Prerequisite
English 100/101 and History 220A
Course Description
This upper-division course considers the development of American society from the early national period through the Civil War. It will begin with an analysis of the problems of creating a national government and the relationship between economics and politics in framing the United States Constitution. It will explore the process and logic of westward expansion to the Pacific and the conflicts that occurred as affected peoples and societies responded in a defense of their cultures. A prominent element will be an examination of U.S. economic development and its meaning for the growth of sectional identities and distinctiveness. It will also explore the growth of the plantation system and slavery and the corresponding political empowerment of planter capitalists. It will evaluate the social, political, and military problems faced by the contending sides in the Civil War.