Prerequisite
English 100/101 and History 220A
Course Description
This upper-division course examines the various peoples and the economic, environmental, cultural, and political forces that shaped American development from the period before Europeans settled through the American Revolution. It evaluates key ecological changes after 1500 and the shaping of North American colonial society by mercantilism, merchant capitalism, and the slave trade. In addition, the course analyses the results of the encounter between peoples of the old and new worlds, the regional patterns and cultures of colonial society, and their implications for the future American nation. It identifies sources of conflict and change throughout the colonial era and explores the economic and political problems that contributed to rebellion and the drive for independence. Major emphasis will be given to the recurrent movement of people as a defining characteristic of American experience.