US History to 1865: Syllabus (original) (raw)

Conservatives and liberals read American history differently. Why? How do historians marshal facts, interpret events, and tell stories in ways that line up with their political views? Relying on two of the most popular, and polarizing texts in America history – A People’s History of the United States, and A Patriot’s History of the United States – this class will assess the manner in which emphasis, tone, and periodization shape our understanding of history. It will address the problem of presentism, i.e. the practice of assessing the past through prevailing values, principles, and scientific positions (positions that did not exist at the time in question). And it will look at the political uses of the past, i.e. the manner in which history can be invoked to advance a particular agenda. To illustrate, the class will reference current debates over America’s past, including debates over slavery, capitalism, curricula, and monuments.