Archive for the ‘Syllabus’ Category

“The Age of Experiments”: The United States, 1789-1845

Monday, August 30th, 2010

History 4720

Lewis and Clark

Professor Michelle Orihel

Southern Utah University

Fall 2010

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10-11:20 a.m.

Location: SC 225

―This I hope will be the age of experiments in government, and that their basis will be founded on principles of honesty, not of mere force. We have seen no instance of this since the days of the Roman republic, nor do we read of any before that.‖

Thomas Jefferson to John Adams, February 28, 1796

Course Description

From catalog: ―A study of the new nation, the War of 1812, the Jacksonian era, placing special emphasis on the political, social, and economic democratization of the United States, together with the difficulties created by change.‖

In an era dominated by monarchical powers, a group of British North American colonists in 1776 declared their independence from King George III. They established a republic, a government based on the consent of the people. This republican experiment was a bold move, a ―leap in the dark,‖ as historian John Ferling has called it. Throughout history, most republics had failed. Never before did a people attempt to establish a republican government over such a large and expanding territory. How did Americans confront the challenge of establishing and securing a republican form of government? How did they adjust to their new roles as republican citizens rather than monarchical subjects? What other challenges did Americans face during the early years of the new republic, a period marked by tremendous political, economic, social, and cultural change?

This course will examine these and other questions about the nature of the early republic, providing an overview of the major political, social, economic, and cultural developments in the United States from roughly the late eighteenth to the mid-nineteenth century. We will cover such topics as the creation of a new national government, the development of conflict between Federalists and Jeffersonian-Republicans during the 1790s, the Jeffersonian Presidency, the Lewis and Clark expedition, the War of 1812, the development of a market economy, religious revivalism, the growth of reform movements and abolitionism, the expansion of slavery in the South, the rise of sectional conflict, Jacksonian democracy, and western expansion. As an upper-division course, this course will combine lectures with discussions. Active student participation is encouraged and expected for students to gain the most from taking the course. Ultimately, this course aims to provide students with an opportunity to enter into an ongoing and vibrant debate about the revolutionary origins of the early republic, the nature of the American founding, and its implications for the United States today.

Learning Objectives.

Students will be able to identify and understand better the main issues, themes, events, and historical actors in the United States from 1789 to 1845.

Through readings in the primary sources and through a variety of active learning exercises, students will gain a vivid understanding of what it meant to live through such a period of tremendous social, economic, and political change.

In this reading-intensive course, readings in primary and secondary sources will help students to develop such practical skills as interpreting evidence, making arguments based on that evidence, and evaluating other historians‘ arguments.

Class discussions and written assignments will further help students to hone the habits of critical thinking, reading, and writing.

Required Books

1. Bookstore: Sean Wilentz, ed., Major Problems in the Early Republic, 1787-1848. 2nd edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. (ISBN-13: 978-0-618-52258-3)

2. Bookstore: Gunther Barth, ed., The Lewis and Clark Expedition: Selections from the Journals Arranged by Topic. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martins, 1998. (ISBN-13: 978-0-312-11118-2)

3. Online: Lance Banning, ed., Liberty and Order: The First American Party Struggle. Indianapolis: Liberty Fund, 2004. (ISBN: 0-86597-418-7)

Note: This textbook is available to download for free as a complete pdf file at the Liberty Fund‘s ―Online Library of Liberty‖ website; go to the following webpage: http://oll.libertyfund.org/?option=com_staticxt&staticfile=show.php%3Ftitle=875&Itemid=27

4. Online: Various items on electronic reserve at the library‘s website

Evaluation

Participation/ Effort: 15%

Reading Journal: 10%

Annotated Bibliography: 10%

Peer Review of Gerrit Smith Document Analysis: 5%

Gerrit Smith Final Document Analysis: 30%

Final Exam: 30%

Assignments

Reading Journal

Over the course of the semester, students will keep a journal that records their reactions to and assessments of the assigned readings for each class. For some classes, the instructor will provide a question for the student to focus on in their reflection. For other classes, the student will decide what question or issues seem most pressing from that day‘s reading. These entries should be between one and two pages. They should demonstrate that you have read and understood the assigned course materials. Students should particularly write about what intrigues them the most about the reading and how that reading helps to advance their understanding of the early American republic. The instructor will collect journal entries at the end of each class. Late entries will not be accepted. These entries will be graded on a Pass/ Fail basis. Therefore, the only grades for this assignment will be 100 (pass) and 0 (fail). These grades will then be tallied at the end of the semester for the final reading journal grade. However, students can opt out of turning in up to three journal entries without it adversely affecting their final grade.

Other Assignments

Information and instructions on the annotated bibliography, the Gerrit Smith essay assignment (peer review and essay), as well as on the final, take-home exam will be forthcoming.

Weekly Schedule of Topics and Readings (Subject to Revision)

Unless marked as optional, all readings are required.

Abbreviations:

MP = Sean Wilentz, ed., Major Problems in the Early Republic, 1787-1848.

LO = Lance Banning, ed. Liberty and Order: The First American Party Struggle

Week One—Aug 23

TUESDAY:

From Subjects to Citizens: Introduction to the History of the Early American Republic

THURSDAY:

The Revolutionary Origins of the Early Republic

Reading:

1. The Declaration of Independence (you can download and print a transcript of the D of I at this website: http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration.html )

2. MP, chapter 3, essay by Waldstreicher

3. Online Exhibition: ―Declaring Independence: Creating and Re-Creating America‘s Document, organized by the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, University of Virginia, (http://www2.lib.virginia.edu/exhibits/declaration/index.html)

Week Two – Aug 30

TUESDAY:

The Constitutional Settlement of 1787-88

Reading:

1. MP, chapter 2: documents 1-4, 6, essay by Wood

2. LO, chapter 1: pp. 3-9

3. (Optional) Online Exhibition: Library of Congress, online exhibition on ―Madison‘s Treasures,‖ which illuminates Madison‘s role in drafting the constitution, in the subsequent debates over ratification, and in producing the Bill of Rights: http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/madison/

4. (Optional) Podcast Listening: Monticello podcasts, ―Jefferson‘s Worlds: Three Letters on the New Constitution,‖ listed at: http://www.monticello.org/podcasts/index.html

THURSDAY:

Understanding the Process of Historical Change: Interpreting the Early Republic

Reading:

1. MP, chapter 1: essays by Wilentz, Rossiter, Pasley, Perkins 5 5

Week Three—Sept 6

TUESDAY:

Forming a New National Government and George Washington’s Leadership

Reading:

1. MP, chapter 3: documents 1, 2

2. LO, chapter 2: TBA

3. Simon P. Newman, ―Principles or Men?: George Washington and the Political Culture of National Leadership, 1776-1801,‖ Journal of the Early Republic 12, 4 (Winter, 1992), 477-507. (Electronic Reserve)

4. Online Exhibition: ―Alexander Hamilton and the Creation of the United States,‖ organized by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History:

http://www.gilderlehrman.org/collection/online/hamilton/index.html

THURSDAY:

The Impact of the French Revolution on America: Popular Politics and Partisan Conflict

Reading:

1. LO, chapter 3: pp. 141-150; 169-170

2. Handout of newspaper articles that covered celebrations of the French Revolution

3. Albrecht Koschnik, ―The Democratic Societies of Philadelphia and the Limits of the American Public Sphere, circa 1793-95, ‖ William and Mary Quarterly 58, 3 (2001): . (Electronic Reserve)

Week Four – Sept 13

TUESDAY:

The Deepening of Political Divisions: From Jay’s Treaty to Washington’s Farewell

Reading:

1. MP, chapter 3: documents 5-7

2. LO, chapter 3: 188-197; 203-221

3. Todd Estes, ―Shaping the Politics of Public Opinion: Federalists and the Jay Treaty Debate,‖ Journal of the Early Republic 20, 3 (Fall 2000), 393-422. (Electronic Reserve)

THURSDAY:

The Presidency of John Adams

Reading:

1. MP, chapter 3: documents 8-11 6 6

2. LO, chapter 4: TBA

3. James Morton Smith, ―The ‗Aurora‘ and the Alien and Sedition Laws: Part I: The Editorship of Benjamin Franklin Bache, Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, 77, 1 (Jan 1953), 3-23. (Electronic Reserve)

Week Five—Sept 20

TUESDAY:

The Second American Revolution?: The Election of 1800

Reading:

1. MP, chapter 3, documents 12-13; two essays in chapter

2. Handout of newspaper editorials on the election

3. Douglas R. Egerton, ―Gabriel‘s Conspiracy and the Election of 1800,” Journal of Southern History 56, 2 (May 1990), 191-214. (Electronic Reserve)

THURSDAY:

Thomas Jefferson: His Presidency and Political Thought

Reading:

1. MP, chapter 4, documents 1-3; 5-10, essays by Appleby, McDonald, Gordon-Reed

2. LO, TBA

3. Website Viewing (Spend some time viewing ONE of the two links from the Monticello website):

For links about Monticello (a virtual tour of the house and images), go to the following website: http://www.monticello.org/house/index.html

For links about the lives of enslaved African Americans who lived and worked at Monticello, go to the following website:

http://www.monticello.org/plantation/index.html

4. (Optional) Website Viewing for additional information:

For links to such topics as ―A Day in the Life of Thomas Jefferson,‖ A ―Brief Biography of Thomas Jefferson,‖ A ―Timeline of Jefferson‘s Life,‖ and ―The Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia,‖ go to the following website: http://www.monticello.org/jefferson/index.html

For an online exhibition of Jefferson‘s life and works organized by the Library of Congress, go to: http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/jefferson/

Week Six—Sept 27

TUESDAY

The First American West: The Settlement of the Ohio Valley

Reading:

1. Gail S. Terry, ―Sustaining the Bonds of Kinship in a Trans-Appalachian Migration, 1790-1811: The Cabell-Breckinridge Slaves Move West,‖ Virginia Magazine of History and Biography (October 1994): 455-476. (Electronic Reserve)

2. Online Reading Assignment: TBA–selected documents from ―The First American West: The Ohio River Valley, 1750-1820,‖ American Memory Project, Library of Congress: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award99/icuhtml/

THURSDAY

Library Instruction Session (preparation for the annotated bibliography)

Week Seven – Oct 4

TUESDAY and THURSDAY :

The Corps of Discovery: the Lewis and Clark Expedition

Reading:

1. Gunther Barth, ed., The Lewis and Clark Expedition: Selections from the Journals Arranged by Topic.

2. (Optional) Website Viewing:

To browse through primary sources on the Lewis and Clark expedition at the American Philosophical Society, including images of the original journals, go to the following website: http://www.amphilsoc.org/library/digcoll/landc

For background on Jefferson‘s role in the expedition, go to:

http://www.monticello.org/jefferson/lewisandclark/index.html

Week Eight—Oct 11

TUESDAY:

The Second War for American Independence: The War of 1812

Reading:

1. MP, chapter 5

THURSDAY:

The Market Revolution: The Modernization of the American Economy

Reading:

1. MP, chapter 7 8 8

2. Online Exhibition: ―Risky Business: Winning and Losing in the Early American Economy, 1780-1850,‖ organized by the Library Company of Philadelphia: http://www.librarycompany.org/Economics/RiskyBusiness/index.htm

3. (Optional) Website Viewing: For maps and historical images of the Erie Canal, go to: http://www.eriecanal.org

Week Nine, Oct 18

TUESDAY

The Expansion of Slavery in the South

Reading:

1. MP, chapter 8, documents 1-2; 4-6; 8-10; essays by Johnson and McCurry

2. MP, chapter 13, essay by Genovese

THURSDAY (Instructor will be away at a conference) The Experiences of Enslaved African Americans

