Office Hours: 3-5 p.m. 2101, Francis Scott Key Hall, Tuesday and by appointment; telephone 405-4266; e-mail iberlin@umd.edu

Assisting in this course are Ms. Jessica Johnson (jmjohnson@umd.edu); Ms. Amy Rutenberg (arutenbe@umd.edu); Laticia Willis (law112@gmail.com)

The Goal: The below quotations and the documents that they are taken from (all found on the class website http://www.history.umd.edu/Faculty/IBerlin/HIST156/) suggest something about the transformation of the American people, American society, and American ideals between the arrival of Europeans and Africans in the early part of the seventeenth century and end of the Civil War. This course will attempt to help you appreciate that transformation and thus to THINK HISTORICALLY. The lectures, class discussions, and readings are bent toward that end.

"God almighty in his most holy and wise providence hath so disposed of the condition of mankind, as in all times some must be rich, some poor, some high and eminent in power and dignity, others mean and in subjection."
John Winthrop, 1630

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Thomas Jefferson, 1776

"The diversity in the faculties of men, from which the rights of property originate, is not less an insuperable obstacle to a uniformity of interests. The protection of these faculties is the first object of government. From the protection of different and unequal faculties of acquiring property, the possession of different degrees and kinds of property immediately results; and from the influence of these on the sentiments and views of the respective proprietors ensues a division of the society into different interests and parties."
James Madison, 1789

"Distinctions in society will always exist under every just government. Equality of talents, of education, or of wealth can not be produced by human institutions. In the full enjoyment of the gifts of heaven, and the fruits of superior industry, economy, and virtue, every man is equally entitled to protection by law. But when the laws undertake to add to these natural and just advantages, artificial distinctions, to grant titles, gratuities, and exclusive privileges, to make the rich richer, and the potent more powerful, the humble members of society, the farmers, mechanics, and laborers, who have neither the time nor the means of securing like favors to themselves, have a right to complain of the injustice of their government."
Andrew Jackson, 1832

"We should show that slave society, which is a series of subordinations, is consistent with Christian morality--for fathers, masters, husbands, wives, children, and slaves, not being equals, rivals, competitors, and antagonists, best promote each others selfish interests when they do most for those above or beneath them."
George Fitzhugh, 1854

“It is assumed that labor is available only in connection with capital; that nobody labors unless somebody else owning capital . . . induces him to labor. . . . that all laborers are either hired laborers, or . . . slaves. And further, it is assumed that whoever is once a hired laborer is fixed in that condition for life. Now, there is no such relation between capital and labor as assumed; nor is there any such thing as a free man being fixed for life in the condition of a hired laborer. Both these assumptions are false, and all inference from them are groundless."
Abraham Lincoln, 1861

"Some people must be rich, to pay others, and they have the right to do no work except to look after their property. It is so everywhere, and perhaps by hard work some of you may by-and-by become rich yourselves."
Charles Soule, 1865

Having learned to THINK HISTORICALLY, upon completion of the course you will be asked to demonstrate that skill in a written essay that answers the following question as a part of your FINAL EXAMINATION on December 18, 8-10 a.m. THE room will be announced.

“Freedom,” “Liberty,” and “Equality” are key words in the vocabulary of American nationality, never more so than at the beginning of the twenty first century. Yet, their meaning is extraordinarily elastic and changed radically between European and African settlement and the end of the American Civil War. For your final examination you will be asked to address those changes in relation to a specific—and yet to be named—aspect of American life.

True clue: THINK HISTORICALLY.

Your essay will be judged on your ability to explain the changing understanding of notions of liberty and equality of the American people from the world of John Winthrop to the world of George Fitzhugh and Abraham Lincoln.

The Mechanics:
This is an introductory course in American history. It meets three times a week, two lectures and one discussion section.
This syllabus outlines the required reading and the subjects of the lectures and discussion. Books and articles can be found in the university libraries and online. You are required to join the class listserv.

Course Requirements:
1. Regular attendance, participation in class discussions and in the listserv. Attendance in sections is required. Unexcused absence from section will mean a loss of grade.
2. Completion of the assigned reading for EACH class BEFORE your weekly section meeting. Discussion sections will be devoted to written or oral analysis of the assigned reading.
3. Completion of four written exercises: (1) a short analytic paper; (2) a mid-term examination; (3) a short document analysis, and (4) a final examination.

Your grade will be determined by:
1) A short paper to be written from assigned readings on the origins of slavery in the United States. The assignment will be presented in the fifth week of class, October 4 (20%) .
2) A mid-term examination in class, October 16 (20%).
3) An analysis of a historical controversy, (10%).
4) A comprehensive final examination in class, December 18, 8:00. (40%).
5) Section attendance, listserv membership, participation, and quiz grades (10%).

Grades will be averaged but will also be weighted toward the final examination and class participation if a general improvement can be seen over the course of the semester. Section grades (#5) will be particularly important in evaluating cases that fall on the borders.

