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Unit 1: A Revolution takes Root, 1770s-1791

#101 What is freedom?

To do (this assignment is due before the beginning of our second class meeting):
  • Write a one-paragraph (8-10 sentence) response to the following question: “What is freedom​?” Post your response here (submission link on Canvas). This task will be worth 5 points and will be graded for thoughtful completion of 8-10 sentences.
  • Complete the Learner Survey.​​​
What to bring to class:
  • A charged laptop.

#102 Road to Revolution

To do:
  • View Crash Course U.S. History #6: “Taxes & Smuggling - Prelude to Revolution” (12 minutes; this video is embedded to the right).
  • As you view, consider:
    • What happened between 1760 and 1776 that caused the thirteen colonies to declare independence from Britain?
    • What important broader transformations occurred in the colonies during this time?
    • What arguments might have been made in favor of independence based on the events discussed? How might skeptics have responded?
What to bring to class:
  • A charged laptop.
  • ​Your copy of Eric Foner, Give Me Liberty!

#103 Race and Revolution

To do: What to bring to class:
  • A copy of the text (printed or digital).
  • A charged laptop. 

#104 Common Sense

To do:
  • Read “The Coming of Independence” in Foner, 149-155 (a PDF scan of this passage can be downloaded here for those who have not yet to purchase the textbook).
  • Thinking and writing: Think of the best and worst group discussions you’ve ever been involved in. What things happened that made these conversations so satisfying or difficult? In your journal, identify at least two positive and two negative aspects in your journal.
What to bring to class:
  • A charged laptop.
  • Foner, Give Me Liberty!

#105 Declaring Independence

To do:
  • Read and annotate “The Declaration of Independence” in Foner, A2-A4 (in the Appendix).
  • Complete a SOAPSTone analysis:
What to bring to class:
  • A charged laptop.
  • Foner, ​Give Me Liberty!

#106 Examining the Constitution, part 1

To do:
  • Read and annotate Foner 195-96 (the first section of “The Articles of Confederation”). As you read, consider:
    • How did the revolution shape the structure of the post-revolutionary Confederation government?
  • Read and and annotate Foner 200-202 (“The Confederation’s Weaknesses,” “Shay’s Rebellion,” and “Nationalists of the 1780s”). As you read, consider:
    • What were some of the problems that emerged under the Articles of Confederation?
  • With the time you have remaining, begin reading and annotating the Constitution as passed in 1787 (Foner A5-A11).
What to bring to class:
  • Please bring Foner and a charged laptop to class.

#107 Examining the Constitution, part 2

To do:
  • Finish reading and annotating the Constitution as passed in 1787 (Foner A5-A11). Please be prepared to discuss the document in detail.
What to bring to class:
  • A charged laptop.
  • Foner, Give Me Liberty!

#108 Questioning the Constitution

To do:
  • Read and take Roman Numeral outline-style notes for “Winthrop on the Anti-Federalist Argument” (PDF). If needed, reference “Outlining for Reading” on Discovering History for further explanation and examples on the outlining process. Please post your outline here (link to Canvas). This assignment is worth 10 points.
  • As you read, consider the following questions:
    • To what provisions of the Constitution does Winthrop refer in arguing that the new government will endanger liberty?
    • Why does Winthrop claim that the “leading principle of the revolution” is violated by the new Constitution?
What to bring to class:
  • A copy of Winthrop (printed or digital).
  • A charged laptop.

#109 Securing Rights

To do:
  • Read Foner, “The Bill of Rights,” 214-15.
  • Read and annotate the “Bill of Rights,” A12 in Foner. Note the Bill of Rights consists of amendments I-X.
  • As you read, consider:
    • Aside from the First Amendment, identify an Amendment in the Bill of Rights that you think is most significant for safeguarding civil liberties?
What to bring to class:
  • A charged laptop.
  • Foner, Give Me Liberty!

#110 Process-Based Writing: Introduction

To do:
  • With a partner, meet before next class to dissect the essay question:
    • “How well did the U.S. Constitution address the claims for natural rights and liberty expressed in the period from 1763-1776?”​
  • Use your own words to briefly explain what the question is asking. You and your partner may choose to do this either independently or with the partner you met with above. Post your response here (link to Canvas).
What to bring to class:
  • A charged laptop.
  • Your copies of Sarter and Winthrop.
  • ​Foner, Give Me Liberty!

