St. Louis in American History: Pre-Columbus Cahokia to Today

3 units

This online interactive course explores greater St. Louis's place in American history from Pre-Columbian indigenous peoples to today. Topics include: the Cahokian Mounds, St. Louis as a site of imperial contest and conquest in colonial America, the Lewis and Clark expedition, the Dred Scott cases, the Civil War, late nineteenth-century progressive and populist politics, the politics of race and imperialism at the 1904 World's Fair, riots, immigration, white-flight, sports, city planning, urban reform, and the construction and cultural meaning of the St. Louis Arch. Using self-supplied technology (e.g., smartphone, digital camera), students will personally or virtually visit several sites of historical significance in St. Louis and produce and share personal written reflections, photos, and videos. Students will consider analytically how those places may be experienced today as portals into the long history of greater St. Louis and be used to better comprehend American history generally.