Listserv:
All students are required to join CLIO156, the class listserv. It will provide a platform for an ongoing electronic conversation. Members of the class are encouraged to enroll and to participate. This forum offers a chance for you to participate in discussions and debates about life in American society from the world of Winthrop to the world of Lincoln. Start conversations, ask questions, and be active on the list.
The listserv will also provide a space for the posting of class materials, including documents, study guides, and exam questions. Special announcements will also be posted.
Please communicate responsibly when using the listserv. All postings go to each member of the listserv, students, teaching assistants, and the professor. Please do not use the listserv to communicate individually with the professor, teaching assistants, or your classmates. Use individual email addresses for this.

To Enroll in the Class Listserv:
1. If you do not have email access, sign up for a WAM account (free to all students). This may be done in the Computer Science Building.
2. Send mail to listserv@listserv.umd.edu containing the message:
Subscribe CLIO156 your name
Do not include anything else in the message.
3. You will get a prompt response noting your addition to the list.
4. Messages to subscribers go to CLIO156@umd.umd.edu

Readings:
Required Reading (all in paperback, all interesting--otherwise why bother?)

Eric Foner, Give Me Liberty, Seagull edition, volume 1 (Norton)
Kenneth Lockridge, A New England Town (Norton)
Eric Foner, Tom Paine and Revolutionary America (Oxford)
Alan Dawley, Class and Community: The Industrial Revolution in Lynn (Harvard U.P)
Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (Bedford)

* Note: the articles from the Handlins, Degler, and Morgan on the origins of slavery (see week 3) are also available in two ways: 1) on reserve at McKeldin Library; 2) online through J-STOR. To use J-STOR, go to http://www.lib.umd.edu, and click on "Databases." Find the database J-STOR by searching for it alphabetically, and then you can search for the articles by author and title within the database. Or go to www.jstor.org.

Course Outline and Readings:

Week I

1. August 30: Introduction

READING: Foner, Give Me Liberty, chap. 1

Week II

2. September 4: No class

3. September 6 The Old World on the Eve of Colonization: Society and Economy—Competencies and Killings

READING: Foner, Give Me Liberty, pp. 29-35, 54-62,

Week III:

4. September 11: The Old World on the Eve of Colonization: Society and Economy, Religion and Politics—That World and This.

5. September 13: English People in the New World: New England

READING: Lockridge, New England Town, chaps. 1-5; Winthrop, “A Model of Christian Charity.”

Week IV

6. September 18: : English and African People in the New World: The Caribbean

7. September 20: English and African People in the New World: Chesapeake

READING: Oscar and Mary Handlin, "The Origins of the Southern Labor System"; Carl Degler, "Slavery and the Genesis of American Race Prejudice"; Edmund S. Morgan, "Slavery and Freedom: The American Paradox," online and on reserve in Hornbake library. Also Foner, Give Me Liberty, review chapter 1 and read 36-54, 87-89, 110-124

Week V

8. September 25 English and African People in the New World: South Carolina and Georgia Lowcountry

9 . September 27: Origins of Slavery

Reading: Handlin, Delger, Morgan, and Foner, Give Me Liberty, pp. 71-86

Week VI

10. October 2: Transformation of Mainland Colonial Society and Restructuring in the British Empire

Paper Due in Class

11. October 4: The Coming of the American Revolution

READING: Lockridge, A New England Town, chaps. 6-9; Foner, Give Me Liberty, pp. 61-70, 95-109, 123-148, chap. 4; Tom Paine, chap. 2.

Week VII

12. October 9: Tom Paine and the American Revolution

READING: Foner, Give Me Liberty, chaps. 5-6; Foner, Tom Paine, chaps. 1, 3-7.

12 October 11: James Madison and the American Counter-Revolution

READING:; James Madison, Federalist #10 Foner, Tom Paine, entire;
13; Foner, Give Me Liberty, chap. 7.

Week VIII

October 16: Mid-Term Examination

14. October 18: Thinking Historically about the New Republic: The Problems of Legitimacy, Economic Development, and Slavery

Week IX

15. October 23: The First Party System

16. October 25: War, Politics, and Depression: The Crisis of Legitimacy, Economic Development, and Slavery

READING: READING: Foner, Give Me Liberty, chap. 8 (pp. 241-264)
Dawley, Class and Community, intro, chaps. 1-2.

Week X

17. October 30: Transformation of Northern Society and the Development of American Capitalism: Economy and Class Conflict

18. November 1: The Rise of the Democratic Party and the War Against the Bank

Readings: Dawley, Class and Community, chaps. 3-4, Foner, Give Me Liberty, chap 8 (265-270), chap. 9 (271-280), chap. 10 (310-316).

Week XI

19. November 6: Transformation of Northern Society and the Development of American Society: Class Conflict and the Remaking of Gender

20. November 8: Romantic Revolution

READING: Andrew Jackson, "Veto of the Bank Bill," Thomas Skidmore, “On Property”; Foner, Give Me Liberty, chap. 10.