#111 Process-Based Writing: Working with Evidence

To do:
  • Locate evidence that corresponds with the sections you have identified.
  • Draft a thesis statement that can be supported with strong evidence. Submit your polished thesis statement here (link to Canvas). The thesis statement will be graded out of 6 points for meaningful completion of the following two components:
    • A clearly defined argument that addresses the essay prompt.
    • Identify your organizational strategy (i.e. your main supporting arguments).
What to bring to class:
  • A charged laptop.
  • Any supporting material you might need to work on your paper.

#112 ​Process-Based Writing: From Evidence to Outline

To do:
  • Finish gathering evidence and completing initial batch of Noodle Tools notecards.
  • Revise your thesis statement as needed (revised thesis statements can be written directly into Noodle Tools).
What to bring to class:
  • A charged laptop.
  • Any supporting material you might need to work on your paper.

#113 Process-Based Writing: Drafting Session 1

To do:
  • In NoodleTools, complete a draft outline for your essay that includes:
    • Your thesis statement in a full 1-2 sentence(s),
    • Fully developed topic sentences for each body paragraph,
    • Key supporting arguments or analysis, and
    • All evidence to used in support in each argument (these should be drawn from your note cards).
  • This assignment will be graded for meaningful completion of the three above components out of 20 points. Submission is automatic if your NoodleTools project has been shared with your teacher.
What to bring to class:
  • A charged laptop.
  • Any supporting material you might need to work on your paper.

#114 Process-Based Writing: Drafting Session 2

To do:
  • Continue transforming your outline into written draft form. Before next class, you should aim to:
    • Have a polished introductory paragraph.
    • Started substantial work on at least one other paragraph.
  • If you have additional time, please use it efficiently to continue the drafting process.
What to bring to class:
  • A charged laptop.
  • Any supporting material you might need to work on your paper.

#115 Process-Based Writing: Revising

To do:
  • Complete a polished draft of your essay. Before coming to class you should:
    • Read your paper over at least once to check:
      • All parts of your paper responds to the essay prompt and are logically organized to support your thesis statement.
      • Your writing is clear and free of obvious spelling or grammatical mistakes.
      • You have cited all of your sources and appended a bibliography at the end of your essay.
    • Review the rubric to self-assess your progress and identify areas that you might focus on during the revision process.
What to bring to class:
  • A charged laptop.
  • A digital copy of your polished draft that can be shared with a classmate.

#116 Process-Based Writing: Final Draft

To do:
  • Revise your polished draft in response to feedback gathered during the peer review process.
  • When you have completed your paper, please submit here (link to Canvas).
What to bring to class:
  • A charged laptop.
Unit 2: ​Boundaries Defined & Challenged in the Early Republic, 1790s-1850

#201 Jeffersonian and Jacksonian democracy

To do:
  • Read Foner, 215-16 (“National Identity” and “Indians in the New Nation”).
  • Watch "Crash Course US History #10: Thomas Jefferson & His Democracy" (13:18), embedded to right. Note that a lot of ground is covered in this video because building a nation is a complex process. For our purposes, focus on the following key questions:
    • What was the nature of Jefferson’s “democratic vision”? Why—and for whom—was the American nation being constructed?
    • Identify concrete steps taken by Jefferson to promote his vision.
What to bring to class:
  • Your copy of Foner.
  • A charged laptop.

#202 Encountering First Peoples

To do:
  • View and take notes on this excerpt from the A&E Biography “Lewis and Clark: Explorers of the New Frontier Corps,” embedded to right. The link is set to start at 1:29. Please stop at 33:12.
What to bring to class:
  • A charged laptop.

#203 Indian removal: Jackson’s perspective

To do:
  • Read Foner, 301-304 (“Indian Removal” and “The Supreme Court and the Indians”)
  • Read “Andrew Jackson’s Speech to Congress on Indian Removal, December 6, 1830” in the Course Reader, 23-24.
  • As you read, consider:
    • What were President Jackson’s main arguments in favor of Indian removal? How did he suggest these policies would benefit white Americans? How did he suggest these policies might benefit Native Americans?
What to bring to class:
  • Please bring the Course Reader to class.

