United States History Survey from 1865

History 206

Professor Andrew Kersten

Summer 2008

MAC 105

Description: This course is a general survey of United States history from the end of the Civil War to present. In this class, we will cover both the content of this history and various themes that I wish to emphasize. Among these interpretative emphases are: labor, race, ethnic, and gender relations; immigration; wealth; and the role of the federal government in creating and influencing American history. This course is interdisciplinary. Technically it is an HS3 class, but it will meet informally many of the Social Sciences and Ethnic Studies learning outcomes as well. This course encourages students to improve as critical readers, critical writers, and critical thinkers. This focus will move some students from the normal comfort zone. However, everyone will benefit from your thoughts, engagement, and own personal view of history.

Course Information:

Contact times: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday, 9:00 am to 11:50 am [May 27-June 20]

Office Hours: 8:30-9, Monday-Thursday and by appointment

Instructor email: kerstena@uwgb.edu

Course email: C6070@uwgb.edu

Required Books:

Henretta, America

Olson, My Lai

Lawrence and Lee, Inherit the Wind

Jacobson and ColÛn, The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation

General Education Learning Outcomes (http://www.uwgb.edu/catalog/undrgrad/gened.htm):

HS3: Have a fundamental understanding of the humanities including:

∑ the significance and chronology of major events and movements in Western civilization,

∑ a range of literature, representative of different literary forms and historical contexts, and

∑ the role of the humanities in identifying and clarifying individual and social values in a culture and understanding the implications of decisions made on the basis of those values

∑ the role of Humanities in societal issues

Additional Intended Student Learning Outcomes:

• Develop critical thinking skills and exercise problem solving skills especially as they relate to historical analysis and interpretation.
• Develop a fundamental understanding of major events, chronology, and movements in United States History.
• Develop historical analysis skills including comprehension of primary documents.
• Develop critical reading skills including the understanding of historical interpretation.
• Identify and clarify individual and social values in the United States.
• Develop an understanding and appreciation for cultural diversity.
• Develop an understanding of the social sciences including: major concepts of social, political, geographic and economic structures; and the impact that social institutions and values have on individuals and groups in a culture.

Additional Rules:

• During class, turn off all pagers, beepers, PDA alarms, telephones, and other electronic or non-electronic communication devices that ring, vibrate, hum, or otherwise annoy.
• Never send your written work as an email or email attachment unless specifically instructed to do so.
• You are not allowed to bring in outside resources for any take-home exam or essay assignment unless specifically directed to do so. Violating this policy may result in a significantly reduced grade on that exam or assignment.
• You are not allowed to use the web site Wikipedia unless specifically directed to do so.
• Always keep several updated copies of your files on disk and at least one recent hard copy.
• Try to never miss a class immediately following a major exam. In fact, don't skip class at all.
• In this class, use your best professional skills while writing, speaking, and communicating with others.
• This class welcomes all types of learners. Persons with disabilities that might affect learning should contact me during the first week of class.
• Graded papers are returned once during class. If you fail to pick up your paper, you may retrieve it at my office during office hours. After a while, I recycle old class papers.
• All written work over two pages must be stapled. Quality staplers are available for under $1. Papers that are not stapled will not be accepted.
• Check your UW-Green Bay email twice daily. You are responsible for reading and understanding the email that I send you. Only send me email from your UW-Green Bay email. The campus spam mail filter quarantines mail from yahoo, msn, AOL, hotmail, and other providers.
• Finally use this syllabus as a class resource. Don't loose it. Refer to it frequently to ensure that you are caught up on reading and studying, that your papers meet the guidelines below, and that you understand when things will happen in this course.

Expectations:

∑ Attend class every day, and be respectful of others during class.

∑ Come to class on time and prepared for the day's work.

∑ Participate in class every day.

∑ Read and understand all materials.

∑ Work hard and honestly and professionally.

Writing:

All written work must be at least 600 words, typed or printed in black ink. You must have your name on your paper, follow good writing etiquette, staple your pages together, and use page numbers for papers longer than two pages. Double-space everything. No cover pages or report covers. See the back of the syllabus for a style guide.

Grading:

Grades are not curved. Except in emergency situations, late work will lose one letter grade per weekday (Sunday through Saturday) without prior approval of the instructor. Attendance will be taken and students are expected to attend class for the entire period and are expected to contribute to discussions. Cheating constitutes a violation of University policy and students will be subject to University disciplinary actions.

