Syllabus
Topics:
1. What is Freedom?
2. The American Revolution, part I: What is freedom and who has it?
3. The American Revolution, part II: Freedom for whom?
4. Domestic and International Imperialism, part I: Westward Expansion, Cherokee Removal and Indigenous Power in the Southwest
5. Domestic and International Imperialism, part II: Manifest Destiny in International Settings/Liberal Imperialism
6. Slavery and Sharecropping: Free and Slave Labor before and after the Civil War
7. Women’s rights at the turn of the 20th century
8. Jim Crow Shellshock:African-American experiences in the Civil War, WWI and WWII
9. Pursuit of Fairness? WWII Homefront
10. Challenging the Status Quo: The Freedom to Dissent?
11. Conservative Backlash - "The Oppressed Majority"
12. Empire in Denial
Annotation
The focus and goal of this course it to introduce students to the diverse views and ideas about freedom, subjugation, and hegemony as they developed within the American society throughout its history, from the initial contact to the present. The aim of the course is not to present a comprehensive chronological narrative, rather, it will concentrate on pivotal moments and events that will allow students to examine the developing meanings and definitions of freedom to people from different walks of life at different times. The students will examine the role and intersections of class, race, and gender relations in formulating these ideas within the context of domestic and internationals relations.