#204 Indian removal: Cherokee perspective

To do:
  • Read and annotate “Memorial of the Cherokee Nation, 1830” in the Course Reader, 25-27.
  • As you read, consider:
    • What is meant by “the right of inheritance and peaceable possession”?
    • How might the Cherokee understanding of "sovereignty" differ from that of President Jackson—and, perhaps, other Americans?
    • What are the authors’ primary arguments against removal? Which do you think is their strongest argument? Weakest?
What to bring to class:
  • Course Reader.
  • A charged laptop.

#205 Indian removal: Role play preparation

To do:
  • Conduct review of assignments #203 and #204 as well as your notes from homework and discussion.
What to bring to class:
  • Foner.
  • Course Reader.
  • A charged laptop.

#206 Indian removal: Role play simulation

To do:
  • Based on your research, write a briefing (150-200 words) on your person’s position on the question. Please cite any outside sources that you referred to in writing your briefing with Chicago-style footnotes. This assignment will be graded out of 15 points on the basis of:
    • Clearly-articulated response to the prompt (“Does the federal government have the power to forcibly remove the Cherokee Indians?”),
    • Relevant evidentiary support for your arguments, and
    • Historical context and accuracy.
  • Your preparation should be submitted on Canvas before the start of class as a Word document or PDF using this link.
What to bring to class:
  • Bring materials as required to present your role.

#207 Indian removal: debriefing

To do:
  • Address the following four questions using this link on Canvas (external link):
    1. Identify one thing you did well during your role play. (1-2 sentences).
    2. Identify one thing you might have done differently or expanded on if you had more time for your role play. (1-2 sentences).
    3. How does your character’s view on Indian removal compare to your own view of the policy’s legality? Why? (2 sentences).
    4. Shifting the question slightly, do you think Indian removal in the southeast part of the United States was ultimately a good policy? If yes, why? If not, why and what alternative would you have proposed in 1830? (2-4 sentences).
What to bring to class:
  • A charged laptop.
Unit 3: ​Cemetery Project

​#301 Market revolution in local history

To do:
  • Read Foner, 259-64 (Market Society, Commercial Farmers, The Growth of Cities, The Factory System, The "Mill Girls," and The Growth of Immigration).
  • Watch "Crash Course History #12: The Market Revolution" (see embedded link to right).
  • As you read Foner and watch Crash Course, consider:
    • What are some ways the Market Revolution was likely to influence life in Salisbury, Connecticut? (Consider links to the documentary we watched in class).
    • Identify two examples your own life has been impacted by the consequences of the Market Revolution.
What you need for class:
  • Please bring Foner to class.
  • A charged laptop.

​#302 New England’s “secret life”

To do: What you need for class:
  • Copy of the reading (Foner and the Course Reader are not needed).
  • A charged laptop.

#303 "Mill girls": the Bixby letters

To do:
  • Read and annotate Bixby letters in the Course Reader, 35-38.
What you need for class:
  • Course Reader.
  • A charged laptop.

Cemetery Project

Please refer to the appropriate document for process and deadlines:
Unit 4: ​A House Divided: Civil War & Reconstruction, 1850s-1877

#401 "The Peculiar Institution"

To do:
  • Read Foner 312-21 (“The Old South”)
  • As you read Foner, consider the following questions:
    • Given that most northern states had abolished slavery by the 1830s, why might it be useful to think of slavery as a national—rather than regional—economic and political system?
    • Although some poor southern whites resented the dominance of the “slavocracy,” most supported the institution and accepted the power of the planter class. Why did the “plain folk” continue to support slavery in the south?
    • How did the planters’ paternalism justify the system of slavery? How did it hide the reality of life for the slaves?
What to bring to class:
  • A charged laptop.

#402 The Abolitionists: Douglass and Walker

To do:
  • Read David Walker, selections from Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World” (1830).
  • Read Frederick Douglass, selection from "What, to the American slave, is your Fourth of July?" (1852) in Foner, 361.
  • As you read, consider:
    • How might have various groups of Americans (e.g., white Southerners, white Northerners, black Americans) responded differently to David Walker’s question: "Now, Americans! I ask you candidly, was your sufferings under Great Britain, one hundredth part as cruel and tyrannical as you have rendered ours under you?"
    • What might Frederick Douglass hope to accomplish by accusing white Americans of injustice and hypocrisy?
What to bring to class:
  • A copy of Walker (digital or printed).
  • Foner or a copy of Foner page 361.
  • A charged laptop.

