HIS 106 A History/Amer People Since 1865
Section outline
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Welcome to HIS 106!
This is an introductory course to U.S. History post-1865. You do not need to purchase a textbook for this course. Instead, you will find assigned readings and online resources (including videos and interactives) on our Moodle page. It is important that you have use of your GCC library card for this class. From time to time, your assigned readings and viewings will come from GCC's Library Databases.
You must use your library card in order to access these resources if you are off campus. If you need information on how to access your library card, please free to visit the library web page: https://www.gcc.mass.edu/library/cards/. Remember, librarians are available throughout the day via phone or by online chat. You can access them live at the library's homepage.
Our course is broken into sixteen weekly modules. Modules run Monday-Sunday. There will be a required discussion in each module. Additionally, there are several writing assignments and a final project for this course. You will be responsible for completing all the content within each module by the due dates identified.
In each module, you are expected to directly respond to the discussion prompt by Thursday evening. You should display a clear knowledge of the assigned content and include direct references to reliable sources in MLA formatting in your initial discussion, which includes a 300-word requirement. Your secondary response is due by Sunday. It is important that you are prepared and understand the time and work commitment that goes into successfully passing this history course. Your contributions to the class must reflect a proper level of work and consistency in order for you to pass this class.
OFFICE HOURS: In-person (N333) and via Zoom
Tuesdays: 9-10am & 5-6 pm (evening hour by Zoom only)Thursdays: 12:30-1:30 pmI am also available at other times. So, let me know if you want to schedule something specific.Here is the Zoom link: Invite Link. -
OVERVIEW VIDEO RECORDING
The content in this module will introduce you to the setting for the beginning of our class. You will find review materials that will help contextualize U.S. History to 1865, which is when our course begins. After all, how can we start talking about U.S. history at the end of the Civil War unless we have an understanding of what happened before? To make this a little easier, I have included varied sources that include readings and videos for your review.
Required:
You are required to respond to a discussion prompt in each module. Per the syllabus, you must post at least twice during the time when the discussion is "live". Your initial response must directly answer the discussion prompt and should be at least 300 words in length. You must post on two separate occasions during each module for full credit. Each discussion is worth 30 points. You may earn up to 20 points for your initial response and up to 10 points in total for additional replies. Remember to post substantive responses that show your understanding of the key concepts from the assigned content. You may post more than twice in order to ensure that you earn full credit. Please USE in-text citations and MLA formatting to reference any sources that you include in your responses. Your initial responses to the discussion prompts should include several direct references to different assigned readings/viewings and be at least 300 words in length. This means that you must show your engagement with academic and reliable content in your responses.
Please post your initial reply by Thursday and your responses are due by Sunday.
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A brief article on the casualties of the U.S. Civil War.
While I always enjoy these brief JSTOR Daily articles, it is always important to think critically about the resources that we review.
I ask you to review this article so that you have an appreciation for the sacrifice and loss that this nation faced in deciding the national question on slavery. But, I want you to take note of the fact that the discussion on the sacrifices of women and minorities is supplemental rather than interwoven within the body of the article.
One of our major goals is to approach history from a social justice perspective where we include equitably the voices of the many. -
Where should we start? At the beginning, of course! This brief presentation will give you a clear overview of early U.S. history to 1865,
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This is a classic documentary. In fact, this series was part of what made me fall in love with history. I hope that you learn why Lincoln called upon us to look to "the better angels of our nature". -
Please read the content in this attached article. You are not required to complete any of the "Suggested Student Exercises".
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Glimpses at the Freedmen - The Freedmen's Union Industrial School, Richmond, Va. / from a sketch by Jas E. Taylor.
Reconstruction was an era in U.S. history that has oftentimes been overlooked or marginalized in our national historical narrative. This era was characterized by a shift in the role of the federal government as Radical Republicans in the North attempted to establish federal protections for newly freed slaves. In the South, local legislatures were populated with black men and the old southern powers were restricted by martial law. However, with the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, there was a power shift as a southern sympathizer, Andrew Johnson, became President.
