AMH 2041:

Origins of American Civilization

Lecture: M & W 10:00-10:50; you must also attend a weekly discussion section on Fridays
Instructor: Peter Ferdinando
Email: pferd001@fiu.edu
Office: DM 392
Office Hours: M 8:00-9:00, W 11:00-12:00

This course covers the first three hundred years of American history (ca. 1565-1865), starting
with North America on the eve of colonization and ending with the Civil War. Throughout the
semester we will cover the multiple historical threads that weave together to make American
history. This will include topics such as the liberties of Englishmen, the ideology of the
Founding Fathers, the changes wrought on Native American society, the complex story of
African-Americans in the New World, and how women fared in post-Revolution America. Be
warned, this course count as one of your writing credits, and thus it is a reading and
writing intensive course.

To perform well in this class you need to do three things: 1) attend lectures on a regular basis,
lecture material appears on weekly quizzes in your discussion sections, 2) complete the weekly
reading and writing assignments on time, 3) adquately prepare for each of the papers. Also, you
need to maintain appropriate classroom behavior, e.g., do not answer your phone, whisper to
your friends, eat lunch, read the newspaper, study for your next class, nap, watch movies, text
your friends, twitter, check Facebook, or regularly arrive late or leave early. Such behaviors are
rude and distracting to both me and your fellow students. If you are late, please enter quietly via
the doors in the back of the room. Your TA may set additional rules for classroom conduct in
discussion sections.

All email communication must be through your university-assigned email address, other
non-university emails may bounce, go to spam folders, and generally do not arrive at their
destinations. During the week, emails will usually be answered within 24-48 hours. On the
weekend, emails will be answered as time allows. Be warned, the TAs and I exchange emails
from students. Do not tell them one thing and me something else. Lying is an easy way to
get even a reasonable request denied.

Objectives and Outcomes:

 Understand the basic chronology of American history
 Tease apart the different strands of American history, including the interaction of
European-American, Native American, and African-American
 Interpret a number of primary sources, and recognize the difference between primary and
secondary sources
 Learn the distinction between facts and interpretation
 Complete a narrative-driven paper and two thesis-driven papers
 Finish all reading and assignments listed below
Required Books:
The following books are required reading. They will be available in the campus bookstore, but
might be available through other retailers.
 Eric Foner, Give Me Liberty! An American History, Volume 1. New York: W. W. Norton
and Company, 2008.
 Daniel K. Richter, Facing East from Indian Country. Cambridge: Harvard University
Press, 2001.
 Woody Holton, Forced Founders: Indians, Debtors, Slaves, & the Making of the
American Revolution in Virginia. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1999.
 Rosemaire Zagarri, Revolutionary Backlash: Women and Politics in the Early American
Republic. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2007.
 Bruce Levine, Half Slave and Half Free: The Roots of the Civil War. New York: Hill
and Wang, 1992.
There will also be additional required readings distributed electronically through Moodle. This
syllabus lists all the weekly readings. “I did not know about the reading” or “I forgot” are not
good excuses for being behind on your reading. Also, some weeks have more reading than
others, plan your time according.

Assignments:
Attendance: I do not take attendance, but to perform well in this course you need to attend both
lecture and your assigned discussion section. In lecture, I will put up a series of terms during
the first few minutes of class and my lecture will cover those terms and the surrounding
historical narrative. To do well in this class you must know the specifics of those terms,
including who, what, where, and when, and why that term is important in the wider historical
context. These terms will appear on your weekly quizzes and they are important keywords that
should also inform your papers. In discussion section, you will do a variety of activities
including discussing the weekly reading, analyzing primary documents, and going over paper
writing. Your TA will keep track of who actively participates in discussion section. If you miss
a class, it is to your advantage to get a copy of another student’s notes.

Weekly Quizzes: You will have a weekly quiz in your discussion section, starting week two and
running through week fifteen. There are no make-up quizzes, but out of the fourteen quizzes,
only ten will count towards your grade. Quiz format will include short answer, true-false, and
multiple choice. Be warned, these quizzes will be given during the first five minutes of section,
if you are late you will miss the quiz.

