| WinterTerm 1998, History 350 | Professor Daniel Pope |
| American Radicalism | Download Word97 |
| Download Text-Only | |
| Office Hours |
Course Description
Course Format and Requirements
Course Texts
Course Outline
History 350 this term deals with movements and individuals from the American Revolution through the late 1800s. This is the first term of a two-term sequence. History 351, offered in the spring, will cover topics from about 1900 to the present. Although the two terms develop some common themes, they are independent and can be taken separately.
This course does not assume previous course work in American history; there are no prerequisites. However, if you find that either the class sessions or the reading assignments refer to concepts, events, etc. which are unfamiliar to you, please let me know, so that I can explain some of the context.
COURSE FORMAT AND REQUIREMENTS
Notes:
 | The syllabus here is rather tentative. There may be delays, digressions and alterations along the way. |
| 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. |
| 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. Although the class is likely to be large and it will be necessary to lecture most of the time, I shall provide as much opportunity as possible for discussion. Questions and comments in class are welcome. We will also try to provide an optional weekly discussion session to explore some of the issues in greater detail. |
A. A midterm examination, worth about 25% of your grade, Friday, Feb. 6 .
B. A short paper (4-6 pages typed double-spaced or handwritten of equivalent length) worth about 25%, due class time March 6. Paper options will be described on a separate handout.
C. A final exam, worth about 50% (10:15 Mon., March 16). I may offer a take-home alternative to the in-class exam.
D. Useful class participation (quality, not quantity) will weigh in your favor in borderline cases.
The following books have been ordered at the University Bookstore. Used copies are likely to be available at Smith Family Bookstore on East 13th between Hilyard and Alder.
Tom Paine Common Sense
Stephen Oates The Fires of Jubilee
William E. Cain William Lloyd Garrison and the Fight Against Slavery
Lois Banner Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Robert McMath American Populism: A Social History
Note: Three other books, William Styron, The Confessions of Nat Turner, Howard Zinn, A People's History of the United States, and Staughton Lynd, Intellectual Origins of American Radicalism, may be on the bookstore shelf for this course. Don't buy them yet; they are optional reading for the paper topics to be described on another handout.
There is also a readings packet (Packet 1) for this course. (There will be another packet, Packet 2, there also; packet 2 is for one of the paper topic options, so don't buy it unless you decide to do that option.)
Jan. 5-7: Introduction--Some Themes and Controversies
In these sessions, we will 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.
Jan. 9-14: American Revolution or War for Independence: Questions about Rights
Read: Declaration of Independence; documents in Section A of Readings Packet 1; handout on Trenchard and Gordon; start reading Thomas Paine, Common Sense.
In these sessions, we will ask what, if anything, was revolutionary about the American Revolution. How did social tensions within the colonies relate to the struggle against Great Britain? We will also examine the central text of the era, the Declaration of Independence and discuss what validity and relevance it may have had then and may have now.
Jan. 16-23: Tom Paine--the Nation=s First Radical?
Read: Paine, Common Sense and documents in Section B of Packet 1. (Note: Any edition of Common Sense will do, including versions on the Web. If you have the Penguin Books edition, edited by Isaac Kramnick (there are many used copies at Smith Family Bookstore), I strongly recommend Kramnick=s introduction as background material on Paine and his ideas.)
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 intellectual contributions, examining in particular the ideology of artisan republicanism he espoused.
Jan. 26-Feb. 2: Slave Revolts and the Case of Nat Turner
Read: Oates, The Fires of Jubilee (entire book)
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. Can Turner serve as an inspiration for movements of the oppressed? What is the relationship between individual psychology and group action?
Feb. 4: Alexis de Tocqueville's America
Tocqueville was probably the most insightful of the European travelers who wrote about the United States in the nineteenth century His ideas will form a backdrop for our discussion of social movements during the second half of the term.
Feb. 6: MIDTERM EXAM
Feb. 9-18: The Dilemmas of Anti-Slavery
Read: Cain, William Lloyd Garrison and the Fight against Slavery, Part One (Introduction) and Part Two, # 1-9, 13-16, 19-20, 24, 26-29, 32-34, 36-38, 40-41.
William Lloyd Garrison was not only the most prominent but also the most controversial advocate of the immediate abolition of slavery. In this section, we will look at some of the dilemmas facing the anti-slavery movement: Should abolitionists take part in elections and political parties? If so, how? What role should women play in the movement? Should the anti-slavery movement reject violence as a means of liberating slaves? What was the relationship between slavery and racism, and how should the movement respond to racism?
Feb. 20-Mar. 2: Women=s Suffrage and Feminism: Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Read: Banner, Elizabeth Cady Stanton (entire book) and Section C of Packet 1.
The appearance of a women's rights movement in the mid-nineteenth century and its eventual concentration on the demand for women's suffrage will be our main focus here. We will also look at Cady Stanton's life to analyze some questions about the relationship between the personal and the political, a persistent concern among radicals and those who seek to understand movements for social change.
Mar. 4-13: Populism--Mass Movements, Electoral Politics, the "Agrarian Myth" and American Democracy
Read: McMath, American Populism, entire book; documents in Section D of Readings Packet 1.