#403 The Abolitionists, part 2: Truth and Jacobs

To do:
  • Read Sojourner Truth, “Ain’t I a Woman?” in the Course Reader, 33.
  • Read Harriet Jacobs, selections from Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (1861)
  • As you read, consider:
    • Why do you think Sojourner Truth was invited to speak to feminists in Akron, Ohio, in 1851? Why do you think that it is considered one of the most important speeches in the early women’s rights movement? Are the answers to these two questions the same or different?
    • Harriet Jacobs describes her master as “my old tyrant.” Where have we heard the term “tyrant” before? How is this type of tyranny similar or different to what we have discussed before?​
What to bring to class:
  • Course Reader
  • A copy (digital or printed) of the Harriet Jacobs reading.
  • A charged laptop.

​#404 Slavery and compromise

Tuesday 11/28 is a grace day, so we will complete this work together in class.

#405 John Brown: Bleeding Kansas and Harpers Ferry

To do:
  • The following reading assignment is not long, but is unfortunately broken up in three locations:
    • Read Foner 387-88 (“ ‘Bleeding Kansas’ and the Election of 1856”).
    • Read Foner 391, 394 (“John Brown at Harpers Ferry”).
    • Review the timeline and read documents A-C in the Stanford John Brown Documents (PDF).
  • Consider:
    • How might you argue that John Brown should be viewed as a “hero”?
    • Alternatively, how might you argue that John Brown should be viewed as a “misguided fanatic”?
What to bring to class:
  • Foner.
  • Printed or digital copies of the Stanford John Brown Documents.
  • A charged laptop.

#406 Visions of “Freedom”: Stephens vs. Lincoln

To do:
  • If you would like additional reference, please see: Foner 397-400 (this is optional!)
What to bring to class:
  • Course Reader.
  • A charged laptop.

#407 Emancipation

To do:
  • Read Foner, 410-16 (“Slavery and the War,” “Steps toward Emancipation,” “Lincoln’s Decision,” and “The Emancipation Proclamation”).
  • Read “The Emancipation Proclamation” (Course Reader 63-64)
  • As you read, consider:
    • President Lincoln is careful to argue that he has the Constitutional authority to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. Which part of the Constitution might support this argument?
    • What possible strategic benefits might the Union enjoy by issuing the Emancipation Proclamation? Are any of these mentioned in the document?
What to bring to class:
  • Foner.
  • Course Reader.
  • A charged laptop.

#408 Sacrifice: Gettysburg

To do: What to bring to class:
  • Copies (physical or digital) of the Gettysburg Address and Whitman.
  • A charged laptop.

#409 Wartime Reconstruction and the Thirteenth Amendment

To do:
  • Read Foner 434-39 (“Rehearsals for Reconstruction and the end of the war”)
  • As you read, consider:
    • What challenges complicated the early process of emancipation for former slaves?
    • What tensions do you see shaping early efforts at Reconstruction?
What to bring to class:
  • A charged laptop.

#410 Presidential vs. Congressional Reconstruction

To do:
  • Read Foner 454-66.
  • As you read, consider:
    • In 1865, former Confederate general Robert Richardson remarked that “the emancipated slaves own nothing, because nothing but freedom has been given to them.” Would this still be an accurate assessment of Reconstruction twelve years later in 1876?
    • What steps did the newly-reformed Southern state governments take to limit right for black Americans? How did the federal government respond?
    • When did the Presidential and Congressional phases of Reconstruction begin and end? How would you characterize the difference between two?
What to bring to class:
  • Foner.
  • A charged laptop.

#411 (due Mon 1/8 for section 12)

To do:
  • Read Foner 466-73 (“The Overthrow of Reconstruction”)
  • Consider:
    • What national issues and attitudes combined to bring an end to Reconstruction in 1877?
    • How did the failure of Reconstruction policies impact black Americans?
What to bring to class:
  • Neither Foner nor our Course Reader will be needed for next class. Please do bring a charged laptop.
Unit 5: ​Industry & Empire, 1860s-1900

#501 Industrialization, Railroads, and Chinese in America

​To do:
  • View “The Industrial Economy: Crash Course US History #23” (see embedded link bottom-left)  
  • View “Growth, Cities, and Immigration: Crash Course US History #25” (see embedded link bottom-right)
  • Read  “Timeline of Chinese Immigration and Exclusion” (PDF)
  • Consider:
    • Identify connection points you can locate between the timeline and the two videos above.
What to bring to class:
  • A copy (printed or digital) of the timeline.
  • A charged laptop.