Reconstruction was also characterized by the question of how to allow seceded states to reenter the Union. As the nation focused its attention on repairing the South, where the majority of the fighting occurred, resistance to equality would lead to the Redemption Era. The promise of equality was would dimmed once the unreconstructed southerners took back control of the South and new laws and restrictions on Black rights were established. By the later part of the 19th Century, the nation turned its attention to the Industrial Revolution and looked west to the Plains and beyond.
With the end of Reconstruction came a resurgence in the South of violent resistance to the legal and social movement towards equal protection under the law. The newly ratified 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments were challenged in the courts. At the same time, the White Citizens Council and the Klu Klux Klan organized locally to terrorize black citizens, especially black men who had the right to vote under the 15th Amendment.
While the Radical Republicans established the concept of "equal protection" with the 14th Amendment, this concept did not have a clear definition. What would equal protection mean? After all, our federalism created separate spheres of power. Did the national Congress have the authority to create laws that impacted the way individuals were treated within states? Or was that an overreach of Congressional power? In this era, the Supreme Court took its first steps in defining the power of Congress in creating equal protection laws for citizens.
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There are 2 Components to this Discussion: Since you have double readings the initial discussion post in not due until Thursday.
Once you have completed the readings and viewings for Module 2, please identify three of the most important characteristics of the Reconstruction Era. How do these characteristics connect to definitions of freedom at that time? How do these definitions of freedom compare to your own?
Next: the Redemption Era covers that latter part of the 19th Century. This is the era the Ku Klux Klan and other homegrown terrorist organizations emerge. These groups emerge in response to the creation of the first federal protection of civil rights. Use the resources assigned this week to explain how Congress' achievements during the Reconstruction Era in establishing equal protection for citizens was met by activists, the Redeemers, and the Supreme Court.
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This is a selection not the whole Book. Identify what is important for students to focus on. Are there only parts of a selection that are key? Pairing down content will help students focus on what is important. -
For those of you who were unable to access the article online, here is a pdf version.
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Please read the overview and click on the "textbook" tab. Then click on the first title "Reuniting the Union: A Chronology". At the end of each page, you will find an arrow to go to the next page. Read all pages through the ending "The Significance of Reconstruction"
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This link takes you to the Khan Academy website for the Black Experience Post-Civil War. Please review the entire content.
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After the Civil War, the federal government once again turned its sights to the west. The War brought new inventions, which propelled parts of the country into the throes of the Second Industrial Revolution. Determined to see the country reach from sea-to-shining-sea, the federal troops began to sweep through the midwest and into Plains Indian territory. The Plains Wars were fought for over four decades. Indigenous nations resisted federal pressure to adopt Euro-American concepts of land ownership and federal regulation. In order to force Indigenous nations to submit to the new rule and ways of life, federal leadership engaged in mass destruction of the Bison and stole Indigenous children and forced them into assimilation. Yet, the outcome of this era was not the destruction of Indigenous lifeways, but rather, the rise of the pan-Indian movement.
There is a Time Limit on the Scavenger Hunt. Make sure to manage your time so that you are able to make an effort to address each prompt. If you find that you are unable to answer a question and must move on to the next then explain what you have discovered or learned in your response to the prompt but keep moving forward. Show your effort but do not get caught up working on this assignment days (which has happened!).
By the late 19th Century, the nation's attention shifted from the struggles to reintegrate the South back into the Union. While the unreconstructed Southerners began to reclaim political power, the Industrial Revolution brought about swift changes to manufacturing and western expansion. New England was the center of manufacturing and expansion of the railroad brought new contacts and war between the federal government and Indigenous Nations out West.
Capitalists and wealthy leaders of manufacturing sought to protect and ensure the freedoms and liberties of employers as the era brought about the rise of large corporations. The idea of "liberty of contract" would challenge standing definitions of freedom as workers unionized, organized, and mobilized. In this module, we will explore these key events and movements.
Read through the content that is assigned this week. You will notice that as we examine the Gilded Age, our readings focus on the impact of westward expansion on various groups. The rise of the Second Industrial Revolution also led to increases in immigration from Europe, but those newly arriving populations were demographically different from earlier immigrants. This will lead to a sharp increase in nativism and anti-immigrant sentiment right here in Massachusetts. These same sentiments had long-term consequences for Chinese immigrants as well. Meanwhile, out West, some groups found the lack of a strong governmental presence made room for challenges to social norms related to identity and sexual orientation.-
This article is required reading for the Scavenger Hunt.