1. Film Viewing (in–class): ―Solomon Northup‘s Odyssey‖

2. Optional Reading: Solomon Northup, Twelve Years a Slave: Narrative of Solomon Northup, a Citizen of New York, Kidnapped in Washington City in 1841, and Rescued in 1853. Electronic edition available at the website, ―Documenting the American South: Primary Resources for the Study of Southern History, Literature, and Culture,‖ University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: http://docsouth.unc.edu/fpn/northup/northup.html

3. Optional Listening: To listen to recordings of interviews with former slaves, go to the Library of Congress American Memory Project, ―Voices from the Days of Slavery: Former Slaves Tell Their Stories‖: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/voices/

Week Ten – Oct 25

TUESDAY

Finish viewing ―Solomon Northup‘s Odyssey‖ and discuss the experience of slavery

THURSDAY

The Missouri Crisis and the Rise of Sectionalism

Reading:

1. MP, chapter 10

Week Eleven – Nov 1

TUESDAY

Jacksonians, Whigs, and 1830s Politics

Reading:

1. MP, chapter 11 9 9

THURSDAY Native Americans, Western Expansion, and the Trail of Tears

Reading:

1. MP, chapter 9

2. (Optional) Website Viewing:

For an exhibition on eastern Indian wars organized by the Smithsonian Museum of American History, go to: http://americanhistory.si.edu/militaryhistory/printable/section.asp?id=3

For information about the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, go to: http://www.nps.gov/trte/index.htm

For a link to the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, go to: http://www.cherokeemuseum.org/html/collections_tot.html

3. Optional Audio Interview:

For an interview with documentary film maker Philip Coulter who traveled along the Trail of Tears, go to http://www.cbc.ca/ideas/features/trail-of-tears/index.html

Week Twelve – Nov 8

TUESDAY:

Antebellum Reform Movements

Reading:

1. MP, chapter 12

THURSDAY Abolitionism and the Underground Railroad

Reading:

1. MP, chapter 13, documents 1-5; 10; essay by Jeffrey

2. Website Viewing:

Online exhibition from the Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Library: ―‘That laboratory of abolitionism, libel, and treason‘: Syracuse and the Underground Railroad,‖ http://libwww.syr.edu/digital/exhibits/u/undergroundrr/

Week Thirteen—Nov. 15

The Literature of Politics, Reform, and Abolition: The Gerrit Smith Broadside Collection

To view the various pamphlets contained in the Gerrit Smith Broadside collection, go to: http://libwww.syr.edu/information/spcollections/digital/gerritsmith/

TUESDAY

Writing workshop 10 10

Reading:

George Orwell, ―Politics and the English Language,‖ (Electronic Reserve)

THURSDAY

Bring draft of your Gerrit Smith document analysis to class

Peer Review

Week Fourteen – Nov. 22

TUESDAY:

The Second Great Awakening

Reading:

1. MP, chapter 6

2. Website Viewing:

Library of Congress, online exhibition on ―Religion and the Founding of the American Republic,‖ http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/rel07.html

THURSDAY:

THANKSGIVING

Week Fifteen – Nov. 29

TUESDAY:

Manifest Destiny, Slavery, and the Politics of Western Expansion

Reading:

1. MP, chapter 15

THURSDAY Final Assessment and Review

December 10, 2010: 11am-12:50pm.: Final Exam

Tags: History, Jacksonian Era, John Adams, Lewis and Clark Expedition, Michelle Orihel, Thomas Jefferson, United States, War of 1812
Posted in Syllabus, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Theory of Executive Power

Monday, December 28th, 2009

The Republican Executive in Theory and Practice

Dr. Chris West

Govt. 473

Georgetown University, Fall 2009

“There is an idea which is not without its advocates, that a vigorous executive is inconsistent with the genius of republican government.”

-Alexander Hamilton

Course Description

The purpose of this course of study is to introduce you to the theoretical foundations of the modern American presidency, the debates and problems associated with them, and their demonstration in the history and development of the American Chief Executive. We will explore the concept of the modern executive that developed prior to the American founding and examine how it was joined to liberal constitutionalism. And, as we study the greatest American presidents, we will endeavor to come to an understanding of how the modern republican executive both challenges and undergirds the project of American constitutional democracy, as well as how it has met the problems of partisanship and popular rhetoric.

Required Texts

Marc Landy and Sidney M. Milkis, Presidential Greatness, University Press of Kansas
Jeffrey Tulis, The Rhetorical Presidency, Princeton University Press
Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince
Niccolo Machiavelli, Discourses on Livy
Blackboard, electronic reserve and on-line content

Evaluation and Grading

You will be required to write one short paper (5-7 pages) and one longer paper (8-10) pages, and to complete a final exam. Your attendance at lectures is also required.

Paper 1: 25% Paper 2: 35% Exam: 30% Attendance: 10%

Schedule of Classes and Readings

September 3: Introduction: The Form and the Matter of the American Republic

Peter Simpson, Aristotle’s Regime of the Americans http://www.aristotelophile.com/Books/Articles/AristotleRegimeAmericans.pdf; the U.S. Constitution, (see Blackboard)

(September 8, 10: The Invention of the Modern Executive: Machiavelli and Hobbes

Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince
Harvey C. Mansfield, Jr, Taming the Prince, Ch.6-7 (e-reserve)

September 15, 17: Republican Leadership: The Prince, the nobles and the education of the people

Niccolo Machiavelli, Discourses on Livy, Bk I, chs. 6-12, 16-18, 55, 58;
Bk II, Intro and chs. 1-2; Bk III, chs. 1, 40-41

September 22, 24: The Executive in the Modern Constitution

John Locke, Second Treatise on Government, selections
Nathan Tarcov,”A Non-Lockean’ Locke and the Character of Liberalism,” in Liberalism Reconsidered, ed. Douglas MacLean and Claudia Mills (e-reserve)
Mansfield, Taming the Prince, Chapter 9 (e-reserve)

Partisanship, “Corruption” and the Enlightened Executive

Henry St. John Lord Bolingbroke, Idea of a Patriot King (Blackboard)

Week 6: The American Executive: Federalist vs. Anti-Federalist

The U.S. Constitution, Article 2 (Blackboard)
Publius, The Federalist: 1, 67, 69-74 (B)
An Old Whig V, Cato V (B)
Luther Martin, “Genuine Information” (B)
Patrick Henry, et al, Virginia Ratifying Convention Debates, 17-18 June, 1788 (B)

Week 7: A Parting of Ways: Hamilton and Madison after Publius

The Letters of Pacificus and Helvidius, selected
James Madison, National Gazette writings (selected): “Consolidation,” “Parties,” “Public Opinion”

Week 8: Presidents against Party?

George Washington, Farewell Address
Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural
Richard Hofstadter, The Idea of a Party System (selected)
Landy and Milkis, Presidential Greatness, Ch.1-2

Week 9: The Jeffersonian Paradox

Landy and Milkis, Ch.3
Thomas Jefferson, Letter to John C. Breckenridge, 12Aug 1803
Thomas Jefferson, Letter to Justice William Johnson, June 1823

Week 10: The President as Democratic Partisan: The Road Not Taken

Landy and Milkis, Ch.4
John Quincy Adams, “Inaugural Address”
Andrew Jackson, “Bank Veto Message,” “Veto of the Maysville Road”

Week 11: Abraham Lincoln: The Lion and the Fox

Landy and Milkis, Ch. 5
Brian Danoff, “Lincoln, Machiavelli and American Political Thought,” Presidential Studies Quarterly, 2000
“Gettysburg Address,”
“The Perpetuation of Our Political Institutions:”

Address Before the Young Men’s Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois, January 27, 1838

“Second Inaugural Address”

Week 12: The Progressive Turn: Modern Rhetorical Leadership

Jeffrey Tulis, The Rhetorical Presidency
Terri Bimes and Stephen Skowronek, “Woodrow Wilson’s Critique of Popular Leadership: Reassessing the Modern-Traditional Divide,” in Richard Ellis, ed., Speaking to the People
Theodore Roosevelt, Autobiography (selections: “Stewardship”)

Week 13: State Power and the End of American Innocence

Herbert Croly, “The Promise of American Life” (selected)
H.L. Mencken, “TR: An Autopsy”
Henry Adams, “The Virgin and the Dynamo”
Bertrand deJouvenel, “The Principate”

Week 14: The New Deal Persuasion: FDR and Beyond

Neustadt, Presidential Power (selections)
Landy and Milkis, Ch. 6

Week 15: Conclusions

Mansfield, Taming the Prince, Ch.11, “The Form and the End”
Landy and Milkis, Ch.7: “The Modern Presidency and the Absence of Greatness”

Tags: Abraham Lincoln, Chris West, Executive Power, Georgetown University, Harvey Mansfield, Presidential Greatness, Taming of the Prince
Posted in Syllabus | No Comments »

Scottish Enlightenment, Skidmore College

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009

The Scottish Enlightenment: Adam Smith and David Hume on Liberty, Commerce and the Moral Life

Flagg Taylor

Skidmore College

Course Description:

In this course we will seek to understand and assess the distinctive contributions of David Hume and Adam Smith to the Enlightenment. We will compare their ideas against the backdrop of other thinkers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries such as Locke, Hobbes, Voltaire and Rousseau.

Students will judge the debates and disagreements among key figures in modern political philosophy. Students will also gain an appreciation for breadth and depth of the ideas of these thinkers, Adam Smith in particular. Smith is generally known today as the father of “capitalism.” His work, however—even his most famous work, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations—is not much read anymore. Students will come to understand Smith’s full view of commercial life and its relation to the political order. We will also focus on both Hume and Smith’s vision of the moral life—paying particularly close attention to Smith’s neglected work, The Theory of Moral Sentiments.

Required Texts (for purchase):

1. David Hume, Essays: Moral, Political, Literary, Eugene Miller ed., Liberty Fund 1985

2. Adam Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Raphael & Macfie eds, Liberty Fund 1984

3. Adam Smith, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, Campbell &

Skinner eds., Liberty Fund 1981 (two volumes)

Other Readings (handouts):

1. John Locke, Second Treatise of Government

2. Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan

3. Bernard Mandeville, The Fable of the Bees

4. Voltaire, “The Worldling,” “The Man of the World”

5. Rousseau, “Luxury, Commerce, and the Arts”

Course Outline:

• Introduction: 9/1

• Part I: On the Origins and Ground of Government

• Locke, Second Treatise

• ST, chs. 1-5 (9/9)

• ST, chs. 7-9 (9/11)

• Hume, Essays

• Of the Original Contract, Of Passive Obedience, Of the Coalition of Parties

(9/16)

• Of the First Principles of Government, Of the Origin of Government, That

Politics May Be Reduced to a Science, Of the Liberty of the Press(rec) (9/18)

• Part II: The Moral Life

• Hobbes, Leviathan, Part I, chs. 6, 13-14 (9/23)

• Mandeville, The Fable of the Bees (9/25)

• Hume, An Enquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals

• Enquiry, Sec. I, Of the General Principles of Morals; Sec. V, Why Utility Pleases

(9/30)

• Enquiry, Sec. IX, Conclusion; Appendix II, Of Self-Love (10/2)

• Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments

• Part I, sections 1 (10/7)

• NO CLASS 10/9 YOM KIPPUR

• Pt. I, sec. 2-3 (10/14)

• Pt. II, chs., 1-2 (10/16)

• Pt. III, chs. 1-4 (10/21)

• Pt. IV, chs. 1-2; (10/23) FIRST PAPER DUE

• Pt. VI, sec. 1-2 (10/28)

• Pt. VI, sec. 3 (10/30)

• Pt. VII, sec. 1; sec. 2, ch. 4; sec. 3 (11/4)

• Part III: Liberty, Commerce and the Arts

• Voltaire, “The Worldling”; “The Man of the World” (11/6)

• Rousseau, “Liberty, Commerce, and the Arts” (11/6)

• Hume, Essays, The Idea of a Perfect Commonwealth, Of Refinement in the Arts, Of the

Rise and Progress of the Arts and Sciences (11/11)

• Smith, The Wealth of Nations

• Bk. I, chs. i-iii (11/13)

• Bk. I, chs. iv-v, viii (11/18)

• Bk. II, chs. iii, Bk. III, ch. I (11/20)

• Bk. III, chs. iii-iv (11/25)

• NO CLASS 11/27 THANKSGIVING BREAK

• Bk. IV, ch. ii, ch. iiic, ch. ix (12/2)

• Bk. V, ch. I, f-g (12/4) SECOND PAPER DUE

• Hume, Essays, Of Commerce, Of Money, Of the Balance of Trade (12/9)

• FINAL EXAM: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 9AM-12PM

Course Requirements:

1. Reflection Papers, 10%

2. Essay #1, 25%

3. Essay #2, 30%

4. Final Exam, 35%

Reflection Papers:

• In an attentive reader, the act of reading evokes a response. A response can take many different

forms. Some readers underline key passages. Some write comments in the margins. Some take

notes an a separate sheet of paper. All of these are ways of carrying forward your inquires. In

this course I will be asking you to pursue yet another method: reflection papers. These short

papers (two pages) are an extension and heightening of the more casual and distracted responses

which you may now give to the things you read.

