230170 American History I (S) (WiSe 2004/2005)

This is the first part of a two-semester course sequence. This semester, we will trace the history of what is now the United States from the earliest known human inhabitants through the age of European exploration, exploitation, settlement, colonization and eventual independence from Britain, followed by industrialization and expansion leading up to the Civil War and its immediate aftermath. We will focus on topics in American history that have relevance for understanding the present - the interaction among Native Americans, Europeans and Africans; the development of democratic and republican ideals (here, not the present-day parties but the ideological concepts with lower case d and r); the role of religion; the growth of capitalism; the role of war; aspects of regionalism; sources of political division and a critical reconsideration of significant "heroic" figures. The underlying theme will be the formation of the United States: forces of union and disunion and the struggle for national self-understanding. There will be an examination (3LP) - (or, if preferred, a midterm and final) and the possibility to write a research paper for those who require this option.

Recommended text: The Penguin History of the USA by Hugh Brogan (1999)