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You can listen to this podcast by clicking on the second access towards the bottom of the page.
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Please read the Overview of the Gilded Age AND the sections entitled, "The Gilded Age", "The Making of Modern America", "Industrializing the Working Class", "The Huddled Masses", "The Rise of Big Business", and "The Rise of the City" & "The Political Crisis of the 1890s" that are located under the "textbook" tab.
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Please click on each click on each era, i.e., "Potato Famine", "Land of Opportunity", etc. Consider how European migration changed with the rise of the Second Industrial Revolution. What do you think these shifting immigrating populations meant for immigration regulations in the U.S.? Why was there such a rise in nationalism and nativism in Boston?
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You will need your library card to access this article. If the link is broken, please visit the JSTOR database in the GCC Library and search for the title.
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The Gilded Age introduced the country to the rise of capitalists and the struggle of workers' rights. The Populist movement was a direct response by a growing unified group of workers who identified based upon class. In this week's readings, we explore concepts related to the relationship between the workers and employers, the economies of the North and South, the impacts of westward expansion on Indigenous groups, immigration, the women's movement, and the U.S.' emergence as an imperialistic state.
Meanwhile, the Spanish-American War brought the United States into a new role as an international power. While European powers engaged in land grabs throughout Africa, India, and Australia, the United States turned its attention to imperialistic occupation of strategically-situated island countries. This expansion of U.S. intervention was focused on island countries in the Pacific. This is the time, island nations, such as Hawaii and Puerto Rico were forced to give up their independence to U.S. control. These issues, along with the rise of union action, lead to new questions about the role of government and the meaning of protection of individual rights.
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Please make sure you use proper essay organization. This is a persuasive essay. It is not an opinion piece. All assertions must be based upon evidence that you have gathered from reliable resources.
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Please submit your essay as a PDF to this grading section.
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If the Second Industrial Revolution's explosion was ignited by capitalists, the subsequent Progressive Era was a direct demand by the people for federal regulation of the free market system. The Progressive Era was characterized by change and the growing mobilization of the working class. Organized protests reflected a growing organized movement of laborers in challenge of the lack of federal and state regulation on the actions of private companies and corporations. The growing diversity that was brought on by European and Asian immigration brought new resistance to the immigrant quest for freedom. Consumerism was on the rise as the U.S. became the largest manufacturer of consumer products.
So what did freedom look like? As always, it depends on the shoes you are in. For many women, the definition of freedom was linked directly with the new wave of feminism that emerges during the Progressive Era. The focus of this feminism was personal, political, and reproductive freedom in the form of access to birth control, sex education, and the suffrage movement. For the Indigenous, freedom was based around the idea of sovereignty and challenges of federal intervention into Indigenous affairs and lands. Meanwhile, the Muckrakers began to shed light on corporate's unsafe practices in both the packaging of meat and the treatment of workers.
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Please read the Overview of the Progressive Era AND all four sections within the textbook chapter.
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Please watch the video entitled, The Progressive Era, found on Films on Demand on the library website. If the link does not work, please search for the video by the title. https://ezgc.ez.cwmars.org:3843/login?url=https://fod-infobase-com.ezgc.ez.cwmars.org:3843/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=15808&xtid=154910
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World War I marked a new era in military engagement, global politics, and set the stage for the rise of totalitarianism. This week, we also explore the ways in which Euro-American imperialism at the turn of the 20th Century played a role in expanding warfare and extreme nationalism.
The passage of the 18th Amendment in 1919 created various social changes that we will discuss next week. First, we look at the rise of organized crime, the federal response, and the larger consequences.
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There is no discussion this week. Instead, you will answer the following prompts and submit your responses by Sunday at midnight.
Once you have had a chance to review the online resources that compose our assigned readings, viewings, and interactives, answer the following prompts. Your responses should be thorough (at least 300 words per prompt), and you must include specific references to the sources provided:
- In "Propaganda During World War 1", Indie Neidel discusses the ways in which governments used propaganda during the war. Why does Indy believe that propaganda played such a large role in the war?
