Rachel Ozanne

The goal of this class is to introduce students to the complexities of understanding the past and to the diverse ethnic and racial groups and political and religious ideals that shaped the United States from 1492-1865. In this class, we’ll assess the development of the U.S. from a colonial backwater to independent nation. We’ll explore the various kinds of people who contributed to the growth of the United States, and discuss how many of those groups fought to be included in the freedom promised by the American Revolution. Finally, we’ll examine the events, ideas, and beliefs that finally pushed the nation into the Civil War.

The chronology of the course is divided into three major eras: the Colonial Era (1492-1700); The Revolutionary and Early National Era (1700-1820); and the Antebellum and Civil War Era (1820-1865). It is organized around 3 central themes: competing notions of religious and political freedom; changing ideas around gender and sex roles; and the development of race-based slavery, leading to sectional conflict. Students can expect to see essay questions related to these themes, as well as to the economic and political development of the US, in all course units.

Readings: 

*James L. Roark et al, The American Promise: A History of the United States, 7th Edition, Value edition, Vol. 1 (Boston, New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, Macmillan Learning, 2017).

*Primary Sources posted to Canvas.

The goal of this class is to introduce students to the complexities of understanding the past and to the many ethnic groups and political and religious ideals that shaped the United States from 1865-2000. We’ll assess how the U.S. put itself back together after the Civil War; its economic development into a major industrial nation; its rise to prominence on the world stage; and its role in three major world wars of the 20th century. We’ll also examine important issues such as the rise and fall of the progressive impulse in American government; the rise of the religious and political rights; and the struggle of many people to gain civil rights and political participation.

The chronology of the course is divided into three major eras: the Gilded Age (1865-1900); The Progressive Era through World War II (1900-1945); and the Cold War to the Present (1945-2000). It is organized around 5 central themes: the economic growth of the US; the struggle for civil rights of African Americans, Latinx Americans, women, and others; the emergence of Protestant fundamentalism; the shift from liberalism to far right conservatism in mainstream American politics; and the emergence of U.S. as a superpower. Students can expect to see essay questions related to these themes in all three units of the course.

Readings:

*James L. Roark et al, The American Promise: A History of the United States, 7th Edition, Value edition, Vol. 2 (Boston, New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, Macmillan Learning, 2017).

*Primary Sources posted to Canvas.

Americans faced a new political, social, cultural, and economic landscape in 1877. The unrealized promises of the Civil War and Reconstruction left many questions unanswered and many processes half-finished, as the federal government to backed off from the responsibilities it had assumed for protecting its most vulnerable citizens—newly freed black men and women. The Gilded Age saw phenomenal economic growth, but caused incredible instability in most areas of American life. In response to the resulting crises, Americans from many walks of life—women, laborers, African Americans, farmers, immigrants, and many others—demanded greater protections from their government from the local level on up. To address some of these concerns, reformers determined that it was society’s responsibility to make life better: not only was progress possible, but inevitable through the application of new social scientific methods. Progressivism, however, had another side to it—and “progress” often occurred by exploiting and discriminating against less powerful members of society, especially in the south where Jim Crow laws systematically deprived black citizens of the rights guaranteed them by Reconstruction. At the same time, Americans debated the role of Protestant Christianity in their society with answers ranging from a total rejection of traditional beliefs to redoubling their commitment to certain “fundamental” teachings. By the end of World War I, Americans had remade their society with laws to protect consumers and laborers, to give women the right to vote, and to institute prohibition, but entered the 1920s with on-going conflict about the relationship of citizens to government, to each other, to their beliefs, and to the world.

This class will trace developments across four themes of American history between 1877-1920: race relations and civil rights; political reform and realignment; foreign affairs; and religious and cultural transformation. Students will engage in critical writing and reading of primary and secondary sources to gain an in depth understanding of an era essential to the development of the modern United States.

Readings:

Blackmon, Douglas A. Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II. New York: Anchor Books, 2009.

Painter, Nell Irvin. Standing at Armageddon: The United States, 1977-1919. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2008.

Schmidt, Leigh Eric. Heaven's Bride: The Unprintable Life of Ida C. Craddock, American Mystic, Scholar, Sexologist, Martyr, and Madwoman. New York: Basic Books, 2010.

