronted these and other issues for more than half a century.
November 15-29: Haymarket: Anarchism, Socialism and Radical Labor in Industrializing America
Read: Duberman, Haymarket
Pope, American Radicalism , Chapter Four, "Chicago's Anarchists and the Haymarket Bombing," (pp.123-169).
Throughout the nineteenth century the United States remained predominantly rural and agricultural. But especially after the Civil War, industrial capitalism made its mark dramatically on the nation. Conflict between labor and capital became perhaps the central issue in American society. In these sessions, we'll look at a major episode, the Haymarket "Massacre" of 1886. The event illuminates the development of anti-capitalist radical labor movements in the United States and the "Red Scare" that attempted to crush them in the aftermath of Haymarket.
Some Notes on the Course:
A. The syllabus here is rather tentative. There may be digressions and alterations along the way.
B. Unfortunately, the length of the assigned readings varies from topic to topic. Try to plan ahead, so that you don't find yourself too burdened when you have other commitments. You will find the class sessions more fruitful if you keep up with reading assignments.
C. The political and ethical implications of the topics which we study should be of personal as well as academic concern to you. Therefore, class discussion and your own thoughtful evaluation of the material covered are essential parts of the course.