- The war also introduces the world to a new type of warfare that was exponentially more devastating to people and the environment. Identify three of the main advances that will lead to expanded causalities.
- What is the relationship between the Temperance movement and the Suffrage Movement?
- How did nativism impact newly arriving Italian immigrants during this period? What did you learn from the documentary that expands your understanding of the immigrant experience?
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Please watch the two clips: "Why the Germans Torpedoed the Lusitania" & "The Lusitania Sunk in 19 Minutes"
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This interactive timeline comes from The National WWI Museum and Memorial. Please scroll through the events by clicking on the arrow located at the right of the screen. Each event is described briefly in one or two sentences. Make sure to take notes on your overall impression of this era based upon the events that are highlighted.
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Please read the article on Prohibition Profits and then try your hand at one of the trivia or the driving game. There is also an interesting interactive map. -
This title is available through the GCC Films on Demand Database. If you are unable to access the video through the link provided, please search for the title in the database.
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Take a look at this timeline. How did Jewish communities organize as a specific cultural group and then advocate for public space and political protection/power?
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While the 1902s was characterized by economic growth, class division continues to expand. This is an era where women (some) will finally gain the right to vote in all states; the consequences of the war will lead to the application of social Darwinism for the purpose of ridding the country of "undesirables", and an economic national crisis like none before will lead to a shifting role of the federal government.
This is also the time of the Harlem Renaissance and the explosion of black cultural celebration. Jazz comes to town and the country is swinging.
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The era of the Great Depression was characterized by an unemployment level of over 30%. The Stock Market crash was followed by the largest man-made environmental catastrophe of the 20th Century- the Dust Bowl. Millions of people began to migrate out of cities as they searched for work. What is the solution? A change in the role of the federal government.
We have often emphasized the ways in which federalism has impacted our historical trajectories. Once again, we come to this topic. You will recall that we discussed the ways in which the federal government moved to take an interventionist approach during Reconstruction. The Radical Republicans created civil rights laws. The federal government intervened on behalf of the people by creating the Freedmen's Bureau.
The New Deal was President Roosevelt's (FDR) response to the economic crises of the Great Depression. For the first time since Reconstruction, the federal government intervenes directly into the lives of the people. This comes in the form of direct federal employment and leads to new social programs, such as federal aid for people with disabilities and the creation of the Social Security Act.
There is a short analysis assignment due at the end of this module.-
Read the overview page. Next, enter the textbook and read the chapter.
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Read the content. Click on the different images and read about the experiences of each group.
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It's time to schedule your one-on-one meeting. We will discuss your topic ideas for the research paper. Find a time slot that works for you. Make sure that you properly document your appointment so that you do not forget!
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By Friday, please post to the discussion board and identify two books or academic articles that you have found for your paper. Use MLA formatting and provide a brief description of the book and make sure to identify the thesis for each source. How do you think you will use these sources in your paper and/or the public history project?
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World War II
This week we explore one of the most haunting episodes of western history in the 20th Century. While we are oftentimes compelled to focus on the atrocities of the holocaust, this week we examine the impact of World War II on our "homefront".
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Read each page listed. You may simply click on the first, "Joe Lewis", and then click the arrow at the bottom of the page to move to the next.
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This week, we are exploring World War II. For your discussion, please consider the ways in which the war impacted life at home.
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When World War II ended, four million soldiers returned home. The space that was opened with their departure overseas provided women and people from the queer communities opportunities in areas of employment and public spaces that were once closed and prohibited. When four million men returned, the government implemented policies and laws intended to force women back into the households and gay and lesbian women back into hiding. Corporate America and the media also engaged in propaganda movements to promote these same interests. This week, we will explore these institutional pressures and the ways in which women and the Queer community resisted and remained resilient in their efforts to gain access to equal opportunity and political voice.
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The first few minutes of this interview highlight the struggles that gay men faced in the 1930s.
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Please review the attached assignment and then complete your reflection.
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CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT:
As our society wrestled with the new gender and queer movement that emerges at the end of World War II, the younger generation takes up the call for action. As we have seen in our current moment, the younger generations are those who are most likely to put their lives on the line in direct protest for social justice. We know that part of this phenomenon comes from the fact that younger people are less likely to have the same responsibilities of those who are married with children and homes. This affords the younger generation a certain amount of freedom to engage. Also, the younger generation is the one most likely to express discontent with the current social, political, and economic realities.