• In preparation for class, you should commit to paper your thoughts about the text (or a portion

of the text) and the questions that arise from it. This should be more than some scratchy,

appreviated notes intelligible only to you; however, this is some a polished essay. You have the

leisure to explore, inquire, questions, and wander. By wandering, I do not mean aimless

wandering. Since our discussions in class will be guided always by two questions, your

reflection papers should be so guided: what is the author saying? Is it true? Sometimes it will

take all of your effort to figure our what the author means. Other times you will want to take a

step back and evaluate the claims made in the text. These are distinct questions, but in pursuing

one, the other should always be kept silently in mind.

Essays:

These are formal essays where you are expected to have an identifiable thesis with arguments to

support it. They should demonstrate a command of the text at hand, and a thoughtfulness about the

claims made therein. I will hand out topics approximately two weeks before the essays are due. These

are not research papers and you are not required to read any secondary literature. I want you to engage

these authors directly.

Final Exam:

This will be a comprehensive, essay exam taken during the exam period.

General Expectations:

• You are expected to read the assignments carefully and reflectively, remaining open to the

possibility that what you are reading is right. Your first duty as an attentive reader is to

understand the what is being said. This means grasping the argument of the author—identifying

central claims and seeing how these claims are supported. When you encounter something you

strongly disagree with, make sure you first understand the argument. You are expected to give

reasons for your opinions.

• You will be attentive in class and always display the demeanor of one who is interested in the

material and respectful of others. You will take your share of responsibility for the quality of

class time, coming prepared to discuss the assignments thoughtfully.

Attendance:

Attendance is mandatory. There is no such thing as an unexcused absence. All absences must therefore

be cleared ahead of time. If you must miss class, you remain responsible for all the material covered

that day. After 1 absence, each subsequent absence will bring your final grade down by one half of a

letter grade. After 4 absences, I will require you to withdraw from the course.

Tags: Adam Smith, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, Flagg Taylor, Theory of Moral Sentiments, Wealth of Nations
Posted in Syllabus | No Comments »

Consitution and Legal History, University of Western Florida

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009

U. S. Constitutional and Legal History (to 1877)

(AMH4551-1962)

Monday & Wednesday, 1:00-2:15

Building 52, Room 152A

Dr. Steve Belko

Building 50, Room 138

wbelko@uwf.edu

(850) 474-2680

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course provides a comprehensive examination of the development of the U. S. constitutional and legal system from the colonial period through Reconstruction. Although the history of the U. S. Supreme Court plays an integral role in this course, constitutional and legal history transcends the mere study of great cases and judicial decisions; the preeminent role of the president, congress, and the states in the making and development of the constitutional and legal system during the antebellum period – and the larger political, social, and economic forces surrounding and influencing this development – are given greater weight.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the foundations, formation, and development of the U. S. constitutional and legal system during the antebellum period.
Define the political, social, and economic forces that have shaped U. S. constitutional and legal history.
Describe the role and development of the U. S. Supreme Court and the interaction between the federal court system and the state courts.
Describe how the president, the congress, the states, and the people determined constitutional development from the early 1600s to the end of Reconstruction in 1877.
Develop the skill to explicate the legal ruling in a case and place it in its proper historical and developmental context.
Delineate the major issues, events, and personalities that have defined the nature and character of the U. S. Constitution.

RECURRING THEMES

Power vs. Liberty
Centralization vs. Decentralization
States’ Rights vs. Union
Federalism
Republic vs. Democracy
Activism vs. Restraint
Civic Humanism (Classical Republicanism) vs. Acquisitive Individualism (Liberal Capitalism)
Executive vs. Legislative vs. Judicial Power and Authority

READINGS

Books

Jack P. Greene, Peripheries and Center: Constitutional Development in the Extended Polities of the British Empire and the United States, 1607-1788

Forrest McDonald, Novus Ordo Seclorum: The Intellectual Origins of the Constitution

Jackson Turner Main, The Antifederalists: Critics of the Constitution, 1781-1788

Richard Ellis, The Jeffersonian Crisis: Courts and Politics in the Young Republic

Richard Ellis, The Union at Risk: Jacksonian Democracy, States’ Rights, and the Nullification Crisis

R. Kent Newmyer, The Supreme Court under Marshall and Taney

Primary Documents

Melvin Urofsky, ed., Documents of American Constitutional & Legal History

Articles (To be provided by the professor and accessible on reserve at Pace Library)

From Terence Ball and J. G. A. Pocock, eds., Conceptual Change and the Constitution (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1988)

Peter S. Onuf, “State Sovereignty and the Making of the Constitution.” (78-98)
Terence Ball, “A Republic — If You Can Keep It.” (137-164)

From Leonard Levy and Dennis Mahoney, eds., The Framing and Ratification of the Constitution (New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1987)

John M. Murrin, “The British and Colonial Background to American Constitutionalism.” (19-35)
Jack P. Greene, “Origins of the American Revolution: A Constitutional Interpretation.” (36-53)
Donald S. Lutz, “The First American Constitutions.” (69-81)
Peter S. Onuf, “The First Federal Constitution: The Articles of Confederation.” (82-97)
Michael P. Zuckert, “A System without Precedent: Federalism in the American Constitution.” (132-150)
Murray P. Dry, “The Case Against Ratification: Anti-Federalist Constitutional Thought.” (271-291)
Herman Belz, “Constitutionalism and the American Founding.” (333-354)

From Richard Beeman, Stephen Botein, and Edward C. Carter II, eds., Beyond Confederation: Origins of the Constitution and American National Identity (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1987)

Gordon S. Wood, “Interests and Disinterestedness in the Making of the Constitution.” (69-112)
Lance Banning, “The Practicable Sphere of a Republic: James Madison, the Constitutional Convention, and the Emergence of Revolutionary Federalism.” (162-187)
Richard E. Ellis, “The Persistence of Antifederalism after 1789.” (295-314)

From Jack P. Greene, ed., The Reinterpretation of the American Revolution, 1763-1789 (New York: Harper & Row, 1968)

Edmund S. Morgan, “Colonial Ideas of Parliamentary Power, 1764-1766.” (151-180)
David S. Lovejoy, “‘Rights Imply Equality’: The Case Against Admiralty Jurisdiction in America, 1764-1766.” (181-206)
Forrest McDonald, “The Anti-Federalists, 1781-1789.” (365-377)
Douglass Adair, “‘Experience Must Be Our Only Guide’: History, Democratic Theory, and the United States Constitution.” (397-415)
Douglass Adair, “‘That Politics May be Reduced to a Science’: David Hume, James Madison, and the Tenth Federalist.” (487-503)
Cecelia Kenyon, “Men of Little Faith: The Anti-Federalists on the Nature of Representative Government.” (526-567)

From Isaac Kramnick, Republicanism and Bourgeois Radicalism: Political Ideology in Late Eighteenth-Century England and the United States (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1990):

“‘The Great National Discussion’: The Discourse of Politics in 1787.” (260-288)

Leonard Levy, “Liberty and the First Amendment, 1790-1800.” American Historical Review LXVIII (October 1962): 22-37.

From Kermit Hall and James Ely, eds., An Uncertain Tradition: Constitutionalism and the History of the South (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1989)

Donald Nieman, “Republicanism, the Confederate Constitution, and the American Constitutional Tradition.” (201-224)
Michael Les Benedict, “The Problem of Constitutionalism and Constitutional Liberty in the Reconstruction South.” (225-250)

USEFUL RESOURCES

Kermit L. Hall, ed. The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States.
The Supreme Court Historical Society http://www.supremecourthistory.org/
H-Law/American Society for Legal History http://www.h-net.msu.edu/~law/index.html

ASSIGNMENTS

Exams

There will be six take-home exams covering the material provided in the lectures. The exams will consist entirely of essay questions. You will receive the essay questions one week prior to the due date. The essays must be typed, double-spaced, 12-point font, and must be handed in by the end of the class period in which they are due. An electronic version of the exam must also be submitted at that time (preferably as an e-mail attachment). Due dates are set in the class schedule and exams turned in late will not be accepted. Essay questions will be graded on organization, clarity, and accuracy of information. You should be comprehensive in covering all the major aspects and support these with specific examples. The first five assignments are worth 100 points each and the final (sixth) exam, a comprehensive assignment, is worth 200 points.

Readings Questions

The professor will provide you at the beginning of each series of lectures a series of short answer questions that will cover the assigned readings – books, articles, and primary documents – listed above. Answers should be between 100 and 250 words per question and must be typed out and handed in on the respective due date given in the class schedule. You must also submit an electronic version of the assignment (preferably as an e-mail attachment). Each readings assignment is worth 100 points.

ATTENDANCE

Attendance is expected and will be taken at every class period. For every class you miss, fifty points will be deducted from your total points at the end of the semester. If you have completed all the assignments and finish the semester with a borderline grade, then perfect attendance will raise your final grade one full average point to the next grade level.

Tags: James Madison, Supreme Court of the United States, United States Constitution
Posted in Syllabus | No Comments »

Federalist v. Anti Federalist, Western Florida

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009

FEDERALISTS vs. ANTIFEDERALISTS

(AMH3990-2115)

Monday

5:30 – 8:25 pm

Building 52, Room 162

Dr. Steve Belko

Building 50, Room 138

474-2680

wbelko@uwf.edu

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course examines the debates over the creation and ratification of the United States Constitution of 1787. First, as a study of the creation of the Constitution itself, this course will examine the debates among the delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 over various selected provisions that came to be adopted in the final document. Second, this course will examine the extensive debates over the ratification of the Constitution that occurred from the fall of 1787 through the summer of 1788, featuring the arguments of the Federalists and the Antifederalists, and culminating in the eventual adoption of the U. S. Constitution.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

Demonstrate a general comprehension of the economic, social, political, and constitutional issues that resulted in the Constitution of 1787.
Demonstrate a general comprehension of the personal and public considerations and the theoretical perspectives of the Founders, both Federalist and Antifederalist.
Demonstrate a critical knowledge of the Federalist and Antifederalist positions regarding the adoption of the Constitution of 1787.
Demonstrate a critical understanding of the respective merits of the delegates’ positions on the proposals for the revision of the Articles of Confederation and the respective merits of the Federalist and Anti-Federalist positions on the adoption of the Constitution of 1787.
Summarize and compare important aspects of the debates over the Constitution of 1787 with contemporary political, social, and moral dilemmas in American public life.
Identify the major individuals that participated in the Philadelphia Convention of 1787 and in the succeeding ratification debates of 1787 and 1788.