#502 The Industrialists: “Robber Barons” or “Captains of Industry”?

To do:
  • In Foner, read:
    • 480-82 (“Competition and Consolidation,” “The Rise of Andrew Carnegie,” “The Triumph of John D. Rockefeller”)
    • 494-95 (“The Corruption of Politics”)
    • 498-500 (“The Social Problem” and “Social Darwinism in America”)
  • In the Course Reader, read Andrew Carnegie, “The Gospel of Wealth,” 79-80.
What to bring to class:
  • Your Course Reader.
  • A charged laptop.

​#503 Poverty and inequality

To do:
  • Read: Henry George, “The Crime of Poverty,” 1885 (PDF)
    • As you read, consider:
      • In your own words, describe what Henry George means when he says “poverty is a crime.”
      • Explain George’s central contention, that “the great majority of those who suffer from poverty are poor not from their own particular faults, but because of conditions imposed by society at large.” If the poor are not to blame for poverty, what, in George’s view, causes poverty?
      • Do you think George’s arguments are still relevant today? Why or why not?
  • Read or listen to NPR, “Jacob Riis: Shedding Light On NYC's ‘Other Half’” (external link; radio program is 13 minutes in length)
  • View the Jacob Riis gallery (external link) from the International Center of Photography.
What to bring to class:
  • A copy (digital or printed) of George.
  • A charged laptop.

#504 Organizing labor

To do:
  • Read Foner 500-506 (“Liberty of Contract and the Courts” and “Labor and the Republic”).
  • As you read, consider:
    • How might you explain the significance of the events of 1877 and 1886?
    • How did social reformers such as Edward Bellamy, Henry George, and advocates of the Social Gospel movement view freedom differently than the proponents of the liberty of contract and laissez-faire?
What to bring to class:
  • A charged laptop.

#505 An American Empire

To do:
  • “American Imperialism,” Crash Course U.S. History #28 (video 14:03)
  • Foner 529-34.
  • Consider:
    • What ideas and interests motivated the United States to create an empire in the late nineteenth century?
    • What happened to the largest territories seized from Spain in 1898—Cuba and the Philippines? How were their fates similar and different?
What to bring to class:
  • A charged laptop.

#506 The Spanish-American War and its Aftermath

To do: What to bring to class:
  • A copy (physical or digital) of Kipling and Crosby.
  • A charged laptop.

#507 The Philippine War

  • Read “Soldiers in the Philippines” (PDF) collection of primary source documents to prepare for in-class discussion. The goal here is to familiarize yourself with the contents, not necessarily to conduct a “close read” line by line. Please budget your time so you do not exceed the 30-minutes allotted for homework.

#508 Prepare for DBQ

  • Review the documents in the DBQ packet.
  • Identify any questions you have about the documents.
  • Find at least one pattern tying together 2 or more documents.
  • Propose one possible question that we might use as a prompt (note: excellent questions might be considered for use on the actual day of the DBQ!).

#509 In-class DBQ

  • Continue reviewing in advance of the in-class DBQ.
Unit 6: ​Progressive Promise & Disillusion, 1890s-1939

#601 What is "progressivism"?

To do:
  • View Crash Course U.S. History #27. See embedded link to the right.
  • Read Foner 559-65 ("The Politics of Progressivism").
What to bring to class:
  • Charged laptop.

#602 Progressive Reform: The Jungle

To do:
  • Read selection from Upton Sinclair, The Jungle in the Course Reader (pages 85-86).
What to bring to class:
  • Please bring your Course Reader and a charged laptop to class.

#603 Progressive Reform: Women’s Suffrage and its Opponents

To do:
  • Read Foner 558-59 (“The New Feminism” and “The Birth-Control Movement”). 
  • View “Crash Course U.S. History #31: Women’s Suffrage” (13 minutes). See embedded link to the right.
What to bring to class:
  • A charged laptop.

​#604 WWI: "A War to End all Wars"

To do:
  • Read Foner 580-87, 590-91 (This selection includes “America and the Great War” and “The War at Home,” but skips the "Voices of Freedom" documents).
  • As you read, consider:
    • Why did the United States enter World War I?
    • What connections can you find between progressive policies before World War I and the actions taken by the government during the war both at home and abroad?
    • What were the goals and methods of the Committee on Public Information during World War I?
What to bring to class:
  • Please bring your copy of Foner and a charged laptop to class.

