Course Description
This course provides an interpretive overview of the history of the United States from the eve of European arrival on the North American continent through the present day. We will frame our discussion of the social, economic, political, and cultural developments that shaped this nation around three interlocking themes: 1) the ongoing tension between national unity and national division due to geography, ideology, and racial, class and ethnic identity; 2) the changing role of the U.S. in the world, and the efforts to define what that role should be; and 3) the debate over the function and size of government, along with related contests over the meaning of "freedom" and citizenship rights. Our ultimate objective is to understand not only what happened but why, and to gain some perspective into the arguments and issues whose history shapes our present lives.

Your work in History 1004 simultaneously satisfies the Virginia Tech requirement for achieving competency in American history and counts toward the completion of the University's Area 3 Core Requirement in Society and Human Behavior.

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Required Readings

Books
There are three books required for this class:

• James Henretta, et.al., America: A Concise History, 2nd edition
• Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
• Thomas Bell, Out of This Furnace

These books are available at the University Bookstore, Volume Two Bookstore, and the Tech Bookstore, and on reserve at Newman Library.

Online Sources

• "United States History Online" – access weekly reading and writing assignments through the "External Links" button on the Blackboard class webpage (http://learn.vt.edu)

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Computer Requirements
This class requires access to an up-to-date computer and the web – for e-mail communication, use of the course web-page, online reading assignments, and written homework.

You can access the course website through the Blackboard 5 portal at: http://learn.vt.edu. Logging-in with your Virginia Tech PID and password will give you direct access to the class web-page, "Hist 1004 – Intro to US History."

The United States History Online reading assignments, misecellaneous announcements, and exam and homework grades will be available only through the website. I will also post lecture outlines and lists of key terms at the end of each week.

Finally, additional study aids are available on the companion website to America: A Concise History at http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/henrettaconcise/index.htm. Choose either a chapter or a category to begin. The site provides you with unfettered access to a wide range of study materials, including chapter summaries of the textbook, practice multiple-choice questions, links, interactive timelines, maps, and more.

Communication
I will send e-mail "newsletter" out to the class each week. The "newsletter" will contain announcements and reminders about pending homeworks, exams, and other information of interest. If you check your e-mail through an account other than your Virginia Tech account (ie: Hotmail or Yahoo), make sure you configure your Virginia Tech e-mail account to forward your mail. Otherwise you will miss out on important announcements and information.

IMPORTANT: If you wish to communicate with me via e-mail, you must type "Hist 1004" in the subject header line. Because I receive so much spam and virus-laden junk mail, I delete messages before reading them if I don't immediately recognize the source. Make sure that I read yours by labeling the subject header properly.

Finally, some things are best discussed in person rather than electronically. If you have a complicated or sensitive problem to discuss, please feel free to come and introduce yourself to me. I will also let you know if an e-mail request requires a face-to-face discussion. I am available during regularly scheduled office hours (no appointments are necessary), after class, and by appointment at other times.

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Course Requirements
Reading
There are two types of reading assignments for this class. The textbook (Henretta) provides the background material necessary to understand the class lectures and more specific reading assignments. These readings are always due the Monday of the week they are assigned (ie: Henretta, Chaps 2-3 are due Monday, Aug 28th).

The most important reading assignments, however, are the “Focused Readings” that give you in-depth perspectives on specific topics relating to the lectures of the week. These Focused Readings are based on assignments from U.S. History Online, Frederick Douglass’s autobiography, and the novel Out of this Furnace. The Focused Readings are designated by an FR on the syllabus and are due on the day noted. These readings will also form the basis of that day’s class and discussion.

“Focused” or otherwise, all assigned readings are required.

Writing Assignments
You will also be required to complete 7 out of 10 short weekly writing assignments based on the Focused Readings for the week. These assignments will involve answering a question related to the assigned readings in a 1-2 page typed essay. Your essays MUST be turned in, in class, no later than the date specified on the syllabus (you are, however, free to turn them in earlier). Because you can choose to complete whichever 7 out of the 10 possible assignments that you’d like, no late homeworks will be accepted.

The assignment questions can be accessed via the U.S. History Online reading modules (using the "Assignments" link) and through the "Assignments" button on Blackboard. All writing assignment questions will be posted online at least one week before they are due. I fully expect all of you to follow the Virginia Tech Honor Code as you complete these assignments. While I encourage you to study with other members of the class, the work you hand in must be your own.

I will return your essays to you approximately one week after they are due. Your assignment grades will also be posted on Blackboard, which will help you keep track of how many essays you have completed.

Exams
Three in-class closed-book examinations will be given on the dates listed on the schedule below. Exams will be multiple choice, and will cover all of the material from the course, including lectures, discussions, and the Focused and textbook readings

Please note the dates that exams are scheduled for. Make-ups will be given only in the most dire of circumstances – due to serious illness, death in the immediate family, or participation in an approved university activity – all of which will require acceptable documentation from the Dean of Students. Please see me before the exam to make the appropriate arrangements.

Final Grades
Final grades will be determined as follows:

Students must take all exams and complete the appropriate number of online quizzes in order to receive a passing grade for the course.

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Honor Code
Students are expected to familiarize themselves with and adhere to the Virginia Tech Honor Code on all assignments for this course. Although I strongly encourage students to work together in study and review groups, all work submitted for a grade must be your own.

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PART II: Expansion, Division, and Reunification

PART III: Industrializing America

PART IV: The Rise and Fall of American Liberalism

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