HIS-301 Vast Early America
If most US History courses start the clock in 1776 and on the East Coast, Vast Early America offers a different perspective. We will investigate the encounters between and among Indigenous and European empires across the North American continent, and watch as the new nation of the United States enters the world stage. Covering roughly 1500 to 1865, our emphasis will be less on facts and figures (who did what, and when) and more on the larger themes of social, political, and religious change. We will explore questions such as, what was "new" about the New World for Europeans, Africans and Native Americans? How did a multiracial society composed of people from different continents and faiths come into being? How does early American history look from the perspective of women—enslaved and free, rich and poor, young and old—and what is the relationship of the domestic to the political sphere? Is the United States a "Christian nation" or a nation of many faiths?