#605 WWI: The War at Home

To do:
  • Randolph Bourne, “The State,” 1918 (Google Doc)
  • Eugene V. Debs, “Speech to the Jury before Sentencing under the Espionage Act” (1918) in Foner, 588.
  • As you read, consider:
    • “War is the health of the State.” This refrain appears several times in Bourne’s essay. What does he mean by this statement?
    • According to Bourne, how do conditions of war alter the behavior of citizens within a democratic society?
    • Why does Debs relate the history of wartime dissent?
What to bring to class:
  • A copy of Bourne (digital or physical copy).
  • Foner.
  • Charged laptop.

​#606 WWI: The Wilsonian Moment

To do:
  • Read Foner 599-606 ("1919").
  • Read "President Woodrow Wilson's 14 Points," January 1918 in the Course Reader, 99-101.
  • Consider:
    • Identify the goals of those pressing for global change in 1919, and of those who opposed them.
    • Describe how the ending and immediate aftermath of World War I sowed the seeds of future twentieth-century conflicts.
What to bring to class:
  • Foner.
  • Course Reader.
  • Charged laptop.

#607 Great Depression: From Prosperity to Ruin

To do:
  • Read Foner 631-37 (“The Great Depression")
  • View “Crash Course U.S. History #33: The Great Depression” (14 minutes).
  • Consider:
    • What were the main causes of the Great Depression?
    • What principles guided President Hoover’s response to the Great Depression, and how did this restrict his ability to tackle the economic and social challenges of the period?
What to bring to class:
  • ​A charged laptop.

#608 Great Depression: The New Deal

To do:
  • View The New Deal: Crash Course US History #34 (15 minutes)
  • Read and annotate Herbert Hoover, “Roosevelt’s New Deal Would Destroy America” (1932) in the Course Reader (107-110).
  • Read and annotate Franklin Roosevelt, “Fireside Chat” (1934) in Foner, 656.
  • Consider:
    • Compare and contrast Hoover's and Roosevelt's visions of liberty.
What to bring to class:
  • A charged laptop.
  • Foner.
  • Course Reader.

#609 The Authoritarian Alternative: Communism

To do:What to bring to class:
  • Printed or digital copy of the Tignor reading.
  • A charged laptop.

​#610 The Authoritarian Alternative: Fascism

To do: What to bring to class:
  • Printed or digital copy of the Tignor reading.
  • A charged laptop

#611 Skills Workshop: Selecting Good Secondary Sources

To do:
What to bring to class:
  • A charged laptop.

​#612 Assessment: Research Day 1

To do: What to bring to class:
  • A charged laptop

#613 Assessment: Research Day 2

To do:
  • Please submit a preliminary bibliography (with at least 6 sources) to this link to Canvas and identify the kind of visual aid your group will use in its presentation. These will be graded out of 10 points for completion, reputability of sources cited, and correct Chicago formatting. Submissions may be formatted as Word (DOC, DOCX) or PDF documents.
What to bring to class:
  • A charged laptop.

#614 Assessment: Presentations

  • Group presentations.
Unit 7: ​Global Conflicts: World War II and the Early Cold War, 1930s-60s

​#701 Past in the present: Jewish refugees of the 1930s and Syrian refugees today

To do: What to bring to class:
  • A charged laptop.

​#702 World War II: U.S. entry into World War II and Roosevelt's "Four Freedoms"

To do:
  • Read Foner 674-78 “Good Neighbors, The Road to War, Isolationism, War in Europe, Toward Intervention, and Pearl Harbor).
  • Read President Franklin Roosevelt, “Annual Message to Congress,” 6 January 1941 in the Course Reader, 111-18.
  • Consider:
    • Why did most Americans support isolationism in the 1930s?
    • What factors after 1939 led to U.S. involvement in World War II?
    • What were the “Four Freedoms” articulated by President Roosevelt in his Annual Message to Congress in January 1941? How might different groups within the United States have understood or experienced the Four Freedoms in different ways?
What to bring to class:
  • Course Reader.
  • Charged laptop.