Your grade will be based on your performance on the exams and papers. There will be three exams (all multiple choice). Additionally, you will have to turn in three (3) essays, each relating to the course books. Finally, I will award you full 10% participation grade if you speak consistently (that is twice a week). I will check your name each time you speak. Failure to speak will reduce your grade accordingly. So if you speak 80% of the expected amount, youπll receive 80% for class participation.

2 Multiple Choice Exams (20% each, 40% total)

1 Multiple Choice Final Exam (20%)

3 Essay (10% each; 30% total)

Class participation (10%)

Grading Scale:

100-93 A

92-90 A/B

89-85 B

84-80 B/C

79-70 C

69-60 D

Student Conduct:

I expect all students to abide by the UW-Green Bay student conduct policies. See http://www.uwgb.edu/deanofstudents/policies_procedures/index.html and especially

http://www.uwgb.edu/deanofstudents/policies_procedures/students/civility_tolerance.html

Disability Notice:

Consistent with the federal law and the policies of the University of Wisconsin, it is the policy of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay to provide appropriate and necessary accommodations to students with documented physical and learning disabilities. If you anticipate requiring any auxiliary aids or services, you should contact me or the Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities at 465-2671 as soon as possible to discuss your needs and arrange for the provision of services.

Paper Turn In Checklist:

Have you remembered the little things?

® Have you put your name on the first page of the paper?

® Have you remember not to attach a cover page?

® Have you numbered your pages?

® Have you stapled your paper?

® Have you used black ink?

® Have you double-spaced your paper?

Have you remembered the big things?

® Have you clearly identified your thesis?

® Have you used proper paragraph form (with indents)?

® Have you used topic sentences?

® Have you used quotations to support your ideas?

® Have you used proper footnote and bibliographic formats?

® Have you revised your paper with several drafts?

Grading Rubric

As (90-100)	Bs (80-89)	Cs (70-79)	Ds (60-69)	F (59 and below)
Your essay is well constructed. It has paragraphs, topic sentences, and most importantly a clear thesis. Your essay demonstrates a command of the material. It uses quotes from the readings. You have an exceptional command of the English language. You avoid making many grammatical or stylistic errors.	You essay is very good. It has paragraphs. You probably need to develop your thesis and/or topic sentences. You have a fair command of the reading materials but could have used more quotes or direct references. You have some grammatical and stylistic problems.	Your essay is good. And yet, your essay needs work to improve its structure. You need to work on your thesis and/or topic sentences. You have a fair command of the reading materials. You could have used more quotes. You have serious grammatical and stylistic problems.	Your essay lacks coherence. You make errors in essay structure, style, and grammar. You lack a command of the reading materials. You make many stylistic and grammatical errors. This paper needs a lot of work.	You failed to complete the assignment.

Course Outline

Week One: [Reading: Henretta Chapters 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23; Lee & Jackson]

May 27 (T)—

Introduction

Reconstruction

May 28 (W)—

Farmers in an Era of Change

Muckrakers and Gilded Age City

Imperialism

May 29 (R)—

Progressivism and World War I

Tribal Twenties

Discussion: Pick a source from Muckrakers and be able to discuss it.

Week Two [Reading: Henretta Chapters 24, 25, 26, 27, 28; Olson and Roberts]

June 2 (M)—

Jazz Age

Film: Inherit the Wind

READING DUE: Lee and Jackson, Inherit the Wind

PAPER DUE

June 3 (T)—

Great Depression and New Deal

World War II

Cold War

June 4 (W)—

Kennedy

Civil Rights

Film: Eyes on the Prize: The March on Washington

June 5 (R)—

Review

Exam Number One

Week Three: [Reading: Henretta Chapters 29, 30; and 9/11 Graphic Adaptation]

June 9 (M)—

LBJ

Vietnam

READING DUE: Olson and Roberts, My Lai

PAPER DUE

June 10 (T)—

Watergate

"Malaise" and the 1970s

Film: Meltdown: Three Mile Island

June 11 (W)—

Film: Roger and Me

A New America? Reagan Years

Discussion: Pick a presidential speech and be prepared to discuss it.

June 12 (R)—

Review

Exam Number Two

Week Four: [Reading: Henretta Chapter 31]

June 16 (M)—

Clinton

Bush and War on Terror

June 17 (T)—

READING DUE: 911 Report

PAPER DUE: 911 Report

Discussion: Read the Patriot Act and be prepared to discuss it.

