“Experience must be our only guide; reason may mislead us



“Experience must be our only guide; reason may mislead us.”

John Dickinson, Constitutional Convention., 1787

“Life must be lived forward, but it can only be understood backward.”

Soren Kierkegaard

“A monarchy is like a clipper ship. You get on board and ride the wind and tide in safety and elation but, by and by, you strike a reef and go down. But Democracy is like a raft. You never sink but, damnit, your feet are always in the water.” Fisher Ames (c1790)

“For after all, gentle reader, empires of themselves are nothing without an historian. It is the patient narrator who records their prosperity as they rise–who blazons forth the splendor of their noontide meridian–who props their feeble memorials as they totter to decay–who gathers together their scattered fragments as they rot–and who piously at length collects their ashes into the mausoleum of his work and rears a triumphal monument to transmit their renown to all succeeding ages.”

Washington Irving in Diedrich Knickerbocker, A History of New York

“There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right about America.” Barack Obama

“Are we to be one people bound together by common spirit, sharing in a common endeavor; or will we become a divided nation? For all its uncertainty, we cannot flee the future. Barbara Jordan

“He who controls the present controls the past. He who controls the past controls the future>.”George Orwell

“I always consider the settlement of America with Reverence and Wonder, as the Opening of a grand scene and Design in Providence, for the Illumination and Emancipation of the slavish part of Mankind all over the Earth.” John Adams

“Man’s capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man’s capacity for injustice makes democracy necessary.” Reinhold Niebuhr

“But where, say some, is the king of America? I’ll tell you, friend, he reigns above, and doth not make havoc of mankind like the royal brute of Great Britain… for as in absolute government the king is law, so in free countries the law ought to be king, and there ought to be no other.” Thomas Paine

“I know of no better soil better adapted to the growth of reform than American soil.” Frederick Douglass

DAILY SYLLABUS HISTORY 2610-002, FALL 2018

History 2610 Office: Wooten Room 253

Office Hours WED 1:00-2:00 WED 5:00-6:00

Or by appointment

Email gus@unt.edu

I DO NOT DO TEXT MESSAGING, nor do I tweet, twitter, caw, cackle, hoot, screech, quack, crow, or make any other sort of bird noises in public.

Generally speaking emails will be answered during my office hours.

TEXTS: Goldfield, et al THE AMERICAN JOURNEY: A HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES most recent edition

Mintz, Stephen. African American Voices. 2nd OR 3rd Edition.

RULES: 1. The permanent rules are eternal; only I can modify them. IT SHOULD BE NOTED HERE THAT THIS IS A SYLLABUS FOR A CLASS—IT IS NOT A CONTRACT.

2. You will be given three (3) hourly exams of two (2) essay questions each. They will be graded on 100 point basis..

3. The remaining 25% of your grade will come from a 100 question multiple

choice test which will be part of the final exam. This test will be comprehensive.

4. There are four opportunities for extra credit. You may do two or fewer. They will each be worth 5 points added to one or two of your essay exams. Option 1: There are a number of quotes on the first page of this syllabus pick four and write a brief biography of the author and in several sentences offer an interpretation as to why the instructor might have chosen them and what you think they mean. Option 2: Schedule an appointment with one of the Teaching Assistants and recite from memory one of the following texts; Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, The Preamble to the United States Constitution, or that section of The Declaration of Independence from the beginning to “deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” OPTION 1 MUST BE HANDED IN BY SEPTEMBER 27 AND OPTION 2 MUST BE COMPLETED BY NOVEMBER 28

YOUR GRADE WILL BE BASED ON THE AVERAGE OF THESE GRADES.

COURSE GOALS

Students will identify and describe some of the broad themes and important subjects of American history-e.g. “sense of mission”, religious and ethnic diversity, founding motivations, economic and geographic diversity, slavery and racism, expansionism, impact of wars, the impact of the 18th Century Enlightment on the creation of our present form of government-and their lasting effects upon the United States today.

Students will identify and understand what history is (i.e. the activity by which we analyze the human past critically) so that their knowledge of how historians cover, describe and explain the behaviors and interactions among individuals, groups, institutions, nations, events, and ideas will better equip them to understand themselves and the several roles they play in understanding and addressing the issues facing them today and in the future.

