Syllabus
Part I: The Tiger by the Tail
Week 1: December 1-4
1. What Caused the Civil War?
In
class writing
2. The US in 1850
Reading:
James
McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom, pp.
3-16, 37-46.
3. The Mexican War and the Issue of Expansion
Reading:
James
McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom, pp.
47-64.
The US-Mexican
War (An interactive timeline and map of the war)
Frederick
Douglass, Letter
Opposing the War
Ulysses
S. Grant, On
the Mexican War
This week we focused on the
Mexican War as students read about the consequences of that conflict and the
ways in which it brought to the fore issues that the country, and in particular
the politicians, had tried to avoid. In addition to their reading in McPherson,
students read Frederick DouglassÕ letter opposing the war and a short extract
from Ullysses S. GrantÕs memoirs that included, after
he stated ÒThe Southern rebellion was largely the
outgrowth of the Mexican war,Ó the startling lines, ÒNations, like individuals,
are punished for their transgressions. We got our punishment in the most
sanguinary and expensive war of modern times.Ó As you can imagine this
generated some good discussion.
We also benefitted as a class
from the announcement this week of President ObamaÕs
strategy for Afghanistan. The students all watched his presentation and then
wrote their own position paper on his strategy. The issues that the president
faces are similar in many ways to those faced by President Abraham Lincoln in
the civil war: what are the goals that the North is fighting for? what is the appropriate strategy? how
do you evaluate the recommendations made by the military generals? how do you inspire the country to make the sacrifices
necessary to win the war?
Week 2: December 7-11
1. Expanding Slavery
Reading:
James
McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom, pp.
65-77.
John C. Calhoun,
Southern Address, 1849
2. Fugitive Slaves
Reading:
James
McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom, pp.
77-91.
Nicholas Brimblecomb, Uncles Tom's Cabin in Ruins! Letter VIII:
"The Fugitive Slave Law"
3. Kansas and Nebraska and
the Collapse of the Party System
Reading:
James
McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom, pp.
117 -130.
Lincoln on the Kansas
Nebraska Act, 1854
4. Bleeding Kansas
Reading:
James
McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom, pp.
145-153, 162-69.
Evan
Carton, Patriotic Treason, pp. 189-93
John Brown (PBS:
New Perspectives on the West)
Week 3: December 14-18
1.
Dred Scott
Reading:
James McPherson, Battle
Cry of Freedom, pp. 170-189.
Abraham
Lincoln, "A House Divided Speech," 1858
Orson Welles on Brown and Julia Ward Howe (YouTube)
2.
John Brown
(performance in Brush 3rd period)
Reading:
James McPherson, Battle
Cry of Freedom, pp. 202-213.
Evan
Carton, Patriotic Treason, 287-290, 304-313
John
BrownÕs Letters to His Wife
3.
First Major Essay
4.
The Election of
1860
Reading:
James McPherson, Battle
Cry of Freedom, pp. 213-233.
Abraham
Lincoln, Cooper Union Address