June 18(W)—

Film: Iraq War

Discussion: Pick a document about the War on Terror and be prepared to discuss it.

June 19 (R)—

Review

Final Exam

Muckrakers

Introduction to Lincoln Steffens's Shame of the Cities

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5732

Lincoln Steffens Exposes Corruption in St. Louis

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5733

Plunkitt Responds to Steffens

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5731

The Shame of America

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6786

The Murder of Postmaster Baker

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5486

Ida B. Wells Protests the Murder of a Black Postmaster

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/56

Senator Benjamin R. Tillman Justifies Violence Against Blacks

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/55

Presidential Speeches

Carter's "Malaise Speech"

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/carter/filmmore/ps_crisis.html

John F. Kennedy's 1961 Inaugural

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/johnfkennedyinaugural.htm

Ronald W. Reagan's 1981 Inaugural

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/ronaldreagandfirstinaugural.html

Ronald W. Reagan's 1985 Inaugural

http://www.bartleby.com/124/pres62.html

Text of the USA Patriot Act

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:h.r.03162:

War on Terror

Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US

http://anacreon.clas.uconn.edu/~pressman/documents.htm

Torture Documents

http://www.aclu.org/torturefoia/released/052505/

Sec. of State Powell at the UN, Feb. 2003

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/02/20030205-1.html

Weapons of Mass Destruction

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/23/bush.iraq/index.html

Writing Tips for Students

How to Write a History Essay

Most history essays are written in response to a historical question. The best way to answer that question is to use the "five paragraph" essay.

Your first paragraph (that is, your introduction) should provide some general background on the question (and may even restate the question) and then directly answer that question. This statement is your thesis. It is a good idea to add one final sentence, which will allude to the rest of your paper.

Your next three (or so) paragraphs provide a detailed, structured, and concise summary of evidence and ideas that support your thesis.

The conclusion is the place to summarize your thoughts, your essay, and your thesis. It is also the place to talk about how the past might relate to the present.

It is always a good idea to use quotations from the sources that are utilized and discussed in class.

It is always a good idea to review the Guide to Good Writing before and after you write your essay.

Basic Suggestions, Guidelines, and Grading

General Suggestions

Ä Start early.

Ä Have a friend read your early drafts.

Format

Ä Staple your papers.

Ä No coversheets.

Ä No plastic covers or folders.

Ä Always use page numbers.

Ä Use footnotes, endnotes, or in paragraph citation.

Style -- avoid these problems

AFW Avoid Flavoring Words ("very" etc)

AWK Awkward Sentence Structure

COLL Colloquial Language

DA Don't Abbreviate

DP Dangling Preposition

DUC Don't Use Contractions

DUF Don't Use First Person

DWQ Don't Write in Questions

KPP Keep the Past in the Past (use past tense verbs)

MU Meaning Unclear

MVT Mixed Verb Tenses

NAS Not A Sentence

NSB Don't Use History as Your Personal Soap Box

PV Passive Voice

RSS Repetitive Sentence Structure

SC Use Standard Rules of Capitalization

SP Misspelled Word

TAS Throw-away sentence (has no meaning)

TL Sentence, Paragraph, or Quote is Too Long

W Wordy

WW Wrong Word

Documentation

For all documentation questions, refer to Turabian. If you do not own a copy, it is worth the price.

Here are some common formats.

FOOTNOTES and ENDNOTES:

Published

¹Andrew E. Kersten, Race, Jobs, and the War: The FEPC in the Midwest, 1941-1946 (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2000), 1-5.

²Andrew E. Kersten, "Jobs and Justice: The FEPC in the Motor City," Michigan Historical Review 56 (Spring 1999): 1-25.

³ Andrew E. Kersten, ed., Reach or Breech: The State and Society, 1865-1945 (Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2001): 25-50.

⁴ Andrew E. Kersten, "Willie Webb," in Ordinary Women, ed. Kriste Lindenmeyer (New York: Scholarly Resources, 2000): 50-55.

GENERAL RULE: NAME (FIRST, MIDDLE, LAST), TITLE, PLACE IF BOOK, VOLUME IF JOURNAL, DATE, PAGES.

Unpublished

³Letter, Andrew E. Kersten to Bethany R. Kersten, 27 May 1997, Andrew E. Kersten Papers, Box 15, Folder 9, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Archives.

