U.S. History: 1492-1877 (College) - Course Introduction

---

You know that Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492, but did you know that in 1500 he was shipped back to Spain in chains? You know that the Civil War started when southern states, led by South Carolina, seceded from the Union, but did you know that South Carolina had almost seceded before? (Always got their finger on the button, those feisty South Carolinians.)

If you grew up in America, information about our history has been in the air you've breathed since you were a wee tot. You've been like a carrot simmering in a stew of Pocahontas stories and Thanksgiving hand turkeys for as long as you can remember. But what's been fact, and what's been, uh, less than fact? This course will sort all that out for you, but more than that, it'll fill in the gaps that Disney movies have left in their wake, providing you with the big picture of our history and allowing you to see connections across time and place.

We'll cover the big themes of early U.S. history, from the first time Columbus said, "Are we in India yet?" to the last time John D. Rockefeller said, "I think I'd like to control more of the oil industry." Throughout everything, we'll keep coming back to the questions we wrestled with in the past that are still relevant today, like:

• What kind of society do we want to be, and what role should religion play?
• How should our government be organized, and what kind of balance do we want between the state and federal governments?
• How can we work together for the common good without sacrificing individual liberties or ignoring the needs of minorities?
• What obligation, if any, do we have to stick together as united states? When we disagree (and boy do we disagree), should we duke it out or hug it out?
• When we realize that we've wronged a group of people, how do we make it right? Did we ever really recognize how much we messed up? If we're the ones wronged, how do we advocate for ourselves?
• How will we deal with changes in technology and industry? Can workers and owners ever get along?

You've been eating U.S. history bonbons and moon pies until now; this course is your meat and potatoes.

It'll also give you an inexplicable urge to make a nice hearty stew.

So put the kettle on and grab your peeler—we're cooking with historical gas now.

Unit Breakdown (155 Lessons)

Unit 1: First Contact: Spanish Colonization (8 lessons)

Unit 2: The Formation of the Thirteen Colonies (14 lessons)

Unit 3: Setting the Scene for Independence (19 lessons)

Unit 4: Constitution to the Rescue (20 lessons)

Unit 5: America Comes of Age (17 lessons)

Unit 6: Way Up in the North (9 lessons)

Unit 7: The Southern Way (10 lessons)

Unit 8: How the West Was Won (10 lessons)

Unit 9: Abolition Is the Name of the Game (11 lessons)

Unit 10: A Very Uncivil War (14 lessons)

Unit 11: The Reconstruction Experiment (10 lessons)

Unit 12: Gilded or Gold? (13 lessons)

Learning Objectives

The course objective is to cover topics in U.S. History from 1492 to 1877, while strengthening historical research and reading skills.

Upon completion of the course, you should be able to

• examine the actions of powerful groups in America from conquistadors to captains of industry. 
• analyze the lives of marginalized people: Native Americans, slaves, women, children, and immigrants.
• understand how the government functions.
• examine the expansion of the nation, and study how every new territory brings up the issue of slavery.
• examine the varying lifestyles and beliefs of people in the industrial North, the agricultural South, and the West.
• analyze the build up, events, and aftermath of the Civil War.
• analyze the successes and failures of Reconstruction. 
• critique the continuing inequalities of the Gilded Age, and some of the crueler policies like Jim Crow laws and American Indian removals.

---