The modern African American civil rights movement emerges in this era of discontent. You all know of Martin Luther King, Jr. Many of you recently became familiar with John Lewis, who was a leader in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. This group of college students risked their lives in King and SCLC faltered during the Freedom Rides. The Birmingham Campaign brought images of children being sprayed by fire hoses that were strong enough to rip flesh. It was the images of children being attacked by police dogs and fire hoses that made their way into American homes across the nation. (This ties to our earlier conversations on Industrialism. After all, our consumerism led us all to buy the televisions that became the medium for raising awareness of racial injustice in the South.)
THE 1960s:
The 1960s were a tumultuous time that was informed by the rise of the middle class in the 1950s and the discontent of the baby boom generation coming of age. This was an age of social movements. But the country was set for more than just one voice of discontent. The struggle for equal access to political rights, protections of law, employment opportunities, and division between the generations led to massive waves of protest across the country. I suppose you may be able to identify with these earlier moments at this time...
We also come to the Vietnam War. Cold War politics lead to U.S. intervention into the split between northern and southern Vietnam. Mistrust in the ongoing warfare, the draft, and a counter-culture of drug use led to protests from within and outside of active troops. Between 1966 and 1973, more than 500,000 U.S. military personnel deserted.HINT: Watching the videos in the PPTs will help you with the discussions.
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What does it matter if our politicians express racist dog whistles and call for violence?
On September 5, 1963, Governor George Wallace made the following statement... ten days later, the KKK bombed the 16th Street Baptist Church where civil rights leaders had organized the Birmingham protests.
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In our last module, we explored the many ways in which social, political, and legal changes were driven by activism and civil disobedience. These movements continued into the 1970s and evolved into power movements. By the 1970s, the younger generation was looking back at the last two decades with a weariness and rising hostile approach to continued massive resistance to change that punctuated the last decade with violence and loss. The young leaders of the 1970s were able to reflect on Civil Rights legislative progress but also painfully remember the loss of important leaders. There were questions to even the way in which new leadership should address federal and local institutions. The Vietnam War was ongoing and the militancy of leaders was reflected in the new types of resistance and civil disobedience used to push back against the pressures of an earlier era.
DON'T FORGET THAT YOUR RESEARCH PAPER IS DUE ON SUNDAY.
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We will watch a segment of this video in class.
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Please locate this brief video segment in Films on Demand if this link does not work.
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Power movements come in many forms. In this module, we have reviewed some of the various social movements that evolved and emerged during the 1970s. For our discussion, explain how your understanding of power movements has changed since reviewing this content. What common factors do you find within the various groups that are discussed this module?
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The political shift towards a conservative Republican party did not occur overnight. However, white resistance to the civil rights movement of the 1960s led to the "Southern Strategy"- a subversive method of racism built upon practices that appeared to race-neutral, but in effect, were discriminatory in practice. Read about this political shift and how it became the launch pad for the 1980's Conservative Movement.
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Read this chapter overview of the rise of the New Right.
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This interactive article comes from Aljezeera, which is considered a media source that is left of center. However, the content is rated as "reliable" from Ad Fontes Media. Check out the ratings of your favorite news sources: Al Jazeera Bias and Reliability | Ad Fontes Media
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TRIGGER WARNING: There are themes, images, and video clips in this documentary that may trigger viewers.
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This page includes resources for all aspects of creating a podcast. You can find help with writing a script here!
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This page includes resources for all aspects of creating a podcast. You can find help with writing a script here!
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You will use those artifacts to tell a deeper story. Here is a video of Ranger Amanda from the Chalmette National Battlefield providing GCC with an interpretative program on Officer Wakeman. Ranger Amanda interprets newly uncovered evidence to argue that Officer Wakeman was a trans soldier in the Union army.
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Make sure to provide me access to view your video if you choose to publish it with limited viewing. Your audio recordings must be submitted in a form that is easily accessible.
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Please submit what you are working on here. It does not need to be polished.
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Greetings All,
The last discussion did not open. Therefore, you have no further work for this class :)
HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!
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