READINGS

All Readings for this course are provided online and can be found at the following website:

http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/

Other readings, namely the articles and book chapters, will be provided by the professor.
Follow the Class Schedule provided at the end of the syllabus for the respective readings found online and provided by the professor.

ASSIGNMENTS

There will be no exams or research papers over the course of this semester. Instead, you will have weekly assignments requiring critical analysis of both the readings assigned herein and the nightly lectures, as well as a participation requirement. Due dates for the assigned readings, both primary and secondary, are provided in the Class Schedule.

Weekly Assignments

Due before each class period is three-page paper that summarizes the readings assigned for that class. This summary involves an important element of critical thought: identifying the argument of each reading and distinguishing the important features of the debate from peripheral comments or discussions. The paper should accord one page each for the following:
- Summary of the central issues debated in the Records of the Federal Convention and the major position(s) of the delegates.
- Summary of the Federalist argument(s)
- Summary of the Antifederalist argument(s)

By the following Thursday after each class, you must write a two-page paper that critiques the Antifederalist position made by Dr Belko in the class lecture. The critique should be divided into two parts:
- Summary of the Antifederalist argument(s) provided in the lecture
- A critique of the Antifederalist argument from the Federalist point of view (Critiques should borrow from Dr. Alvis’s lecture of the same night and the Federalist readings assigned; critiques should present a thoughtful argument, not mere assertions, and critiques should respond to the argument for the Antifederalists included in your summary)

Participation

Participation scores for this course will based on rankings. There are a total of 72 points, as there are 72 students in the class. You will be ranked between 1 and 72 depending on your performance in the following two requirements for participation:

(25%) For each class meeting, one of the professors will present for 50 minutes on either the Federalist or Antifederalist viewpoint. This will be followed by a 50 minute presentation by the other professor on the opposite view. Class participation will be limited during this period to the professors directing several questions covering the readings. During the final 30 minutes of class, there will be a rebuttal given by one of the professors. During this time, you are encouraged to shout questions, make argumentative statements, or heckle. Any use of profanity, vulgarity, or badgering during the course of the semester will result in a profound reduction of your participation score. Only professors may use profanity, vulgarity, and badger other students.

(75%) The other opportunity for participation in this course will be online under the “Discussion” tab for the course. Please either enter a thoughtful question (e.g., “if x thinks, then wouldn’t the problem with y be . . . ”) There you will find tabs with the date of each class. During the course of the semester, you are required to submit comments for discussion. How many comments you submit and the consistency of your comments is up to you – remember that your grade will be determined by rankings. Rankings of students will be determined according to the following criteria: (1) thoughtfulness of questions or remarks, (2) consistency of questions and comments (i.e. weekly), (3) quantity of questions and comments, and (4) balance – posting questions equal to quantity of comments.

After two absences, your ranking for Participation will drop by 15 points per absence.

ATTENDANCE

Attendance is expected and will be taken at every class period. For every lecture you miss, twenty-five points will be deducted from your final total. Each night class counts as two lectures. If you have completed all the assignments and finish the semester with a borderline grade, then perfect attendance will raise your final grade one full average point to the next grade level.

EXPECTATIONS FOR ACADEMIC CONDUCT

As members of the University of West Florida academic community, we commit ourselves to honesty. As we strive for excellence in performance, integrity—both personal and institutional—is our most precious asset. Honesty in our academic work is vital, and we will not knowingly act in ways which erode that integrity. Accordingly, we pledge not to cheat, nor to tolerate cheating, nor to plagiarize the work of others. We pledge to share community resources in ways that are responsible and that comply with established policies of fairness. Cooperation and competition are means to high achievement and are encouraged. Indeed, cooperation is expected unless our directive is to individual performance. We will compete constructively and professionally for the purpose of stimulating high performance and standards. Finally, we accept adherence to this set of expectations for academic conduct as a condition of membership in the UWF academic community. (From the Student Life Handbook)

If you cheat or plagiarize on an assignment, you will fail the course and face academic misconduct charges at the university level which could result in your suspension or expulsion – in either case, it will be stamped permanently on your official transcripts. (From Dr. Belko)

For more information on the University’s academic conduct policies, see the following resources:

Academic Conduct Policy: (Web Format) | (PDF Format) | (RTF Format)
Plagiarism Policy: (Word Format) | (PDF Format) | (RTF Format)
Student Handbook: (PDF Format)

Tags: Anti-Federalists, Federalists, Steven Belko, United States Constitution, University of West Florida
Posted in Syllabus | No Comments »

History of the Civil War, John Brown University

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009

HST 3243

American Civil War

Spring 2008

MWF 12:00-12:50 a.m.

Cathedral 301

John Brown University

War is at best barbarism…. Its glory is all moonshine. It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, more vengeance, more desolation. War is hell.

–William Tecumseh Sherman

It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it.

–Robert E. Lee

Professor: Dr. Preston Jones

Office: Cathedral 306

Mail: Box 3037

Phone: (479) 524-4438

Office Hours: MWF: 2:30-3:30

Tues: 7:30-8:45

Thurs: 2:30-3:30

Email: Pjones@jbu.edu

Required Texts:

Reid Mitchell, The American Civil War (Essex, England: Pearson Education, 2001). An excellent overview of the major themes of the war.

Robert Hunt Rhodes, ed., All for the Union: The Civil War Diary and Letters of Elisha Hunt Rhodes (New York: Orion Books, 1985). Perhaps the best known Union soldier’s diary from the war.

Sam R. Watkins, Co. Aytch (New York: Touchstone, 2003). One of the best war memoirs ever written. In a crowded and competitive field, this memoir by a Confederate soldier has stood the test of time.

William Baxter, Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove; Or, Scenes and Incidents of the War in Arkansas (Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 2000). An interesting early memoir of the war in the Fayetteville region. Of interest to us primarily because it discusses the war in this region.

Class Purpose: The less sophisticated purpose of the course is to learn the basics of the American Civil War—its origins, course, and consequences. The course’s more sophisticated, and more interesting, purpose is to reflect on the political, cultural, psychological and spiritual meanings of the war.

Class Grade: The students’ grades will be based on performance on 6 quizzes (5% each), 3 exams (10% each), 2 papers (10% each), and a final exam (20%).

Students should keep track of their own grades and file all quizzes, exams, and papers. If there is a question about the grade at the end of the semester, it will be difficult to resolve the question unless the students have their work saved.

Exams: The first exam will focus on material covered since the beginning of the class; the second and third exams will focus on material covered since the most recent exam, though students should expect also to see some questions on material covered in previous exams.

For the first exam students also need to know the following about the battles listed below: chronological order (month and year); casualties* (rounded to the nearest 100); strategic or tactical significance; victor. Draw on the civilwar.com and the class text, The American Civil War.

Battles: First Bull Run*; Pea Ridge*; Hampton Roads; Shiloh*; Seven Days; Second Bull Run; Antietam*; Fredericksburg; Chancellorsville; Gettysburg*; Vicksburg; Chickamauga; Wilderness*; Cold Harbor; Franklin; Nashville.

Papers: Students will pick two paper topics from one of the four following options. It is up to the student which topic to take up first and second.

The phrase “war is hell” means, in its most basic sense, that war is really terrible. But can the phrase be taken more literally? If people can participate in the kingdom of heaven and, in some way, bring an element of heaven to earth, can they do the same with the realm of hell? This will involve a serious engagement with the Christian tradition’s theological reflection on the concept of hell. Bring what you learn to bear on your reading of All for the Union, Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove, and, especially, Co. Aytch. The work of at least three major figures in Christian tradition—e.g. Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Jonathan Edwards—should be consulted.

War veterans often say that, for the combatant, war is about survival, the well-being of the comrade close to you, and the security of one’s immediate environment. In war zones, soldiers do not indulge in philosophy or idealism; they do not contemplate the big picture or grand strategy. To what extent is this view of combatants’ place in war borne out in All for the Union and Co. Aytch?

All for the Union, a diary, reveals the tedium that comprises much of a soldier’s life; and it reports combat in a matter-of-fact kind of way. Co. Aytch, a memoir, eliminates much detail and reveals the horrors of combat. In this memoir, memory has done its work—a story has been wrenched from innumerable details. Reflect on these Civil War sources drawing on what psychologists tell us about memory. How does memory work? What gets left out and what sticks, and why? What is the process whereby memory creates stories from myriad confusing details? And so on. This will involve reading serious psychological literature on memory and bringing what you learn from it to bear on your thinking about history. The work of Daniel Schacter and Elizabeth Loftus (and their citations/bibliographies) might be a good place to start. Also see chapters on memory in psychology textbooks for resources. At least four serious, published psychological sources should be consulted.

All for the Union seems almost emotionless; Co. Aytch is sometimes humorous, sometimes wrenching. It is hard not to think that Watkins is describing some emotions he felt but, probably like Rhodes, would not have shared in the combat zone. Read at least two serious works on the psychological effects of combat on warriors and bring what you learn from this reading to bear on a discussion of the books by Rhodes and Watkins. Examples of the kinds of works you can consult are: Joanna Bourke, An Intimate History of Killing: Face-to-Face Killing in the Twentieth Century (1999); and Richard Holmes, Acts of War: The Behavior of Men in Battle (1985)

Paper due dates: February 15 and April 2.

Papers should be 4-5 pages in length.

Aretē (areth): This is the classical Greek word for excellence. Make areth your goal. Areth can’t be achieved if the paper is a rush job, or if the sources are weak, if the research is superficial, or if serious thought hasn’t gone into the paper, or if the writing is full of problems.

In addition to judging the papers’ content, the professor will assess the quality of the papers as written works. Students must pay attention to grammar, syntax, and so on. Papers that are exceptionally well done will receive extra credit at the professor’s discretion.

Staple the papers. Do not email them. An unstapled paper = 3% deducted from the student’s final grade.

Papers are due at the beginning of class on the assigned dates. Please do not email the professor questions about the papers. Ask questions about the papers in class, so others can benefit from the question and the answer.

Sleep: Living in a constant state of sleep deprivation is self-defeating; it diminishes one’s quality of life and academic work. You’re not as busy as you think you are. Organize your life and get the sleep you need.

Lap tops: Students wishing to use laptops must sit in the front row and use the laptops in class only for things directly related to the class.

Class participation: In the real world employers assume that their employees will show up, will be punctual, reliable, awake, and ready to be productive. Employees who do not fulfill their obligations usually pay a price. The same rules apply here. The professor reserves the right to deduct up to 3% from a student’s grade for each breach.

Academic Corruption: Plagiarism and other forms of academic corruption are destructive of the educational enterprise and cannot be taken lightly. Students who demean themselves, the university and the life of the mind by engaging in such activities will automatically fail the course and will be reported to the academic dean.

Make-Up Policy: In the rare event that a student will need to miss an examination for a legitimate reason, the student will be allowed to make up the exam.

Disabilities: The university’s policy on disabilities can be found on page 13 of the 2007-2009 catalogue.

Spring Break: Friday, March 14 is a regular class day. Students should not make travel plans for Spring Break until after their regularly-scheduled classes have ended.

