US HISTORY II: FROM 1877 TO THE PRESENT
AMST 202--SPRING 2004
Colin
S. Cavell, Ph.D. Course Room No.: S17-229
Class
SMW: 9:00-9:50 INTERNET: cscpo@arts.uob.bh
Office
Hours: By appointment Office No.: S17-263
VOICE: 17438775 (W) 17729091 (H)
Survey of US history from the end of the era of
Reconstruction to the present. The rise
of new constitutional and political developments, America’s ascent to
industrial supremacy, America’s rise as a world power, World War I, the Great
Depression, World War II, the Cold War, social, political and cultural changes
since the 1960s, and the rise of neo-conservatism and neo-liberalism.
Grading Policy: 20%
for Attendance*; 20% for the Class Presentation; 20% for the Midterm Exam; 20%
for the Research Paper; and 20% for the Final Exam. A Guidelines sheet will be
distributed outlining the requirements for your Class Presentation and for your
Research Paper.
Attendance Policy*: Attendance in class is mandatory. As well, you are expected to follow the syllabus and accordingly
be prepared for each day’s class. This
means that you must read the pre-assigned readings before class so that
you will be prepared to discuss and debate in class the subject matter scheduled
for that day and answer questions related to the issues being covered. NOTE:
TURN OFF all cell phones during class.
*Absence from class may be made up by preparing a two-page, typed (i.e. using maximum 12 point font size and maximum
double-spaced text with one-inch margin on all sides), summary on the missed material scheduled to be covered the
day(s) of your absence. The summary
must be in your own words and must not be copied material from the text(s), the
internet, or any other source(s).
Required
Texts:
Nash, Gary B. & Julie Roy Jeffrey, et al. 2001.
The American People: Creating
A Nation and A Society. SVE. Sixth Edition. New York, NY: Longman
Publishers USA.
The Longman American History Atlas. 1999. New York, NY: Longman Publishers USA.
InfoUSA: Information USA [CD-ROM]. 2002.
Washington, D.C.: U.S.
Department of State, Office of International Information Programs. [Supplied by professor.]
Feb. 23: The Post-Civil War Period: A New Foundation
Readings: Nash, et al., Review Chs. 1-16
Feb. 25: Rural America: The West
and the New South
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 17
“Modernizing Agriculture,” “The West,” “Resolving the Indian Question,”
“Recovering the Past: Magazines”
Feb.
28: Rural America: The West and the New South
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 17 “The
New South,” “Farm Protest,” “Conclusion:
Farming in the Industrial Age”
Mar. 1 & 2: Ashura Holiday
Mar.
3: The Rise of Smokestack America
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 18 “The
Texture of Industrial Progress,” “Analyzing History: Steel—The Engine of Industrial Growth,” Urban Expansion in the
Industrial Age,” “The Industrial City, 1880-1900,” “The Life of the Middle
Class”
Mar.
6: The Rise of Smokestack America
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 18
“Industrial Work and the Laboring Class,” “Recovering the Past: Congressional Hearings,” “Capital Versus
Labor,” “Conclusion: The Complexity of
Industrial Capitalism”
Mar. 8:
Politics and Reform
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 19
“Politics in the Gilded Age,” “Middle-Class Reform”
Mar. 10: Politics and Reform
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 19
“Politics in the Pivotal 1890s,” “Recovering the Past: Political Campaign Artifacts—Buttons and
Posters,” “Conclusion: Looking Forward”
Mar. 13: Becoming a World Power
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 20
“Steps Toward Empire,” “Expansionism in the 1890s,” “War in Cuba and the
Philippines”
Mar. 15: Becoming a World Power
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 20
“Recovering the Past: Political
Cartoons,” “Theodore Roosevelt’s Energetic Diplomacy,” “Conclusion: The Responsibilities of Power”
Mar. 17: The Progressives Confront Industrial Capitalism
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 21 “The
Social Justice Movement,” “Recovering the Past: Documentary Photographs,” “The Worker in the Progressive Era”
Mar. 20: The Progressives Confront Industrial Capitalism
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 21
“Reform in the Cities and States,” “Theodore Roosevelt and the Square
Deal,” “Woodrow Wilson and the New Freedom, “Conclusion: The Limits of Progressivism”
Mar. 22: The Great War
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 22 “The
Early War Years,” “The United States Enters the War,” “The Military Experience,” “Recovering the Past: Government Propaganda”
Mar. 24: The Great War
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 22
“Domestic Impact of the War,” “Planning for Peace,” “Conclusion: The Divided Legacy of the Great War”
Mar. 27: Affluence and Anxiety