Weekly Writing: Each week you will be writing a small reflection based on the prompts noted
below in the weekly schedule. This short work must be about one page in length. It is due at the
start of your discussion section and must be typed (double-spaced, 12-point-font, Times New
Roman). There are no make-ups for this assignment. Again, this assignment starts in week
two and runs through week fifteen, with your best ten counting towards your grade. Be warned,
your TA may read out your work and/or ask you questions about it to help start discussion in
section, be prepared to discuss your ideas.
Papers: AMH2041 is a Gordon Rule writing course where you must demonstrate “college-level
writing skills.” As such, your papers must:
 Be clearly and logically organized, with an introduction and conclusion, along with
effective topic sentences and paragraph structure.
 Be written in the standard conventions of English. You can have the best ideas and
content, but without written clarity no reader will ever know.
 Demonstrate awareness of disciplinary conventions in regard to content, style, form, and
delivery method.
 Have a clear purpose, with either a controlling narrative, for the first paper, or a guiding
thesis, for the second and third papers. These theses must be supported with adequate
evidence and explanation to convince your reader of your argument.
 Show sustained analysis and critical thought.
 Be your own work. I have a zero tolerance policy toward plagiarism. Plagiarism
includes intentionally passing other people’s work as your own or accidentally forgetting
to include quotation marks around quotes or not remembering to properly cite. Be sure
you are familiar with FIU's policy on Academic Misconduct, which includes plagiarism,
cheating, bribery, falsification of records, misrepresentation, and other offenses. This is
your warning, you will be written up.

For all three papers:

 Start your work early.
 They must be typed (double-spaced, 12-point-font, Times New Roman).
 Number your pages.
 Use either MLA or Chicago.
 You must submit your papers digitally to Moodle, which automatically sends the papers
to Turnitin.com.
 Late papers will be docked one letter grade per day.
 Requests for extensions must be made 24 hours prior to when the paper is due. If
granted, most extensions will not exceed 48 hours.
 Start your work early.

Paper 1 Assignment (800-1000 Words): Your first paper will be a narrative-driven essay
discussing the effects of European contact on Native American society. In your answer you must
include both the deleterious consequences, such as disease and conflict, and more positive
encounters, including the resultant Algonquian metis community to the west of the Great Lakes.
For this paper, you need to use both Richter’s Facing East and my lectures. It is not necessary
to do any outside research. More details will be given in Week Four’s discussion section and
this paper is due in Week Five.

Paper 2 Assignment (1000-1200 Words): Your second paper will be a thesis-driven essay that
argues whether the American Revolution was driven by the colonial elites or the common
people. To succeed in this paper, you must first choice one side, elites or commoners, and
develop an argument as to why you consider them to have caused the Revolution. Developing a
thesis for your paper will take time, do not leave it until the last minute. Only papers with a
strong thesis will get an A or a B. Second, throughout your paper you need to show the
historical evidence that supports your contention. You need to convince your readers of your
argument. For this paper, you need to use both Holton’s Forced Founders and my lectures. It
is not necessary to do any outside research. More details will be given in Week Eight’s
discussion section and this paper is due in Week Nine.

Paper 3 Assignment (1300-1500 Words): Your third paper will be another thesis-driven essay.
This paper, however, will be harder because you will be drawing on two different historians’
interpretations of an overlapping time period and synthesizing their information for your own
argument. The Constitution of the United States starts with the phase “We the People of the
United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union.” Yet, how perfect was this Union?
Discuss how two or three of the major political conflicts and compromises from the Revolution
of 1800 through to the Compromise of 1850 impacted American liberties. Pay particular
attention to the rise of universal white male suffrage and the resultant consequences for women,
African-Americans, and Native Americans. For this paper, you need to use Zagarri’s
Revolutionary Backlash, Levine’s Half Slave and Half Free, my lectures, and at least one
scholarly article from JSTOR or Project MUSE. More details will be given in Week
Twelve’s discussion section and this paper is due in Week Fourteen.