The Final Examination: The final examination is comprehensive. Students must sit for the final exam at the specified time. Obvious exceptions are death or serious illness of a member of the student’s immediate family, or illness of the student as certified by the university nurse or other responsible person.

Class Schedule

January 9: Introduction

January 11: The origins of the war: Colonial times through the Articles of Confederation

Class lecture. Prepare for the first exam.

January 14: The origins of the war: The Constitutional Convention through the War of 1812

Class lecture. Prepare for the first exam.

January 16: The origins of the War: The Missouri Compromise through the Dred Scott case

American Civil War, 6-12

January 18: The triggers of the War: John Brown, the election of 1860, and the immediate

aftermath

American Civil War, 12-15, 83-84

January 21: Lincoln’s ideas before the war

This and the following two class topics draw on Lincoln’s writings.

January 23: Lincoln’s ideas during the war

January 25: Lincoln’s virtues

January 28: Mobilization, strategy, and tactics

The American Civil War, pp. 19-23

January 30: Enflamed passions at the war’s outset

Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove, pp. 1-9

February 1: Preachers

Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove, pp. 50-58
All for the Union, Oct. 16, 1864; Nov. 27, ’64.
Co. Aytch, pp. 86-88.

February 4: The Romance of War

Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove, pp. 16-23.

February 6: The Union homefront

The American Civil War, pp. 30-39

February 8: First Exam

February 11: The war according to Sidney George Fisher’s diary

February 13: The Confederacy

The American Civil War, pp. 40-50, 94-100

February 15: The war according to Mary Boykin Chesnut’s diary

First paper due at the beginning of class.

February 18: The nuts and bolts of Union military service

Based on The Military Handbook & Soldier’s Manual (1861)

February 20: The tedium of war

Draws on All for the Union. Have the book in class

February 22: The psychology of war

Draws on All for the Union. Have the book in class.

February 25: Slaves, the Emancipation Proclamation, and black troops

The American Civil War, pp. 27-29, 54-62

February 27: The war according to James Henry Gooding’s letters from the front

February 29: Politics

The American Civil War, pp 61-64

March 3: The Union, the Confederacy, and Britain

March 5: Guerillas; the sacking of civilian population centers

Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove, pp. 24-31, 59-68
The American Civil War, 104-107

March 7: The Battle of Pea Ridge, Arkansas

Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove, pp. 42-49

March 10: The Battle of Prairie Grove, Arkansas

Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove, pp. 81-98

March 12: The Battle of Gettysburg

All for the Union, pp. 113-118
The Civil War, 90-91

March 14: Second exam

March 17-21: Spring Break

March 24: Rumors, the “sad reality” of the Confederacy, and desertion

Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove, pp. 69-80, 116-126
All for the Union, pp. 215-229

March 26: The war according to Wiley Britton, Memoirs of the Rebellion on the Border, 1863

March 28: The war according to Richard Taylor, Personal Experiences of the Civil War

March 31: The war according to William Fletcher, Rebel Private: Front and Rear

April 2: Co Aytch, pp. 1-30

Second paper due at the beginning of class

April 4: Co Aytch, pp. 31-58

April 7: Co Aytch, pp. 59-91

April 9: Co Aytch, pp. 92-127

April 11: Co Aytch, pp. 128-158

April 14: Co Aytch, pp. 159-192

April 16: Co Aytch, pp. 193-228

April 18: Third exam

April 21: Plans for Reconstruction

The American Civil War, 76-79.

April 23: Surrender and Lincoln’s assassination

All for the Union, 223-232
Co. Aytch, 229-234

April 25: Why did soldiers fight?

Draws on James McPherson’s For Cause and Comrades (1997)

Final Exam: Monday, April 28, 1:30-3:30

Tags: American Civil War, Civil War, Preston Jones
Posted in Syllabus | No Comments »

American Values, Duke

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009

Professor John H. Aldrich

Professor Michael C. Munger

Independence Hall

American Values and Institutions

Spring 2008—Political Science 112A

Location: Soc Sci 113 (West Campus)

Offices: 404B Old Chem (JHA) – 408 Perkins (MCM)

Meeting Time: M & W 10:05 – 11:20 a.m. phone: 660-4346 660-4300

Office Hours: TBA / by appointment emails: aldrich@duke.edu munger@duke.edu

Douglass North, the Nobel prize-winning economic historian, defined “institutions” as the humanly devised rules of the game that shape and direct human interactions. The institutions of a nation and its people are the set of norms, values, rules, and laws that guide their choices and govern their disagreements.

This class is an introduction to the values and institutions of American politics. In a way, it is an overview of a period of American political history, from 1770 through 1840. But it is also an introduction to the political thought that animated larger events, including the two great revolutions of the 18th century, in America and France. And it examines the creation of institutions that celebrated human freedom, while guaranteeing the “freedom” of some to keep others in human bondage.

The evaluation in the course will consist of attendance, two midterms, and a final, as well as a 1,200 word argumentative essay.

MAIN THEMES:

There are two main themes that organize the class. We will return to the interplay between these themes over and over during the semester.

Theme 1: Institutions Preferences = Outcomes

This means, for one thing, that outcomes can change if preferences change. That’s not too surprising, of course, and actually makes a lot of sense. But the other alternative is really quite disturbing: outcomes can change if preferences are held constant, but the decision rules change.

Theme 2: Yours, Mine, and Ours

“Property” is in many ways a distinction between what is mine and what is yours. But political rights often come down to complex domain restrictions: what is mine to decide, and what is properly decided collectively by the state, or agents appointed by the state?

TEXTS:

The texts for the course are available in the bookstore:

Aldrich, John, Why Parties? University of Chicago Press, 1995.

Frohnen, Bruce. American Republic: Primary Sources, LF Press, 2002.

Hinich, Melvin, and Michael Munger, Analytical Politics. Cambridge University Press, 1997.

Walker, David. Appeal to the Coloured Peoples of the World, PSU Press, 2000 / 1825.

Attendance:

Attendance in class is expected. Pop quizzes will routinely be given. The subject of the quizzes will be drawn equally from the readings and lectures.

GRADES:

Grades for this class will be derived from the students’ performance on two midterm exams, a final exam, attendance, and a 1,200 word argumentative essay. These will have the following weights:

ITEM: WEIGHT:

1. Midterm Exams I and II: 25% (Total 50%)

In class, 50 minutes, combination multiple choice & short answer.

2. Final Exam: 25%

In class, in scheduled exam period: TUESDAY 4-29, 2-5 pm.

3. Argumentative Essay: 20%

These papers will be graded on both content and style, and will be discussed further in class at the beginning of the semester. Must be typed. 1,200 word maximum.

4. Class attendance / participation: 5%

The nature of the participation grades will be discussed more in class. You are expected to attend class, and to participate by asking and answering questions. And your performance on “pop” quizzes will form an important part of your participation grade.

TOTAL: 100%

Schedule of Classes and Readings

*Date*	*Topic*	*Reading*
1/9	Class Introduction, and The Rule of Law	From Plutarch’s “Lives” Caesar Plato’s Apology, Apology Plato’s Crito, Crito Montesquieu, Spirit of the Laws, Book I Munger, “The Thing Itself”, EconLib
1/14	Origins	Alexis de Tocqueville, “Origins of the Anglo-Americans”, from Democracy in America, Chapter II McPherson, Battlecry of Freedom, Chapters 1 (Reserve)
1/16	Iriquois Constitution Magna Carta Legacy and Meaning	Text of the Iriquois Constitution Text of the Magna Carta (also in Frohnen, p. 92) Legacy of the Magna Carta
1/21	No Class: MLK Day! (But you MUST read!)	Letter from a Birmingham Jail “I Have a Dream”
1/23	1. Quiz on MLK readings 2. Political Thought of the Founders: More Plutarch	Kimball, Roger. “Plutarch and the Issue of Character,” New Criterion, December 2000. V. 19, no. 4. Aristides Cicero Pericles
1/28	Political Thought of the Founders: Montesquieu’s Spirit of the Laws	Book II, entire Book XI, Chapters 1-6 Books XX-XXV, entire
1/30	Rousseau and the “Social Contract”	Book I, entire Book II, Chapters 1-6 Book III, Chapters 1-6, 9-11 Book IV, entire
2/4	Liberty in the Colonies	Winthrop, “Little Speech on Liberty,” in Frohnen, p. 34 Williams, “The Bloody Tenent…”, in Frohnen, p. 42 The Stamp Act, 1765: In Frohnen, p. 110 The Rights of the British Colonies….”, in Frohnen, p. 119 Repealing the Stamp Act, The Declaratory Act, 1766: In Frohnen, p. 135 Letter(s) from a Farmer in Pennsylvania, in Frohnen, p. 146
2/6	Declarations of Revolution: America	Virginia Declaration of Rights, in Frohnen, p. 157 Declaration of Independence, in Frohnen, p. 189 Common Sense, by Paine, in Frohnen, p. 179
2/11	French Revolution	The Rights of Man (Avalon site) Hinich and Munger, Chapter 1 Edmund Burke, Letter from the New to the Old Whigs (1791)
2/13	Review for Midterm I
2/18	Midterm I
2/20	Institutions and Studying American Institutions	“Thoughts on Government,” Adams (Frohnen, p. 196) Articles of Confederation (Frohnen, p. 200) The U.S. Constitution (Frohnen, p. 234) Chapter 2, Hinich and Munger’s Analytical Politics
2/25	Why Rules Make the Difference	Federalist 10, 47-5, and 78 (Frohnen, p. 241) Hinich and Munger, Chapter 3 (4 optional)
2/27	I Want, You Want: What Do We Want?	Chapter 3, Hinich and Munger’s Analytical Politics
3/3	Different Rules, Different Outcomes	Chapter 5, Hinich and Munger’s Analytical Politics
3/5	The Liberty to Own Slaves	Laws Regulating Servants and Slaves, in Frohnen, p. 582 “Slavery” and “Agriculture and the Militia”, in Frohnen, p. 589 David Walker, “Appeal”, Preamble and Article I
3/10-12	NO Class: Spring Break!!
3/17	Is Democracy Good, and How Would We Know?	Madison, “Speech Introducing Proposed Constitutional Amendments,” in Frohnen, p. 332 Debate over First Amendment Language, Frohnen, p. 348 Bill of Rights, Frohnen, p. 349 Michael Munger, “Democracy is a Means, Not an End” Alien and Sedition Acts, 1798, in Frohnen, p. 396
3/19	Walker’s “Appeal”	Walker, “Appeal”, Articles II and III
3/24	Two Racial Revolutionaries	Walker, “Appeal,” Article IV George Fitzhugh, “Cannibals All!” Chapters 8, 9, 12, 19-22, 28, 30, 32
3/26	Review for Midterm II
3/31	Midterm II
4/2	Endogenous Institutions: Parties and American Parties	Opinions for and Against the National Bank (Jefferson and Hamilton), 1791, in Frohnen, p. 474 Aldrich, Why Parties? Chapter 1
4/7	Why Parties?	Aldrich, Why Parties? Chapter 2
4/9	Founding the First Parties	Aldrich, Why Parties? Chapter 3
4/14	Jacksonian Democracy	Aldrich, Why Parties? Chapter 4 Andrew Jackson, “Veto Message,” 1832, in Frohnen, p. 491
4/16	The Courts and Public Policy: Aid to Democracy, or Barrier?	Dahl, Robert A. 1963. Decision-Making in a Democracy: The Role of the Supreme Court as a National Policy-Maker. Journal of Public Law. 6: 279-95. Marbury v. Madison, John Marshall, 1803, in Frohnen, p. 366 Barron v. Baltimore, John Marshall, 1833, in Frohnen, p. 375
4/21	American Values	Abraham Lincoln, “Address to the Young Men’s Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois, 1838”, in Frohnen, p. 518 Sanford Levinson, “The Embarrassing Second Amendment” James Madison, “On Property” Michael Munger, “Everybody Loves Mikey”
4/23	Review for Final	Last day of class
FINAL EXAM: Tuesday, April 29, 2:00 – 5:00 pm

SPRING 2008 Calendar

(for details, click here!)

