American Empires: Defining Colonial America

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course is an introduction to colonial American history, from the first contact between Native Americans and European settlers, through the rise of what Thomas Jefferson called the American "Empire of Liberty." Approached through the lens of empires, the class provides a foundation for thinking about the emergence of the United States as a multi-ethnic nation and its ongoing global connections. Students will explore the missionary work of Jesuits and fur trappers in New France, the emergence of plantation-based slavery in the Caribbean and American South, Spanish imperial ambitions in the Southwest, Native American empires in the Great Plains, and the Westward expansion of the United States as a young nation. Less emphasis will be placed on memorizing facts and figures, and more attention will be given to identifying change over time related to social, political, religious, economic, and cultural themes. Students will ask and develop answers to questions like: What was new about the "New World" for both Europeans and Native Americans? How did Native Americans shape the course of European colonization? How did imperial rivalries and conflicts contribute to the outbreak of the American Revolution? When Jefferson referred to the United States as an "empire of liberty," what did he mean? Was the new nation an empire? Through the consultation of primary source material and in-class discussion, you will practice thinking historically. Students will be evaluated on class participation, a group timeline and podcast, in addition to a short midterm paper and final exam.