Grades: This course is graded on the regular FIU letter grade scale, see below. To gain Gordon
Rule credit, you must pass this course with a C or better. Please note, your TAs will be grading
the vast majority of your work. If you have concerns with your grades you must speak to them
first, but I am the final arbiter.

A 4.00
A- 3.67
Weekly Quizzes: 20% B+ 3.33
Weekly Writings: 15% B 3.00
Section Participation: 15% B- 2.67
Paper 1: 10% C+ 2.33
Paper 2: 15% C 2.00
Paper 3: 25% C- 1.67
Total Grade: 100% D+ 1.33
D 1.00
D- 0.67
F 0.00

It is very difficult to pass this course if you miss the first paper, and practically impossible if you
miss either the second or third. If you do not think you can complete these papers on time, drop
the course now. You will receive an F0 (F zero) if you receive failing grades on your
assignments and do not complete at least 60% of assignments or attend at least 60% of the
sections. This is a permanent grade, which awards zero points per credit hour and cannot be
erased by the forgiveness policy.
Weekly Schedule:

Week One: Introduction

M: Introduction, Scope of the Class, and Syllabus
W: Indigenous America before European Contact
Readings: Syllabus
Weekly Writing Prompt: None

Week Two: European Expansion and First Contacts

M: European Conditions Pushing for Voyages to the New World
W: First Contacts: Spanish, French, and the Late Coming English
Readings: Foner, Chapter 1, pp. 4-46; Richter, Prologue and Chapter 1, pp. 1-40; excerpt from
Escalante Fontaneda’s Memoir (1575)
Weekly Writing Prompt: Describe one or two changes to Native American society following the
arrival of the Europeans.

Week Three: The English Colonies

M: The Chesapeake Colonies
W: The New England Colonies
Readings: Foner, Chapter 2, pp. 50-87; Richter, Chapters 2 and 3, pp. 41-109; Rolfe on Tobacco
and Slavery (1619); Massachusetts Body of Liberties (1641)
Weekly Writing Prompt: Which region of the English New World, either the Chesapeake or New
England, would you have preferred to have lived in and why?

Week Four: Expansion of the English Colonies and the Liberties of Englishmen
M: More Colonies: Pennsylvania, Maryland, and the Carolinas
W: The Glorious Revolution and the Liberties of Englishmen
Section: Writing Workshop 1
Readings: Foner, Chapter 3, pp. 90-127; Richter, Chapters 4, 5, and 6, pp. 110-236; Penn on
Religious Tolerance (1675); Ponet on English Liberties (1721)
Weekly Writing Prompt: Several of the ideas in the documents by Penn and Ponet should sound
familiar. Where have you seen them before?

Week Five: Assemblies and Struggles

M: Colonial Society in the Eighteenth Century and the Rise of the Colonial Assemblies
W: The Imperial Struggle for America to the Seven Years’ War
Readings: Foner, Chapter 4, pp. 130-169; Holton, Part I, pp. 1-73; The Laws of Pennsylvania
(1682)
Weekly Writing Prompt: What led to greater connections between the American Colonies and an
increasing pride in Britishness and why?
Paper 1 due on Friday by 11:59pm

Week Six: Africans and Indians in America

M: Slavery in America, Part I
W: The Long Indian Decline, 1763-1830
Reading: Holton, Parts II and III, pp. 75-188; excerpt from Dickinson’s Journal (1699); excerpt
from the Narrative of Equiano (1789); Runaway Slave Advertisements, South Carolina Gazette
and Virginia Gazette (1737-1745)
Weekly Writing Prompt: Explain how American colonists used nonimportation and
nonexportation measures to counteract Imperial British policy.

Week Seven: The American Revolution

M: Conditions leading to the American Revolution
W: Conflict and Independence
Readings: Foner, Chapter 5, pp. 176-207; Holton, Part IV, pp. 189-220; Four newspaper articles
about the Boston Massacre (1770)
Weekly Writing Prompt: All four reports on the Boston Massacre have differences in description
and tone. Compare and contrast the articles for both the details of the event and clues as to the
intended audience.