January 9	Wednesday. 8:30 a.m. Spring Semester begins: ALL Monday classes meet on this day regardless of meeting pattern; Classes meeting on Wednesdays ONLY begin on Wednesday, January 16; Regular class meeting patterns begin on Thursday, January 10; Drop/Add continues
January 21	Monday. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday: classes are rescheduled on Wednesday, January 9
January 23	Wednesday. 5:00 p.m. Drop/Add ends
February 22	Friday. Last day for reporting midsemester grades
February 25	Monday. Registration begins for Summer 2008
March 7	Friday. 7:00 p.m. Spring recess begins
March 17	Monday. 8:30 a.m. Classes resume
April 2	Wednesday. Registration begins for Fall Semester 2008; Summer 2008 registration continues
April 11	Friday. Registration ends for Fall Semester 2008; Summer 2008 registration continues
April 12	Saturday. Drop/Add begins
April 23	Wednesday. Undergraduate classes end
April 24 – 27	Thursday-Sunday. Undergraduate reading period
April 28	Monday. Final examinations begin
April 30	Wednesday. Undergraduate reading period (9:00 AM – 2:00 PM)
May 3	Saturday. 10:00 p.m. Final examinations end
May 9	Friday. Commencement begins
May 11	Sunday. Graduation exercises; conferring of degrees

Tags: Douglass North, Law and Economics, Michael Munger, Politics of the United States
Posted in Syllabus | No Comments »

American Political Tradition, UVA

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

The American Political Tradition

PLAP 225, Fall 2009

Instructor: Matthew Sitman (mjs3qe@virginia.edu)

MWF, 9:00-9:50 a.m.

New Cabell 134

Office Hours: Monday, 10-11 (Alderman Coffee Shop); Wednesday, 4-5:30 (New Cabell 243)

I. Course Description

This course will study the theoretical ideas that informed the creation and development of America’s political system and consider some of the major contemporary challenges to the maintenance of American democracy. Topics to be treated include the political thought of the American Founders, the place of religion in public life, the nature of written constitutions, and the role of America in the world. The course will take place in a seminar setting limited to no more than twenty students. Emphasis will be placed on the discussion of important texts and documents. The course will be supplemented by occasional lectures by selected experts from inside and outside of the University, which will be held at the Jefferson Society Hall.

II. Texts

Both texts required for this course are available at the University Bookstore. Students should purchase the following editions:

Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America, Trans. George Lawrence, Perennial Classics, 2000.
Hamilton, Madison, Jay, The Federalist Papers, Ed. Charles Kesler, Signet, 1999.

In addition, most of the readings can be found in a course packet that is available for purchase at the Copy Shop (Elliewood Ave. in the “Corner” area).

These readings are also available on UVA Collab (CL): https://collab.itc.virginia.edu/

III. Assignments and Grading

Two separate 5 to 6 page papers (15% for first, 20% for second) due by 5 p.m. on Friday, October 2, and Monday, December 7

2. Midterm Exam (20%) on Friday, October 16

3. Final Exam (30%) at 2 p.m. on Thursday, December 17

4. Preparation of the readings and class participation (15%)

IV. Course Policies

Papers: Students will receive paper assignments approximately two weeks before the due date. Papers shall be 5 to 6 typed (12 point font) pages, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins. Failure to complete any assignment will result in an F in the course.

Class Participation and Readings: The class will focus on a discussion of the readings, therefore participation is of the utmost importance. Students will be expected to have done the readings and come prepared to discuss them in detail. Included in each unit are “reading questions” that will form the basis of the seminar discussion.

Honor Code at Virginia: All work completed for this course falls under the guidelines of the Honor System. The Pledge is a signed reaffirmation of your commitment to academic integrity. Accordingly, you must write out, sign and date the following pledge on all academic work: “On my honor as a student, I have neither given nor received aid on this exam/assignment.”

Guest Lectures: A vital element of this course is the guest lectures, typically given by a prominent scholar of the topic under consideration. Attendance at these lectures is mandatory, and if you cannot commit to making every conceivable effort to come to them, you should not be enrolled in this course. Your attendance at the guest lectures is a part of your participation grade, and any or all of the materials covered in the lectures can appear on the exams. Unless told otherwise, all guest lectures will be held in the Jefferson Society Hall.

COURSE READING SCHEDULE

UNIT 1: THE BASIC UNITS OF POLITICAL LIFE

A. The Physical Forms of Political Orders: City-States, Empires, and Nation-States

B. The Idea of a Regime: Types and Classifications

Wednesday, August 26 Introduction

(a) Pierre Manent, “The Question of Political Forms” (CL)

(b) Aristotle, selections from Politics (CL)

Reading Questions

1) What are the three major political “forms” identified by Pierre Manent? What follows from each form?

2) How are the different “forms” of political life influenced by economic, technological, and religious factors?

3) What is a political “regime” or “constitution”?

4) What are the different types of regimes as outlined by Aristotle?

Friday, August 28 (a) Plutarch, “Life of Lycurgus” (CL)

(b) Thucydides, “Pericles’ Funeral Oration” (CL)

Reading Questions

1) How does Plutarch’s “Life of Lycurgus” illustrate the idea of a regime? Would you like to live in Sparta? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the Spartan regime?

2) What is the contrast between Sparta and Athens? Does Athens have a regime? What is the shared “way of life” of Athens?

3) How does Pericles describe Athens’ greatness? Should greatness be the criterion for judging a

polity?

Monday, August 31 Montesquieu, selections from Spirit of the Laws (CL)

Reading Questions

1) What are the different kinds of regimes in Montesquieu’s classification scheme?

2) How does Montesquieu’s classification scheme differ from Aristotle’s? What does he add to the ancient concept of the regime?

3) Does Montesquieu prefer an ancient republic like Rome or a modern mixed regime like England?

Wednesday, September 2 Tocqueville, Democracy in America, pp. 9-20; 50-60; 241-245; 503-508; 690-695

Reading Questions

1) What does Tocqueville mean when he speaks of a shift from aristocracy to democracy?

2) What are the three different possible regimes (or governments) of modern times?

3) In what sense does Tocqueville consider modern despotic government to be democratic?

4) Outline a comparison of the three regime classifications we’ve studied.

Unit 2: Philosophic Underpinnings of the American Republic

Friday, September 4 (a) John Locke, selections from Second Treatise on Government (CL)

(b) James Otis, “The Rights of the British Colonies Asserted and Proved” (CL)

Reading Questions

1) What was the basis of the colonists’ objections to the British government and rule prior to the Revolutionary War?

2) What do these authors mean when they refer to a state of nature and natural rights?

3) Why is taxation without representation wrong? What does Dickinson mean by slavery?

Monday, September 7 (a) Thomas Jefferson, “Minutes from a meeting of the

Board of Visitors of the University of Virginia, March 4, 1825” (CL)

(b) Declaration of Independence (in Federalist Papers)

(d) Jefferson, Letter to Roger Weightman, June 24, 1826 (CL)

(e) Alexander Hamilton, “The Farmer Refuted” (CL)

Reading Questions

1) What were the grounds for declaring independence?

2) What does the Declaration mean by a natural right to liberty? By the truth that all men are created equal?

3) To what extent is the Declaration influenced by the political philosophy of John Locke?

Wednesday, September 9 Debates over Small versus Large Republics

(a) Hamilton, Jay, Madison, Federalist Papers, No. 10, 51, 14 (last paragraph only pp. 98-100)

(b) Brutus: “No. 1” (CL)

(d) James Ceaser, selection from American Government (CL)

Reading Questions

1) What type of citizen is necessary in the new republic?

2) Why is the “extended republic” of the Constitution an innovation?

3) What were some of the main objections to the Constitution?

Friday, September 11 Guest Speaker: Patrick Deneen, Georgetown University

Debates over Small versus Large Republics (Continued)

(a) Articles of Confederation, (look over pp. 533-541 in Federalist Papers)

(b) Constitution, (look over Articles I-IV)

(d) Federalist Papers, Nos. 15 and 23

Reading Questions

1) What were Publius’ chief arguments against the Articles of Confederation?

2) Why study the Anti-Federalists?

3) Have the fears of the Anti-Federalists been borne out?

Unit 3: Religion and Politics

Monday, September 14 The Puritan Communities

(a) Tocqueville, Democracy in America, pp. 30-47

(b) Mayflower Compact (CL)

(d) John Wise, “Democracy is Founded in Scripture” (1717, TL)

(e) Nathaniel Niles, “Sermon on the Nature of Liberty” (1774, TL)

Reading Questions

1) How did the Puritans understand the role of religion in politics?

2) What difficulties emerge when religious law is the direct foundation of political law?

3) How does the thought of John Wise and Nathaniel Niles differ from the Puritans in how they view Christianity and politics? Which is more compatible with liberal democracy?

Wednesday, September 16 The American Founders on Religion

(a) James Madison, “Memorial and Remonstrance against Religious Assessments” (CL)

(b) Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia, Q.17, (CL)

(d) George Washington, “Letter to Touro Synagogue” (CL)

(e) Washington, “Letter to Quakers” (CL)

(f) Washington, “Thanksgiving Day Proclamation” (CL)

Reading Questions

1) What was the Founders’ view of the relation of religion and politics?

2) What distinguishes the American political tradition regarding the status of religion in political life?

Friday, September 18 Religion, Democracy, and the First Amendment

(a) Tocqueville, Democracy in America, pp. 442-449

(b) First Amendment (Federalist Papers)

(d) Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972) (CL)

(e) Ramesh Ponnuru, “Secularism and Its Discontents” (CL)

Reading Questions

1) Assess the decisions in Lee v. Weisman and Wisconsin v. Yoder? Would you have decided them differently?

2) Does the First Amendment affirm mere neutrality between religions or dictate a public stance with regard to religion vs. non-religion?

3) What should be the status of the phrase “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance? Of “In God We Trust” on our coins?

Unit 4: Constitutionalism

Monday, September 21 Debates over Rigid versus Flexible Constitutions

(a) U. S. Constitution, Art. V, Amendments (pp. 555, 560-568 in the Federalist Papers)

(b) Thomas Jefferson, Letter to James Madison, September 6, 1789 (CL)

(d) Federalist, No. 49

Reading Questions

1) What is a written Constitution? How did it revolutionize the relationship between government and the people?

2) Should a constitution be rigid (i.e., difficult to amend) or flexible (i.e., easily amendable, such as by permitting amendments to be approved on a mere majority vote of the legislature and citizenry, empowering the people to initiate constitutional changes, and requiring a periodic popular vote on calling a revision convention)?

Wednesday, September 23 Debates over Short versus Long Constitutions

(a) Bill of Rights (CL)

(b) Selections from Theodore Roosevelt’s “Speech to the Ohio Constitutional Convention of 1912” (CL)

(d) Selections from Debates of the Maryland Constitutional Convention of 1967-1968 (CL)

Reading Questions

1) Should a constitution be short (limited merely to outlining the structure of government and prohibiting encroachments on fundamental rights), or long (such as by including aspirational provisions, resolving issues in areas where elected officials have proven untrustworthy, and empowering or even requiring governing officials to take certain actions such as securing economic, labor, and environmental rights)?