#703 World War II: Japanese internment

To do:
  • Read "Japanese-American Internment" in Foner, 692-94.
  • Read the following documents from the Course Reader, 119-26:
    • Transcript of Executive Order 99066 (1942)
    • Key Excerpts from Korematsu v. United States: Majority Opinion (1944)
    • Key Excerpts from Korematsu v. United States: Dissenting Opinion (1944)
  • Consider:
    • What reasons does President Roosevelt provide for interning Japanese-Americans during World War II? How is this decision similar to and different from the treatment by Nazis of Jews and other groups in Europe at the time?
    • Identify the strongest arguments presented in both the majority and Justice Black's dissenting opinion in Korematsu v. United States.
What to bring to class:
  • Course Reader.
  • A charged laptop.

​#704 World War II: Atomic bombs

​To do:
  • Read Foner, 700-03 (The End of the War, “The Most Terrible Weapon,” The Dawn of the Atomic Age, and The Nature of the War).
  • ​Read “Atomic Bombs: Multiple Perspectives” (Google Doc).
  • Consider:
    • Were atomic strikes necessary primarily to avert an invasion of Japan in November 1945?
    • Were there alternatives to the use of the weapons? If there were, what were they and how plausible are they in retrospect? Why were alternatives not pursued?
    • How did the U.S. government select targets? Why did they choose urban targets?
    • How important a factor was the atomic bombings in Japan’s decision to surrender?
    • Was the bombing of Nagasaki necessary? To the extent that the atomic bombing was critically important to the Japanese decision to surrender would it have been enough to destroy one city?
    • Was the dropping of the atomic bombs morally justifiable?
What to bring to class:
  • A charged laptop.
  • Digital or printed version of the "Atomic Bombs: Multiple Perspectives" handout to class.

#705 World War II: Oral histories

To do:
  • No reading, viewing, or writing due before class.
What to bring to class:
  • A pair of headphones.
  • A charged laptop.

#706 Cold War: Competing origin narratives

To do: What to bring to class:
  • A charged laptop.

#707 Global Cold War: Korea and Vietnam

To do: What to bring to class:
  • ​Please bring a charged laptop to class.

#708 Global Cold War: America, Divided

To do: What to bring to class:
  • Please bring a charged laptop to class.
  • Optional: If you have a favorite protest song (from either the Vietnam War era or some other time period), you are welcome to bring it to class.
Unit 8: ​Civil Rights & Human Rights, 1940s-today

#800 Segregation in the 1940s and 1950s: newspaper coverage 

To do:
  • Complete this newspaper source analysis (Google Form). Your responses should be thoughtful yet focused (I have set a 1,200-character maximum on each question, which translates to about 200 words). This assignment will be graded out of 10 points for the clarity and depth of your responses/analysis.
  • Please be ready to present your source (and its significance!) to the class.​
What to bring to class:
  • A digital or printed copy of your article.
  • A charged laptop.

#801 Segregation in the 1940s and 1950s: presidential election of 1948

To do:
  • Read Foner 724-727 (“Postwar Civil Rights,” “To Secure these Rights,” and “The Dixiecrat and Wallace Revolts”).
  • Read President Truman's Remarks on Executive Order 9808
  • Consider:
    • Which sections of the Constitution might support the federal government’s right to directly intervene against segregation? Which sections might challenge the federal government’s right to intervene with states in this manner?
    • In what ways did the government establish new rights for Black Americans in the late 1940s? In what ways did racism and inequality still persist in the country?
    • How are politicians and activists who advocated for Black Americans’ civil rights remembered today? What about those politicians and activists who worked to uphold segregation?
What to bring to class:
  • A digital or printed copy of President Truman’s Remarks on Executive Order 9808
  • A charged laptop.

#802  Evolution of the courts, the NAACP, and Emmett Till

PLEASE NOTE: HH250-12 SHOULD REFERENCE MY EMAIL ABOUT HOMEWORK FOR WED. 4/11.