Sudents will develop and improve their reading, critical thinking and writing skills in relation to historical knowledge, issues, and the analysis of primary and secondary sources evidenced by obtaining a passing grade of 60%or better on the written exams.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND PLAGIARISM

Given the nature of the exam policy of this course (distribution the actual exam questions in advance of the exam) plagiarism can be an issue for some students. Simply put it is the use of another’s thoughts or words without proper attribution in any formal academic format, regardless of the user’s/student’s intent. Plagiarism includes but is not limited to the knowing or negligent use by paraphrase or direct quotation of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgement or citation. You are encouraged to bring the outside readings into your exam answers, just cite them when you do.

SPECIAL ACCOMMODATION PROCEDURE:

The University of North Texas makes reasonable academic accommodations for students with disabilities. Students seeking accommodations must first register with the Office of Disability Accommodation (ODA) to verify their eligibility. If a disability is verified, the ODA will provide you with an accommodation letter to be delivered to the faculty to start a private discussion regarding your specific needs in a course. You may request accommodations at any time, however, ODA notices should be provided as early as possible in the semester to avoid any delay in implementation. Note the students must obtain a new letter of accommodation for every semester and must meet the faculty member prior to implementation in each class. For additional information see the Office of Disability Accommodation website at unt.edu/oda. You may contact them by phone at 940-565-4323.

A WARNING

PRIVATE CONVERSATIONS, READING NEWSPAPERS, READING FOR OTHER

ASSIGNMENTS OR COURSES, TELEPHONE CALLS, TEXTING, BEEPERS RINGING, ETC. IS NOT PERMITTED DURING CLASS. YOU WILL BE GIVEN TWO WARNINGS TO DESIST FROM SUCH PRACTICES, THAN OUT YOU GO. THIS IS THE FIRST WARNING.

DATE READING ASSIGNMENTS

Aug 27-Sept. 26 Goldfield, et. al., Chap. 1-5.

Trevor-Roper, “Europe Turns West”*

Savelle and Middlekauff, “England on the Eve of Colonization”*

Billington, “The Frontier and the American Character”*

Frederick J. Turner, “The Significance of the Frontier in American

History”*;

Boorstin, Daniel, “Transplanters: The Virginians”* ,

Miller, Perry, “Errand in the Wilderness”*

Bremer, Francis, “Massachusetts: The Erection of the City on the Hill”*

Gipson, L. H. “The Great War for Empire, 1754-1763"*

Sept. 28 ESSAY EXAM I You are responsible for having read all of the above

Oct 1-Nov. 7 Goldfield, et al, , Ch 6-10.

Chambers, W. N. “The Genesis of Modern Parties”*

Malone, Dumas, “The Relevance of Mr. Jefferson”*

Roche, James, “The American Constitution...”*

Elkins and McKitrick, “The Founding Fathers: The Young Men of the

Revolution”*

Degler, Carl, “The Great Experiment”*

Ostander, Gilman, “Jacksonian Democracy”*

Nov 9 EXAM II. You are responsible for having read all of the above. .

Nov 12-Dec5 Goldfield, et al, Ch 11-15.

Dormon and Jones, “The Afro-American Slave: Life and Culture”*

Elkins, Stanley, “The Peculiar Institution”*

Mintz, AFRICAN AMERICAN VOICES, pp. v-212.

Litwack, Leon, “Abolitionism: Black and White”*

Oates, Stephen B., “The Man of Our Redemption: Abraham Lincoln and

The Emancipation of the Slaves”*

Williams, T. Harry, “The Military Systems of the North and South”*

Schlesinger, Arthur M., “What Then is the American, This New Man?”*

Turner, F. J., “The Significance of the Frontier in American History”*

Dec. 8 SATURDAY 8:00-10:00. FINAL EXAM. THIS WILL BE A TWO PART

EXAMINATION.

THE ESSAY PORTION OF THE FINAL WILL COVER ALL OF THE READING MATERIALS SINCE EXAM II.

THE MULTIPLE CHOICE PORTION OF THE FINAL WILL BE BASED SOLELY ON GOLDFIELD, ET AL AND WILL BE COMPREHENSIVE AND CUMULATIVE.

*ON RESERVE UNT LIBRARY AND ONLINE AT BLACKBOARD

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