2) What should be included in a written constitution?

Friday, September 25 Guest Speaker: John Dinan, Wake Forest University

Monday, September 28 Who Should Interpret the Constitution?

(a) Federalist, No. 78

(b) Selections from Marbury v. Madison (CL)

(d) Thomas Jefferson, “On Judicial Power” (CL)

(e) Andrew Jackson, Selections from “Veto of the Bank Bill” 1832 (CL)

(f) Abraham Lincoln, Selections (CL)

Reading Questions

1) Should constitutional interpretation be the province solely of the judiciary, or do the executive and legislative branches also have a responsibility to engage in independent constitutional interpretation?

2) When should a decision on matters of constitutional interpretation be considered final? Should it ever be considered final?

Wednesday, September 30 How Should the Constitution Be Interpreted?

(a) Roper v. Simmons (2005, CL)

(b) Lawrence v. Texas (2003, CL)

Reading Questions

1) What is the difference between saying something is constitutional and advocating a political position? Why does Justice Thomas defend the constitutionality of a law he dislikes?

2) How should a judge interpret the Constitution? What is the difference between interpreting it according to the original intent of the Framers, or by more contemporary standards?

Friday, October 2 First Paper due by 5pm

How Should the Constitution Be Interpreted?(Cont.)

(a) William Brennan, “The Constitution of the United States: Contemporary Ratification” (1986, CL)

(b) Antonin Scalia, “Constitutional Interpretation the Old Fashioned Way” (2005, CL)

Reading Questions

1) Make the case for the notion of a living constitution. What are some objections to it?

Monday, October 5 NO CLASS: Reading Day

Unit 5: American Institutions

A. The Executive and the Legislative Branches

B. Federalism

Wednesday, October 7 The Executive

(a) John Locke, “On Prerogative Power” (CL)

(b) Federalist, No. 70.

Reading Questions

1) 1) What is the relation of executive power to constitutional government or the rule of law?

2) To what degree do liberal democracies need energetic executive power?

Friday, October 9 The Executive (continued)

(a) Abraham Lincoln, “Habeas corpus speech,” July 4, 1861 (CL)

(b) Lincoln, Letter to Albert Hodges, April 4, 1864 (CL)

(d) Harvey C. Mansfield, “Law and the President” (CL)

Reading Questions

1) What does Lincoln’s example show us about the relationship of executive power to the rule of law?

2) Did Lincoln violate the Constitution or uphold it? Were his actions justified?

3) By what standard do we judge when the exercise of executive prerogative is an unjustified violation of

the rule of law?

Monday, October 12 The Legislature

(a) Federalist, No. 55 and 63

(b) Benjamin Rush, Letter on the Defects of the Pennsylvania Constitution, 1777 (CL)

Reading Questions

1) What is the distinction between a representative democracy and a direct democracy?

2) What is the case for bicameralism, as opposed to having a single legislative assembly?

3) In what ways was the Senate designed to have a different character than the House of

Representatives?

Wednesday, October 14 Federalism

(a) Federalist, No. 39

(b) Martha Derthick, “America’s Federalism” (CL)

Reading Questions

1) What is federalism?

2) How has federalism developed since the founding?

3) What is the difference between a unitary and a federal system?

4) What are the advantages and disadvantages of concentrating more power in the federal

government?

Friday, October 16 MIDTERM EXAM

Unit 6: The Problem of Slavery and Civil Rights

Monday, October 19 Slavery

(a) Benjamin Franklin, “An Address to the Public from the Pennsylvania Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery” (CL)

(b) Alexander Hamilton, “Letter to John Jay” (CL)

(d) Federalist, No. 54

(e) John C. Calhoun, Speech on the Oregon Bill 1848 (CL)

(f) Alexander Stephens, “Cornerstone Speech” 1861 (CL)

(g) Slavery provisions in the U.S. Constitution, Art. 1 Sec. 2, Clause 3;

Art. 1, Sec. 9, Clause 1; Art. 4, Sec. 2, Clause 3

Reading Questions

1) What status did slavery hold under the Constitution, and what reasons were advanced to account for its status? How did some of the Founders expect to see the problem of slavery resolved?

2) What were some of the early plans to advance abolitionism by Franklin and Hamilton? What was the logic of Hamilton’s plan?

3) What were the “new” views on slavery of the Southerners? How did Calhoun and

Stephens (the vice-president of the Confederacy) deal with the claims of the Declaration of Independence?

Wednesday, October 21 (a) Thomas Jefferson, “Letter to John Holmes,” 1820 (CL)

(b) Lord Charnwood, selections from Abraham Lincoln (CL)

(d) Lincoln, first, fifth, sixth, and seventh of the Lincoln-Douglas debates, 1858 (CL)

(e) Stephen Douglas, Selections from the Lincoln-Douglas debates,1858 (CL)

(f) Lincoln, “Speech at Chicago” 1858 (CL)

Reading Questions

1) What were the different positions of Lincoln and Douglas on the crisis of the

1850s? Is one closer to Jefferson’s original opinion on the Missouri Compromise?

2) What were the different views of Lincoln and Douglas on the Declaration of

Independence?

Friday, October 23 Guest Speaker: Bryan Garsten, Yale University

Monday, October 26 (a) Abraham Lincoln, “Lyceum Address” (CL)

(b) Abraham Lincoln, “Gettysburg Address” (CL)

Reading Questions

1) These latter two speeches of Abraham Lincoln are widely considered to be the greatest ever

pronounced by an American political leader. What accounts for this judgment?

2) Does the Second Inaugural read as a speech that you would have expected, based on Lincoln’s

prior speeches? What “new” themes are found? How does his “political theology” change over

time?

Wednesday, October 28 (a) Frederick Douglass, Selections from autobiography

(CL)

(b) William Lloyd Garrison, “On the Constitution and the Union” 1832 (CL)

Reading Questions

1) How did Frederick Douglass view the Declaration and the Constitution? How did he see these two documents in relationship to the struggle for emancipation?

2) How did Douglass’ view of the Constitution differ from that of some of the other abolitionists, who considered it “a pact with the devil?”

Friday, October 30 (a) Booker T. Washington, “The Atlanta Exposition Address” (CL)

(b) W.E.B. DuBois, Selections from Souls of Black Folk (CL)

Reading Questions

1) What positions did Washington and DuBois adopt in the quest for achieving racial

equality?

2) What are the grounds of Justice Harlan’s dissent in Plessy v. Ferguson?

Monday, November 2 (a) Martin Luther King, Jr., “I Have a Dream Speech” (CL)

(b) Malcolm X, “The Ballot or the Bullet” (CL)

Unit 7: Tocqueville on Democratic Politics and Culture

Wednesday, November 4 Democratic Politics

Tocqueville, Democracy in America, pp. 62-70, 87-98, 196-201, 231-245, 250-253

Reading Questions

1) What are the chief threats that Tocqueville identifies to the health of American

democracy?

2) Tocqueville admits that decentralized administration is often inefficient. Why

then does he prefer it to centralized administration?

3) What are the advantages and disadvantages of democratic government and

society as observed in America, compared to aristocratic government and society?

Friday, November 6 Democratic Culture

Tocqueville, Democracy in America, . 429-436, 451-454, 459-468, 475-478, 509-517, also review pp. 503-508

Reading Questions

1) Is Tocqueville right that the democratic mind tends to be both independent and

conformist? How can it be both?

2) Considering what we’ve already read by Tocqueville concerning religion in

America, what is the significance of his saying that “religion is strong

less as a revealed doctrine than as part of common opinion”?

Monday, November 9 Democratic Culture (continued)

Tocqueville, Democracy in America, pp. 525-546, 555-558, 627-632

Reading Questions

1) How do features of American democratic culture such as associations,

restlessness, spirituality, taste for material well-being, and the pursuit of self-

interest increase or decrease individualism? Which does Tocqueville want to

encourage?

2) Explain the doctrine of “self-interest rightly understood,” why it appeals to

Americans, and why Tocqueville recommends it, despite his disagreements with

it.

Wednesday, November 11 Tocqueville, Democracy in America, , pp. 671-678, 690-705

Reading Questions

1) What democratic trends contribute to the possibility of soft despotism? Is soft

despotism our fate?

Unit 8: Progressivism, Liberalism, Conservatism

Friday, November 13 Guest Speaker: Jean Yarbrough, Bowdoin College

Progressivism

(a) Condorcet, selections from Sketch of the Human Mind (CL)

(b) Woodrow Wilson, “What is Progress?” 1912 (CL)

(d) Herbert Croly, selections from Promise of American Life (CL)

Reading Questions

1) What is the meaning of the idea that history progresses? Do you accept

the proposition that things have gotten better? Does the record of the

twentieth century provide evidence in favor or against the idea?

2) What, in terms of American politics, is progressivism?

3) What is the progressive’s critique of the founding? In what way was the

founding, especially the Constitution, inadequate?

Monday, November 16 Liberalism

(a) “The Future of Liberalism” from Philosophy of Education, 1935 (CL)

(b) Franklin D. Roosevelt, “The Commonwealth Club Address,” 1932 (CL)

(c) Re-read Frankilin D. Roosevelt’s “second bill of rights” (last three pages) in the State of the Union Address, 1944. (TL from unit 4)

Reading Questions

1) Compare and contrast progressivism with liberalism. How do both inform

contemporary partisan debates?

2) How does Dewey understand the meaning of liberalism?

Wednesday, November 18 Conservatism

(a) James Ceaser, “Four Heads and One Heart: The American Conservative Movement” (CL)

(b) Friedrich Hayek, “Our Moral Heritage” 1982 (CL)

Reading Questions

1) Is conservatism one thing or many? If one, what is its core principle? If many,

what is their common denominator?

2) Where does Hayek fit within Ceaser’s typology? Other than as a libertarian, is

there any sense in which Hayek is conservative?

Friday, November 20 Conservatism (continued)

(a) Ronald Reagan, “First Inaugural” (1981, CL)

(b) John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge, “Reaganism”, Wall Street Journal 2004 (CL)

(d) George W. Bush, “Second Inaugural Address” (CL)

(d) Charles Kesler, Critique of Second Inaugural (CL)

Reading Questions

1) What do you think conservatism’s future holds? Has the political landscape

changed so fundamentally that conservatism itself will have to change in order to

remain viable?

2) Is conservatism in danger of unraveling at the seams? If so, will one “branch”

win out over time? Is there a viable alternative to conservatism today?

Unit 9: United States and the World: National Security, INTERESTS, and American Purposes

Monday, November 23 National Security

(a) Walter Russell Mead, Selections from Special Providence: American Foreign Policy and How It Changed the World (CL)

Wednesday, November 25 NO CLASS: Thanksgiving Break

Friday, November 27 NO CLASS: Thanksgiving Break

Monday, November 30 National Security (continued)

(a) George Washington, Selections from “Farewell Address” (CL)

(b) Woodrow Wilson, “Fourteen Points” (CL)

(d) President George W. Bush, Selections from “National Security Statement” 2002 (CL)

(e) Tocqueville, Democracy in America, pp. 226-230

Reading Questions

1) What are the ends of American foreign policy? Are they different today than at

other times, especially at the time of the founding?

2) Should our foreign involvements be limited only to our own security concerns, or

do we have an obligation to further the cause of democracy abroad? In both

cases, what means are permissible for the attainment of the goal?

3) What are the shortcomings of both an “isolationist” and “expansionist” foreign

policy?

Wednesday, December 2 National Security (continued)

(a) Atlantic Charter (CL)

(b) Samuel Huntington, “The Clash of Civilizations,” Foreign

Affairs (CL)

Reading Questions

1) If Huntington’s description of the current international situation is correct,

what would be the best U.S. foreign policy approach? What if Kagan is correct?