GENERAL RULE: KIND OF DOCUMENT, TITLE, DATE, COLLECTION, LOCATION WITHIN COLLECTION, PLACE OF COLLECTION.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Kersten, Andrew E. "Jobs and Justice: The FEPC in the Motor City." Michigan Historical Review (Spring 1999): 1-25.

Kersten, Andrew E. Race, Jobs, and the War: The FEPC in the Midwest, 1941-1946. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2000.

Same general rules above but put last names first. Always separate your primary and secondary material in your bibliography. Questions? See me or use Turabian.

Tips:

1) Be consistent and thorough.

2) In your bibliography, separate primary and secondary sources.

3) Remember the purpose of this part of the assignment. One should be able to retrace your research steps back through your footnotes and bibliography

UW-GREEN BAY WRITING POLICY

The faculty of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay has adopted the following writing policy for out-of-class assignments.

Acceptable Writing:

1. Clear writing is a reflection of logical thinking; therefore, an acceptable paper must be organized. Every essay should be structured around a thesis and supported by factual evidence and arguments that are organized in a logical progression.

2. Writers must acknowledge their use of data or ideas of others; therefore, an acceptable paper must have proper documentation of all source material, following professional guidelines such as those approved by the Modern Language Association (MLA), the American Psychological Association (APA), or the American Association for the Advancement of Science, or those published in a standard style manual such as Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations.

3. An acceptable paper must reflect control of correct grammar, usage, spelling, and punctuation.

4. An acceptable paper must be presented in appropriate manuscript form, with errors neatly corrected and care taken with margins, numbering of pages, spacing, and format.

Unacceptable Writing:

1. A paper without clear organization is unacceptable. Unclear organization includes illogical progressions from one idea to another and the inclusion of unnecessary ideas.

2. A paper without proper documentation is unacceptable. Failure to acknowledge the use of another writer's words or ideas constitutes plagiarism. Plagiarism is both unethical and illegal. The use of professional editing for student papers is also unacceptable, as is the use of purchased papers, which is also a form of plagiarism.

3. A paper containing frequent errors in grammar, usage, spelling, or punctuation is unacceptable.

4. A paper which does not appear to be carefully done is unacceptable. This includes papers with ragged edges, typographical errors and strikeovers, illegible handwriting, stains, or smudges.

To achieve acceptable writing standards, students should purchase and use a good dictionary and a writing handbook. Assistance in improving writing skills is available through regular courses in composition and from the Writing Center, which conducts writings workshops and provides advice and tutoring (but not editing). All students who wish to improve their writing are encouraged to use these resources.

CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING WRITING

Listed below are some major factors that differentiate good writing from poor writing.

This list may help you identify particular aspects of your writing that need improvement. For further assistance consult with instructors who are familiar with your writing skills. Writing assistance is also available in the Writing Center (CL 109).

1. PURPOSE

Is the purpose of your paper clear to the audience?

Is the purpose appropriate to the assignment and to the audience?

Is the purpose consistently maintained throughout the paper?

2. CONTENT

Are the ideas in the paper interesting?

Do the ideas in the paper reflect independent thought, a new approach, fresh insights?

Is the writer actively engaged with the topic?

3. ORGANIZATION

Are the ideas developed in a logical order?

Is the organizational pattern clear to the readers?

Is the discussion coherent? Are transitional devices used effectively to shift smoothly from one idea to another?

4. DEVELOPMENT

Are the major ideas adequately supported with examples, specific details, and other kinds of evidence?

Are the ideas presented in meaningful paragraphs?

Is there a general sense of completeness and closure?

5. WORDS: CHOICE AND ARRANGEMENT

Have clear, precise, and appropriate words been selected?

Have cliches been avoided?

Have the words been arranged into correct and graceful sentences?

6. STYLE AND TONE

Is the style clear, lively, fluent?

Is the tone appropriate for the purpose and audience?

Are the sentences varied in length and structure?

Is there appropriate use of metaphor, analogy, parallelism, and other rhetorical devices?

7. TECHNICAL QUALITIES: MECHANICS

Does the writing conform to the conventions of grammar, spelling, punctuation, and usage?

Is the format of the paper appropriate to the assignment?

Has all material from other sources been properly documented?

Has the paper been carefully proofread, with all typos neatly corrected?