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 23
“Postwar Problems,” “A Prospering Economy,” “Recovering the Past: Advertising,” “Analyzing History: The Impact of the Automobile”
Mar. 29: Affluence and Anxiety
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 23
“Hopes Raised, Promises Deferred,” “The Business of Politics,”
“Conclusion: A New Era of Prosperity
and Problems”
Mar. 31: The Great Depression and the New Deal
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 24 “The
Great Depression,” “Economic Decline,” “Roosevelt and the First New Deal,” “One
Hundred Days”
Apr. 3-4: Formula 1 Holiday
Apr. 5: The
Great Depression and the New Deal
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 24 “The
Second New Deal,” “The Last Years of the New Deal,” “The Other Side of the
1930s,” “Recovering the Past: The
Movies,” “Conclusion: The Mixed Legacy
of the Great Depression and the New Deal”
Apr. 7:
World War II
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 25 “The
Twisting Road to War,” “The Home Front,” “Social Impact of the War”
Apr. 10: World War II
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 25 “A
War of Diplomats and Generals,” “Recovering the Past: History, Memory, and Monuments,” “Conclusion: Peace, Prosperity, and International
Responsibilities”
Apr. 12: Midterm Exam
Apr. 14: In-Class Presentation Day
Apr. 15-23: Mid-semester Break [No classes]
Apr. 24: Postwar America at Home, 1945-1960
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 26
“Economic Boom,” “Demographic and Technological Shifts,” “Consensus and
Conformity,” “Recovering the Past:
Clothing”
Apr. 26: Postwar America at Home, 1945-1960
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 26
“Origins of the Welfare State,” “The Other America,” “Conclusion: Qualms Amid Affluence”
Apr. 28: Chills and Fever During the
Cold War, 1945-1960
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 27
“Origins of the Cold War,” “Containing the Soviet Union,” “Recovering
the Past: Public Opinion Polls”
May 1 & 2: Labor Day Holiday & Prophet’s Birthday Holiday
May 3: Chills and Fever During the Cold War, 1945-1960
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 27
“Containment in Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America,” “Atomic
Weapons and the Cold War,” “The Cold War at Home,” “Conclusion: The Cold War in Perspective”
May 5: Reform and Rebellion in the Turbulent Sixties,
1960-1969
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 28
“John F. Kennedy: The Camelot
Years,” “Recovering the Past:
Television,” “Lyndon B. Johnson and the Great Society,” “Continuing
Confrontations with Communists”
May 8: Reform and Rebellion in the Turbulent Sixties,
1960-1969
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 28 “War
in Vietnam and Turmoil at Home,” “Analyzing History: The Vietnam War,” “Conclusion:
Political and Social Upheaval”
May 10: Disorder and Discontent, 1969-1980
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 29 “The
Decline of Liberalism,” “The Ongoing Effort in Vietnam,” “Recovering the
Past: Popular Music”
May 12: Disorder and Discontent, 1969-1980
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 29
“Constitutional Conflict and Its Consequences,” “The Continuing Quest
for Social Reform,” “Conclusion:
Sorting Out the Pieces”
May 15: The Revival of Conservatism, 1980-1992
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 30 “The
Conservative Transformation,” “An End to Social Reform,” “Analyzing
History: The Computer”
May 17: The Revival of Conservatism, 1980-1992
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 30
“Economic and Demographic Change”
May 19: The Revival of Conservatism, 1980-1992
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 30
“Recovering the Past: The
Internet and the World Wide Web”
May 22: The Revival of Conservatism, 1980-1992
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 30
“Foreign Policy and the End of the Cold War,” “Conclusion: Conservatism in Context”
May 24: The
Post-Cold War World, 1992-2002
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 31 “The
Changing Face of the American People,” “Economic and Social Change,”
“Recovering the Past: Autobiography”
May 26: The
Post-Cold War World, 1992-2002
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 31
“Democratic Revival”
May 29: The
Post-Cold War World, 1992-2002
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 31 “The
Second Bush Presidency”
May 31: The
Post-Cold War World, 1992-2002
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 31
“Foreign Policy in the Post-Cold War World”
June 2: The
Post-Cold War World, 1992-2002
Readings: Nash, et al., Ch. 31
“Conclusion: The Recent Past in
Perspective”
June 5:
In-Class Presentations
June 7:
In-Class Presentations
June 9: Last day of classes; Review
June 17: Final Exam 14:30-16:30
June 24: Last day for
submitting second semester’s grades