To do:
  • Read Smith v. Allwright summary and excerpt.
  • Read Thurgood Marshall’s memo for the NAACP as lead Counsel for the NAACP’s preparations for Smith v. Allwright.  
    • NAACP archival caption for the document: The Texas Democratic Party contended that a political party was a private association that could freely select its membership. This strategy was upheld by the Supreme Court in Grovey v. Townsend (1935). But, in United States v. Classic (1941) the Court conversely held that a primary was an integral part of the electoral process, not a private activity.  Inspired by this decision, Thurgood Marshall decided to launch a new attack on the white primary. His client, Lonnie E. Smith, was a black dentist from Houston who had been denied the right to vote in the 1940 primary by Judge S.E. Allwright. On April 3, 1944, in Smith v. Allwright the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Smith, declaring the white primary void as a violation of the Fifteenth Amendment. Indicative of many of the NAACP’s early records, this memorandum reflects Marshall’s grueling travel schedule, as well as his acute sense of humor.
  • Consider:
    • Do either of these texts reveal tensions that were forming within the Civil Rights Movement?
    • What strategy does Marshall and the NAACP outline in these documents?
What to bring to class:
  • Digital or printed copies of the readings (Smith v. Allwright and Thurgood Marshall’s memo).
  • A charged laptop.

#803 Brown vs. Board of Education and the Little Rock 9

To do:
  • Read Foner 754-758 (The Freedom Movement, Origins of the Movement, The Legal Assault on Segregation, The Brown Case).
  • Read Brown v. Board of Ed., Opinion by Chief Justice Warren in your Course Reader, 137-141.
  • Consider:
    • How did the NAACP continue strategies it used in Smith v. Allwright in the Brown case?
    • How does the issue of states rights vs. federal authority remerge in the Brown v. Board case and the larger Civil Rights Movement?
    • Are laws effective without the ability to enforce them?
    • Is schooling a right? How does the court answer this question in Brown in 1954? How do anti and pro-segregationists answer it? ​
What to bring to class:
  • A charged laptop.
  • Course Reader.

​#804 A movement of nonviolence: Martin Luther King, Jr.

To do: What to bring to class:
  • A charged laptop.
  • *Course reader*
  • Digital or printed copy of the Kumar article.

#805 Malcolm X and Black Power

To do:What to bring to class:
  • A charged laptop.
  • A digital or printed copy of the Malcolm X reading.

#806  Diversity and friction within the movement
PLEASE NOTE: HH250-12 SHOULD PROCEED FROM #805 TO #807.

To do: What to bring to class:
  • Digital or printed copy of Ella Baker interview
  • A charged laptop.

#807 Congress takes action: Civil Rights Act (1964) & Voting Rights Act (1965)

To do:
  • Read Foner pages 775-77 (“Kennedy & Civil Rights,” “The Civil Rights Act of 1964,” and “Freedom Summer”).
  • Read Foner page 780 (“The Voting Rights Act”).
  • Watch excerpts from Eyes on the Prize, part 6 “Bridge to Freedom” (link to 11-minute MP4 file on Google Drive). Please note: as with other clips we have watched, this includes violence and language that some may find offensive.
  • Consider:
    • How might you describe the relationship between the Federal government and civil rights leaders?
What to bring to class:
  • A charged laptop.

#808 The Feminist Movement

To do:
  • Read Betty Friedan, “The Problem that has no name” (excerpt) in your Course Reader, pages 161-163.
  • Read Foner, pages 795-797 (“The New Movements and the Rights Revolution,” “The Feminine Mystique,” “Women’s Liberation,” “Personal Freedom”).
What to bring to class:
  • Course Reader.
  • A charged laptop.

​#809 The Gay Liberation Front: The Stonewall Rebellion

To do:
  • Keeping in mind the hallmarks for reliable source material, locate one issue or example of discrimination facing LGBTQ individuals in the United States today. You might start with the ACLU’s page on current LGBT issues, but feel free to investigate further. Please be prepared to share whatever issue you identify in class, and make note of any links or materials you consult.
  • Listen to “Sylvia Rivera: A Forgotten Hero of the Stonewall Riots” from NPR (7:33)
  • Consider:
    • What was the significance of the Stonewall rebellion to the larger gay rights movement?
    • What factors make Stonewall a challenging event for historians to study?
    • What tensions and hierarchies existed within gay rights movements in the 1960s?
What to bring to class:
  • A charged laptop.

#810 Assessment: Annotated bibliography

To do:
  • Read through Unit 8 Assessment: Annotated bibliography instructions (Google Doc).
  • Come to class ready with 1 or 2 possible topics based on the instructions. Note: if you may be interested in writing about any of these movements for the final research paper, you may re-use this annotated bibliography in your final research paper (and receive early feedback on it!).
What to bring to class:
  • A charged laptop.
Unit 9: ​Research project