SUNY Cortland, Department of History

History 201--United States, 1877 To The Present

Spring 2009

Instructor: Dr. R. Storch                 Email: randi.storch@cortland.edu

Office: 210D Old Main                   Web Page: web.cortland.edu/storchr  

Phone: 753-2054                                                                                                                       

Office Hours:  11:30-12:30 Tuesdays; 2-4 Wednesdays, and by appointment

             

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

History 201 is an introduction to the history of modern America since 1877. In this class we will put names, dates, and places in a larger historical context in order to make connections across decades and between movements.  We will emphasize the growth of industrial capitalism, the emergence of the American State, and the relationship of these developments to a variety of groups including business leaders, reformers, women, industrial workers, and African-Americans.  Studying these groups in relation to economic and political developments as well as to social movements allows us to begin to understand the historical roots of important issues that are still with us today, such as racial and class divisions, the changing character of work, and the causes of war.

 

To meet these objectives, the course will be a mix of lectures and discussions based upon the readings assigned for each class. The ONLY way to prepare is to do the assigned readings BEFORE coming to class. The readings will not only help you understand my interpretation, but will sometimes offer you alternative perspectives. In class, you will be expected to ask for clarification on points that are unclear, to interpret primary sources, and to develop your own historical arguments. IT IS ABSOLUTELY IMPERATIVE THAT YOU ARE PREPARED TO PARTICIPATE IN CLASS.

REQUIREMENTS:

1. Purchase and read the assigned sections of the following texts:

Eric Foner, Give Me Liberty! An American History, v.2, 2nd  edition, Seagull Edition, 2006.
Anzia Yezierska, Bread Givers:  A Struggle Between a Father of the Old World and a Daughter of the New.

              Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James Houston, Farewell to 

                                Manzanar.

Melba Pattillo Beals, Warriors Don't Cry: A Searing Memoir of    

            the Battle to Integrate Little Rock's Central High .

2. One in-class midterm will be 30% of your final grade.

3. A final examination will be worth 35% of your final grade.

4.  Short Papers are worth 20% of your final grade.  Three times throughout the semester, you will have the opportunity to type a three to four page paper based on a particular reading. You are required to do one of the three papers. 

5. In-Class quizzes and general participation will count for 15% of your final grade.

 

LECTURE AND DISCUSSION TOPICS AND WEEKLY READING ASSIGNMENTS:

N.B.: The schedule below includes reading assignments to be completed for each class session. The "Lecture/Discussion" heading alerts you to the focus of that day's discussion. You are expected to have carefully thought about that day's readings in advance. Be sure to bring the assigned readings to class because you will be using them in our discussions.


     

1/22  Introduction, Interpretations of History              Begin Yezierska

                          

1/27    Reconstructing a Nation                           Foner, Chapter 15         

                               

1/29  Economic and Political Developments of Industrialization Foner, 510-516

 

2/3    Industrialization: The People in the Process    Foner, 516-20; 533-43

 

2/5         Political Culture in the Gilded Age        Foner, 528-533

                                        

2/10      The Establishment of Jim Crow          Foner, 556-565

 

2/12   Crisis of the 1890s--"The Labor Problem" and  Foner, 543-4, 546-56

                    Agrarian Revolt

                                                                                 

2/17    Western Expansion: Capitalism, the State, Race, and Conflict   Foner, 520-28

 

2/19      Imperialism: Motivations and Results         Foner, 572-81

                                                                                               

2/24      The Progressives: Good or Evil?           Foner, Chapter 18            

 

2/26                    Discuss Bread Givers

                           Paper Assignment #1 Due

 

3/3                      Review for Midterm Exam

 

3/5                      Midterm Exam

 

3/17         World War I: Getting Involved         Foner, Chapter 19

 

3/19       World War I: Homefront and Aftermath         Review ch., 19   

 

3/24      1920s America: Economy, Culture, and Politics       Foner, 660-88

 

3/26       The Great Depression: The Leaders and the People      Foner, 688-700; Begin Houston

                                                                                                                          

3/31    The New Deal: Its Accomplishments and Limitations    Foner, 700-35    

4/2        World War II: The Road to War         Foner 736-48

 
4/7       World War II: The War and the Homefront        Foner, 748-770  

                           Discuss Farewell to Manzanar

                           Paper Assignment #2 Due

 

4/9         Containment and The Cold War              Foner, 770-88

                                                        Begin Beals

             

4/14        McCarthyism without McCarthy      Foner, 788-807

 

4/16       Living in the Ike Age      Foner, 808-833

 

4/21      The Civil Rights Movement          Foner, 833-842; 846-51

                           Discuss Warriors DonÕt Cry

                           Paper Assignment #3 Due

 

4/23     Kennedy and Johnson            Foner, 842-44; 851-64

 

4/28     Vietnam at Home and at War              Foner, 864-71                  

 

4/30    Liberalism vs. Nixon                  Foner, 871-903  

 

5/5        The Carter and Reagan Years            Foner, 903-926                

 

                                                                                               

FINAL EXAM: DATE, TIME AND PLACE TBA

SUNY Cortland is committed to upholding and maintaining all aspects of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. If you are a student with a disability and wish to request accommodations, please contact the office of Disability Services located in B-40 Van Hoesen Hall or call (607)753-2066 for an appointment. Any information regarding your disability will remain confidential. Because many accommodations require early planning, requests for accommodations should be made as really as possible. Any requests for accommodations will be reviewed in a timely manner to determine their appropriateness to this setting.

 

Paper Assignments and Guidelines

 

Paper Assignment #1:  For this paper assignment you will type a three to four page paper that uses evidence and arguments from Bread Givers.  What does the author want readers to think about her immigrant charactersÕ old and new world values? What are their old world values and how are they represented in the text? What are the new world values and how are they represented in the text? Do the old and new world values support one another or are they in conflict? What ultimately happens to them in the end?

 

Paper Assignment #2:  For this paper assignment you will think about the role of the government during times of war. In a three to four page paper, using evidence from Farewell to Manzanar, make an argument about the effect of the governmentÕs internment policy on Jeannie and her family. What tensions did this policy create? What issues did it raise?  Was the government ultimately justified in creating this wartime policy?

 

Paper Assignment #3: For this paper assignment, you will think about the courts and race relations in America. What did the Brown decision do for Melba Beals? In a three to four page paper, you will make an argument about the effectiveness of court decisions. What difference did it make in her life? Who and what ultimately helped her make change?