Primary Sources posted to Canvas.

In 2017, Texan journalist Lawrence Wright claimed, “America’s Future is Texas.”1 He emphasized not only the outsized role that Texas has played in national politics recently—with several 20th- and 21st-century presidents coming from Texas and with Texas’ significant role in the creation of the far right conservative movement—but also Texas’ economic and cultural leadership. Lawrence noted, however, that despite with the radical growth that Texas has experienced in recent decades, its society is often sharply divided over issues of race, religion, immigration, access to healthcare, government intervention, and so on—issues divisive around the U.S. today. Is it true that, as Gail Collins wrote in 2012, As Goes Texas, so goes the nation?2 If so, how did we arrive at this Texan Present? How does Texas’ past play a role in defining “America’s Future”?

This course will examine the history of Texas in the 20th century with an eye toward its political, economic, and socio-cultural development. This class is divided into two units that cover, roughly, Texas from Reconstruction to World War II (1865-1945) and Texas from World War II to the Present (1945-2018). As this course comes with a Cultural Diversity flag and is cross- listed with Mexican American Studies, we will especially emphasize the experiences of Mexicans and Mexican Americans, African Americans, and women in the state. By the end of the course, students should have a clear conception of the development of racial and ethnic relations and conflict, political shifts and realignments, and major economic and urban developments in Texas—and hopefully be better prepared to understand how they, as citizens of Texas can influence the direction of a powerful state within the United States.

Class readings may include:

* de la Teja, Jesus F., et al. Texas: Crossroads of North America, 2nd Ed. Boston: Cengage, 2016. (ISBN: 978-1133947387)
* Ladino, Robyn Duff. Desegregating Texas Schools: Eisenhower, Shivers, and the Crisis at Mansfield High. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1996.
* Zamora, Emilio. Claiming Rights and Righting Wrongs in Texas: Mexican workers and Job Politics during World War II. College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2009.

* Study materials; workshop materials; primary sources; and (brief) lecture outlines will be posted to Canvas throughout the semester. [No purchase required.]


Grading based on:
Primary Source Responses 100 points [2 papers @ 50 points each]
In-Class Exams 100 points [2 exams @ 50 points each]
Book Analysis Paper 100 points [1 paper @ 100 points]
Quizzes Only given on an as-needed basis; total points possible raised accordingly
Extra Points Up to five points added to total; awarded in class with Exit Tickets

Your final grade will be determined by taking your total points earned and then by dividing it by the total points possible [300 points]. Grades will be awarded on a plus/minus scale (e.g. 87-89 is a B+; 83-86 is a B; 80-82 is a B-). I will “round up” (e.g. 89.5-89.9 will become an A-).

The reading and lecture course surveys change and continuity in the history of Texas within the context of U.S. history and Mexico-U.S. relations.  Special attention is given to Mexico-U.S. relations, politics and social relations between 1900 and 1970, as well as the home front experience of Texans during the Second World War.  The overriding theme is the incorporation of Texas into the national socio-economy from the state’s early “colonized” status to its modern position as a fully integrated part of the nation.  The course is organized around our readings.  The De la Teja/Marks/Tyler text provides a synthesis of Texas history while the Zamora text provides a closer examination of home front experiences.  The two chapters from the Campbell book will serve as a basis for an examination of the post-war period extending into 2001.
            Three semester hours of Texas history may be substituted for half of the American history requirement.  Course materials, including a copy of my resume, this syllabus, lecture notes, bibliographies, and notes on interviewing techniques, will be available on Blackboard (http://courses.utexas.edu), UT’s course management site.  Call the ITS help desk (475-9400) if you have problems accessing the site.

Texts:
Randolph B. Campbell, Chapter 16, “Modern Texas, 1971-2001,” In Gone To Texas, A History of the Lone Star Stateby Randolph B. Campbell (New York: Oxford University Press, 2003): 438-67.
Jesús de la Teja, Paula Marks, and Ron Tyler, Texas, Crossroads of North America (New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004).
Emilio Zamora, Claiming Rights and Righting Wrongs in Texas, Mexican Workers and Job Politics during WWII(College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2009).

Grading:
Research paper (35%), 5 chapter reports (25%), and 4 film reports (40%).