Week XII

21. November 13: The South and the Development of American Slavery

22. November 15: The Life of the Slave Frederick Douglass: Slave and Citizen

READING; Foner, Give Me Liberty, chap. 10 (pp. 290-295), chaps. 11-12.
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, entire

Week XIII

23. November 20: Reform: The North: Growth of Radical Antislavery

24. November 22: Reform: The Growth of Radical Proslavery

READing: Foner, Give Me Liberty, chap. 13 (397-412).

Week XIV

25. November 27 Manifest Destiny, the Mexican War, and Politics of Anti-Slavery and Slavery

26. November 29: Growth of Southern Nationalism

READINGS: Fitzhugh, “Southern Thought”;

Week XV

27. December 4: The Rise of the Republican Party

28. December 6: Politics of the 1850s

READING: Foner, Give Me Liberty, chap 13; Lincoln: "Speech to the Young Men's Lyceum," 1838; Debate with Douglas; Speech at New Haven; Annual Message to Congress, 1861.

29. December 11 Abraham Lincoln and the Crisis of the Republic: Legitimacy, Economic Development and Slavery

READING: Foner, Give Me Liberty, chap 14.

31. December XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX: Final Exam

A Modell of Christian Charity
John Winthrop
Written on board the Arbella, on the Atlantic Ocean
Anno 1630

God almighty in his most holy and wise providence hath so disposed of the condition of mankind, as in all times some must be rich, some poor, some high and eminent in power and dignity, others mean and in subjection.

Reason: First, to hold conformity with the rest of his works, being delighted to show forth the glory of his wisdom in the variety and difference of the creatures and the glory of his power, in ordering all these differences for the preservation and good of the whole. And the glory of his greatness that as it is the glory of princes to have many officers, so this great King will have many stewards counting himself more honored in dispensing his gifts to man by man, than if he did it by his own immediate hand.

Reason: Secondly, that he might have the more occasion to manifest the work of his spirit. First, upon the wicked in moderating and restraining them, so that the rich and mighty should not eat up the poor, nor the poor and despised rise up against their superiors and shake off their yoke. Secondly, in the regenerate in exercising his graces in them, as in the great ones, their love, mercy, gentleness, temperance, etc., in the poor and inferior sort, their faith, patience, obedience, etc.

Reason: Thirdly, that every man might have need of other, and from hence they might be all knit more nearly together in the bond of brotherly affection. From hence it appears plainly that no man is made more honorable than another, or more wealthy, etc., out of any particular and singular respect to himself, but for the glory of his creator and the common good of the creature, man.

Thus stands the cause between God and us. We are entered into covenant with him for this work, we have taken out a commission, the Lord hath given us leave to draw our own articles, we have professed to enterprise these actions upon these and these ends, we have hereupon besought of him favor and blessing. Now if the Lord shall please to hear us, and bring us in peace to the place we desire, then hath he ratified this covenant and sealed our commission, [and] will expect a strict performance of the articles contained in it, but if we shall neglect the observations of these articles which are the ends we have propounded, and dissembling with our God, shall fall to embrace this present world and prosecute our carnal intentions seeking great things for ourselves and our posterity, the Lord will surely break out in wrath against us, be revenged of such a perjured people, and make us know the price of the breach of such a covenant.

Now the only way to avoid this shipwreck and to provide for our posterity is to follow the counsel of Micah, to do justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with our God. For this end we must be knit together in this work as one man, we must entertain each other in brotherly affection, we must be willing to abridge ourselves of our superfluities for the supply of others' necessities, we must uphold a familiar commerce together in all meekness, gentleness, patience, and liberality, we must delight in each other, make others' conditions our own, rejoice together, mourn together, labor, and suffer together, always having before our eyes our commission and community in the work, our community as members of the same body. So shall we keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. The Lord will be our God and delight to dwell among us as his own people, and will command a blessing upon us in all our ways, so that we shall see much more of his wisdom, power, goodness and truth than formerly we have been acquainted with. We shall find that the God of Israel is among us, when ten of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies, when he shall make us a praise and glory, that men shall say of succeeding plantations, the Lord make it like that of New England. For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill, the eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken and so cause him to withdraw his present help from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world, we shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God and all professors for God's sake, we shall shame the faces of many of God's worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into curses upon us till we be consumed out of the good land whither we are going. And to shut up this discourse with that exhortation of Moses, that faithful servant of the Lord in his last farewell to Israel, Deut. 30., Beloved, there is now set before us life and good, death and evil, in that we are commanded this day to love the Lord our God, and to love one another, to walk in his ways and to keep his commandments and his ordinance, and his laws, and the articles of our covenant with him that we may live and be multiplied, and that the Lord our God may bless us in the land whither we go to possess it. But if our hearts shall turn away so that we will not obey, but shall be seduced and worship other Gods, our pleasures, our profits, and serve them, it is propounded unto us this day we shall surely perish out of the good land whither we pass over this vast sea to possess it. Therefore let us choose life, that we, and our seed, may live, and by obeying his voice, and cleaving to him, for he is our life, and our prosperity.