Week Eight: A New Nation

M: Articles of Confederation
W: U.S. Constitution
Section Writing Workshop 2
Readings: Foner, Chapters 6 and 7, pp. 210-274; Zagarri, Introduction and Chapter 1, pp. 1-45;
Hamilton on the “Few and the Many” (1787); Henry on the Bill of Rights (1788)
Weekly Writing Question: Why did the Articles of Confederation fail?
Paper 1 grades released on Monday at 5pm

Week Nine: The Early Republic

M: Federalists and Democratic-Republicans
W: Territorial Expansion and the Conflicts of the Early Nineteenth Century
Readings: Foner, Chapter 8, pp. 276-308; Zagarri, Chapters 2 and 3, pp. 46-147; Alien and
Sedition Acts (1798); The Hartford Convention (1814)
Weekly Writing Prompt: In times of war and conflict, are measures such as the Alien and
Sedition Acts justifiable? Use evidence from both the Acts themselves and from the historical
context mentioned in lecture to develop your answer.
Paper 2 due on Friday by 11:59pm

Week Ten: The Post-Revolution Losers and the Rise of the Consumer
M: Lost Liberties: Women, Africans, and Indians
W: Revolutions in Transport, Communication, and the Marketplace
Readings: Foner, Chapter 9, pp. 310-347; Zagarri, Chapters 4, 5, and Epilogue, pp. 115-186;
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (1828); Letter from a Lowell Operative (1834); Jefferson’s Private
and Public Indian Policy (1803, 1806)
Weekly Writing Prompt: Which of this week’s readings interested you the most and why?

Week Eleven: The Age of Jackson

M: Andrew Jackson: Hero and Killer
W: Jacksonian Democrats and Universal White Male Suffrage
Readings: Foner, Chapter 10, pp. 350-383; Levine, Introduction and Chapter 1, pp. 3-45; Dorr on
Universal Suffrage (1824); Cooke on Women’s Suffrage (1830)
Weekly Writing Prompt: Was universal white male suffrage a positive or negative step for
America? Consider both voting rights and wider ideas of rights and liberties.

Week Twelve: The South and Slavery

M: Slavery in America, Part II
W: Southern Culture
Section: Writing Workshop 3
Readings: Foner, Chapter 11, pp. 390-423; Levine, Chapters 2, 3, and 4, pp. 46-120; Calhoun on
Slavery in its true light (1838); Weld’s Slavery As It Is (1839); excerpt from the Narrative of
Douglass (1845)
Weekly Writing Prompt: Using the comments on your second paper, answer the following three
questions: 1) What did you do right with this paper? 2) What did you do wrong with this paper?
3) How can you improve for the final paper?
Paper 2 grades released on Monday at 5pm

Week Thirteen: The North and Reforms

M: Northern Culture
W: Moral Reform and the Whigs
Readings: Foner, Chapter 12, pp. 426-457; Levine, Chapters 5, 6, and 7, pp. 121-176; Excerpts
from a Sex Diary (1794); Died in Jaffrey (1841); Declaration of Sentiments (1848)
Weekly Writing Prompt: Which section of the United States, either North or South, would you
have preferred to have lived in and why?

Week Fourteen: Sectional Crisis

M: Compromises, Conflicts, and Crises
W: The Collapse of the Second Party System
Readings: Foner, Chapter 13, pp. 460-499; Levine, Chapters 8, 9, and 10, pp. 177-242; Goodell
“Liberty and Slavery” (1853); Four newspaper articles about Brown’s Raid at Harper’s Ferry
(1859)
Weekly Writing Prompt: Was there a geographically-based bias in the reporting of Brown’s raid
on Harper’s Ferry? Give examples that justify your answer.
Paper 3 due on Friday by 11:59pm

Week Fifteen: The Civil War

M: The War: Americans and Confederates
W: An Unfinished Revolution: Emancipation and Aftermath
Readings: Foner, Chapter 14, pp. 502-543
Weekly Writing Prompt: Was the Civil War worth the cost?