In this seminar students will explore the experience of American women, in sickness and in health. Students will learn about medical and biological views of woman and women’s health, the social context of those views, the development of medical practices and, indeed, a new medical specialty, for the treatment of illness and debility. This study of American women focuses on the 19th and 20th century and looks at the experience of Native-American women, African-American women, Latinas, working class women, and white middle- and upper-class women. Health topics include menarche and menstruation, childbirth, birth control and abortion, gynecological disorders and reproductive organ cancers, as well as mental health and mental illness.

Americans faced a new political, social, cultural, and economic landscape in 1877. The unrealized promises of the Civil War and Reconstruction left many questions unanswered and many processes half-finished, as the federal government chose to back off from the responsibilities it had assumed for protecting its most vulnerable citizens. The Gilded Age saw phenomenal economic growth, but caused incredible instability in most areas of American life. In response to the resulting crises, Americans from many walks of life—women, laborers, African Americans, farmers, immigrants, and many others—demanded greater protections from their government from the local level on up. To address some of these concerns, reformers determined that it was society’s responsibility to make life better: not only was progress possible, but inevitable through the application of new social scientific methods. Progressivism, however, had another side to it—and “progress” often occurred by exploiting and discriminating against less powerful members of society, especially in the south where Jim Crow laws systematically deprived black citizens of the rights guaranteed them by Reconstruction. At the same time, Americans debated the role of Protestant Christianity in their society with answers ranging from a total rejection of traditional beliefs to redoubling their commitment to certain “fundamental” teachings. By the end of World War I, Americans had remade their society with laws to protect consumers and laborers, to give women the right to vote, and to institute prohibition. The nation faced the 1920s with a new understanding of the relationship of citizens to their government, to each other, to their beliefs, and to the world.

This class will trace developments across four themes of American history between 1877-1920: race relations and civil rights; political reform and realignment; foreign affairs; and religious and cultural transformation. Students will engage in critical writing and reading of primary and secondary sources to gain an in depth understanding of an era essential to the development of the modern United States.

This course examines the chief characteristics of Anglo-American culture from the initial permanent English settlement of British North America in the early seventeenth century to the emergence of provincial societies in the mid-eighteenth century.  Its theme is the settlement and unsettlement of North America as migrants from Europe and Africa mingled with aboriginals already in the New World.  We will look comparatively at different colonizing experiments in North America and the Caribbean, in order to comprehend the varied and often international context within which colonial history took place. At he same time, we will look for the values that shaped early American institutions and social norms and examine them against alternatives both that other contemporary societies offered and that the circumstances of colonial life suggested.  In doing so we will attempt to understand how environment and experience shaped distinctive new world cultures.

Richard Middleton and Anne Lombard, Colonial America. A History, 1565-1776,

4^th edition (Oxford, 2011).

Richard Dunn, Sugar and Slaves: The Rise of the Planter Class in the English West Indies, 1624-1713 (Chapel Hill, 1972; 2000).

Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography. Various editions. [Joyce Chaplin ed., Norton Critical Edition (New York, 2012)].

Anthony S. Parent Jr., Foul Means:  The Formation of Slave Society in Virginia, 1660 -1740 (Chapel Hill, 2003).

John Woolman,  Journal.  Various editions. [Phillips P. Moulton, The Journal and Major Essays (Richmond, IN 1971, 2007]

Alternative books for essay #3

Fred Anderson, The War that Made America: A Short History of the French and Indian War (New York, 2005).

Evan Haefeli and Kevin Sweeny, Captors and Captives: the 1704 French and Indian Raid on Deerfield (Boston, 2003)

Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, A Midwife’s Tale:  the Life of Martha Ballard, Based on her Diary, 1785-1812 (New York, 1990).

Daniel Vickers, Farmers and Fishermen:  Two Centuries of Work in Essex County Massachusetts, 1630-1850 (Chapel Hill, 1994).

Essay on assigned primary sources (5 pages) – 15%

Comparative essay on Dunn and Parent (7 pages) – 25%

Comparative essay on either Ulrich and Vickers or Anderson and Haefeli & Sweeney

(7 pages) – 25%

Class discussion participation - 10%

End-of-Term Examination – 25%

Final marks will include a plus and minus range.