Friday, December 4

Monday, December 7 Wrap-up: Final Thoughts on the American Political Tradition

FINAL PAPER DUE BY 5PM

FINAL EXAM: Thursday, December 17, 2-5pm

Tags: civic education, Civics Education
Posted in Syllabus | No Comments »

Lincoln’s Statesmanship, Skidmore College

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

Abraham Lincoln as Statesman

Professor Taylor

GO 251

Fall 2006

This course will explore Lincoln’s confrontation with the problem of slavery and the American regime. It will primarily consist of a close analysis of Lincoln’s speeches and writings, with particular emphasis on the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858.

Lincoln’s speeches and deeds have been said by some scholars to constitute a completion of the American founding or a second American revolution. We will explore the origins and nature of Lincoln’s impact, trying to understand Lincoln’s project from the perspective of Lincoln himself.

Lincoln reflected deeply on America’s founding ideals as expressed in its public documents, as well as particular historical realities confronting the nation in the 1800s. Our course of study will therefore attempt to mimic these reflections.

Required Texts:

Abraham Lincoln: Speeches and Writings, Roy P. Basler ed., Da Capo Press, 1990

The Complete Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858, Paul Angle ed., University of Chicago Press, 1991

Abraham Lincoln, Lord Charnwood, Dover Publishers, 1997

Packet of Readings

Students must also purchase a biography of Lincoln for their final paper. A list of options will be provided.

Course Requirements:

1 6-8 pg paper

2 in-class presentations

Midterm exam

Final exam

Introduction to course (9/6)

I. Prelude to Crisis (all readings in the section from packet; also read Charnwood, ch.2)

A. Slavery and the Founding, 1776-1789

1. “Slavery and the Moral Foundations of the American Republic,” Herbert Storing (9/11)

“Slavery and the Constitutional Convention: Making a Covenant with Death,” Paul Finkelman (9/11)

The Missouri Compromise, 1819-20
1. Congressional Debates, 1819: Taylor (NY), Fuller (MA), Barbour (VA) (9/13)
2. Congressional Debates, 1820: Reid (GA), Clagett (NH), Pinckney (MD)

(9/18)

James Madison to James Monroe, February 10 & 23, 1820; John Quincy Adams, diary selections, February and March 1820; Rufus King, selected letters (9/18)

C. Nullification and the Nature of Union, 1830-32

1. John C. Calhoun, Fort Hill Address, July 26, 1831 (9/20)

The Ordinance of Nullification, November 24, 1832 (9/20)

2. James Madison to Edward Everett, August 28, 1830 (9/20)

Andrew Jackson, Nullification Proclamation, December 10, 1832 (9/20)

II. Lincoln and the Crisis of the House Divided (Charnwood, chs. 4-5, Don Fehrenbacher, “Slavery in the Federal Territories” [packet])

A. The Political Philosophy of a Young Whig, 1838-1852

Address Before the Young Men’s Lyceum, January 27, 1838 (9/25)
Temperance Address, February 22, 1842 (9/27)
Eulogy on Henry Clay, July 6, 1852, also discuss Fehrenbacher (10/4)
The Breakdown of Compromise, 1854-58
1. Fragments: On Slavery, [July 1, 1854] (10/9)

Speech at Peoria, October 16, 1854 (on the repeal of the MO Compromise)

To George Robertson, August 15, 1855

To Joshua Speed, August 24, 1855

Dred Scott, June 26, 1857 (10/11)

House Divided, June 16, 1858

The Lincoln-Douglas Debates, 1858
1. Ottawa, August 21, 1858 (10/16)
2. Freeport, August 27 (10/18)
3. Jonesboro, September 15 (10/23)

Galesburg, October 7 (in part: S.D. 290-94; A.L. 300-04, 307-11)

Quincy, October 13 (in part: A.L. 332-35; S.D. 343-47; A.L. 353-57)

MIDTERM EXAM 10/25

Principles Defended, 1858-60

1. Lecture on Discoveries and Inventions, February 11, 1859 (packet) (10/30)

Address to the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society, September 30, 1859

2. To Lyman Trumbull, December 11, 1858 (11/1)

To H.L. Pierce & Others, April 6, 1859

To Salmon P. Chase, June 20, 1859

3. Address at Cooper Institute, February 27, 1860 (11/1)

III. Lincoln and the Civil War

Preserving the Union, 1860-62 (Charnwood, chs. 6-9)
1. To William Kellog, December 11, 1860 (11/6)

To John A. Gilmer, December 15, 1860 (packet)

To James T. Hale, January 11, 1861 (packet)

First Inaugural, March 4, 1861 (11/6)

Message to Congress in Special Session, July 4, 1861

Toward Emancipation, 1862-63 (Charnwood, ch. 10)
1. Appeal to Border State Representatives, July 12, 1862 (packet) (11/8)

Address on Colonization to a Committee…, August 14, 1862 (packet)

To Horace Greeley, August 22, 1862

Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, September 22, 1862 (packet)

Final Emancipation Proclamation, January 1, 1863 (11/13)

To John McClernand, January 8, 1863 (packet)

A New Birth of Freedom, 1863 (Charnwood, ch. 11)

1. To Erastus Corning & Others, June 12, 1863 (11/15)

To General N. P. Banks, August 5, 1863

To James C. Conkling, August 26, 1863

2. Gettysburg Address, November 19, 1863 (11/20)

Toward Reconstruction, 1863-64 (Charnwood, ch. 12)
1. Proclamation of Amnesty & Reconstruction, December 8, 1863 (11/27)
2. To Albert G. Hodges, April 4, 1864 (packet) (11/27)

Sanitary Fair Address at Baltimore, April 18, 1864

To Henry W. Hoffman, October 10, 1864

Fragment: The Constitution and the Union, [1860?]

With Malice Toward None, 1864-65
1. Annual Message to Congress, December 6, 1864 (11/29)

Second Inaugural, March 4, 1865

Meditation on the Divine Will, September, 1862

Address to the 140^th Indiana Regiment, March 17, 1865 (12/4)

Last Public Address, April 11, 1865

To Mrs. Bixby, November 21, 1864

IV. Assessments of Lincoln, Old and New

Frederick Douglass, Oration in Memory of Abraham Lincoln (packet) (12/6)
James Engell and Richard Weaver on Lincoln’s Rhetoric (12/11)
TBA (12/13)

Tags: Abraham Lincoln, Flagg Taylor
Posted in Syllabus | No Comments »

American Government, Berry College

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

GOV 211-A, D, & E: American National Government (3.0)

Fall 2006

MWF Office: Evans 112B

EVA Office Hours: 10:30-12:30 MWF,

Dr. Eric C. Sands 9:30-11:30 TR, and by appointment

Telephone: 238-7896 (w) Email: esands@berry.edu

378-3125 (h)

Course Description:

This course provides an introduction to the ideas and institutions that constitute American political life.

Textbooks:

Ceaser, O’Toole, Bessette and Thurow, American Government: Origins, Institutions and Public Policy.

Nichols and Nichols, Readings in American Government.

Kingdon, America the Unusual.

Additional readings can be found on the internet, with the web addresses provided in the footnotes.

Purpose:

This course is intended to familiarize students with the basic principles, institutions, and processes of American government. Over the course of the semester, students will learn how to think critically about different facets of American politics and American political life, and will be able to contribute to arguments concerning the perennial issues and problems that the American regime confronts.

Evaluation Components and Grading Scale:

Midterm Exam – 25%

Two Papers (5 pages each) – 15% each

Final Exam – 30%

Class Participation, Reading Quizzes, and Attendance – 15%

Grading will be based on a ten-point scale (100-94 A, 93-90 A-, 89-87 B+, 86-84 B, 80-83 B-, etc.). Please note that the failure to turn in an assignment will result in a grade of “F” for the course.

Attendance:

Attendance is mandatory. Every unexcused absence will result in a lowering of your class participation grade. Students missing three consecutive classes will be referred to the Office of the Registrar.

Academic Integrity:

The course is covered by the Berry College policy on academic integrity (see the Berry College Catalogue, p. 27, and the Student Handbook, pp. 15-16). If it is determined that you have engaged in academic dishonesty, you will receive an “F” for the course. If, after reading the Berry College policy, you have questions regarding what constitutes academic dishonesty it is your responsibility to confer with me to seek clarification.

Accommodation Statement:

Students with disabilities who believe that they may need accommodation in this course are encouraged to contact the Academic Support Center in Krannert Room 329 (ext. 4080) as soon as possible to ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.

Schedule of Class Sessions

Week 1 (August 21) – Introduction: What founders do and the characteristics of liberal democracy.

Readings:

Selection from Plutarch’s “Life of Lycurgus”[1]

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., “Harrison Bergeron” (N)

Week 2 (August 28) – The Concept of Founding: The Declaration of Independence, what constitutes a people, and the fundamental regime principles – liberty, equality, self-government and citizenship.

Readings:

Ceaser, chapter 2 (pp. 32-46)

Federalist 2[2]

The Declaration of Independence (Ceaser, pp. 535-537)

Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address”[3]

FDR, “State of the Union Message of 1944”[4]

Week 3 (September 4) – The Founding: the small republic argument vs. the large republic argument; or, Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists.

Readings:

Ceaser, chapter 2 (pp. 46-61)

Centinel, “The Small Republic Argument” (N)

Federalist 10, 51 (N)

Thomas Jefferson, “Against Manufacturing” (N)

Alexander Hamilton, “Report on Manufacturing” (N)

Week 4 (September 11) – A Written Constitution: Limited Government and a Bill of Rights

Readings:

“Selections from the Federal Convention” (N)

U.S. Constitution (Ceaser, pp. 539-559)

Federalist 49 (N)

Jefferson and Madison, “Exchange on the Binding of Generations” (N)

Week 5 (September 18) – Representative Democracy and Federalism

Readings:

Ceaser, chapter 4

Federalist 39, 45, 46, 63, 71 (See Footnote 2)

United States v. Lopez (1995)[5]

Week 6 (September 25) – The Role of Religion in Political Life

Readings:

Virginia Declaration of Rights[6]

Thanksgiving Day Proclamation, 1789[7]

James Madison, “Memorial and Remonstrance”[8]

Thomas Jefferson to Danbury Baptist Association[9]

Tocqueville, Democracy in America, Vol. II, part 2, chapters 2-3, 8-15[10]

Week 7 (October 2) – Political Parties, Campaigns and Elections

Readings:

Ceaser, chapter 7

2000 Election Data[11]

James Bryce, “Why Great Men Are Not Chosen Presidents” (N)

Martin Diamond, “The Electoral College and the American Idea of Democracy” (N)

James Ceaser, “Political Parties and Presidential Ambition” (N)

Week 8 (October 9) – Elections and Voting Behavior: How Do People Think about Politics? Why Do People Vote? Why Do People Vote the Way They Do?

Readings:

Ceaser, chapter 5, 8

David Brooks, “One Nation, Slightly Divisible”[12]

Blake Hurst, “The Plains vs. the Atlantic”[13]

Midterm Exam

Week 9 (October 16) – The Presidency

Readings:

Hamilton, “On the Presidency” (N)

Ceaser, chapters 11, 14

Ceaser, et. al., “The Rise of the Rhetorical Presidency” (N)

Week 10 (October 23) – Congress

Readings:

Ceaser, chapters 10, 12

Hamilton and Madison, “On Congress” (N)

Woodrow Wilson, “The Need for Cabinet Government in the United States” (N)

Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co. v. Sawyer (1952) (N)

William F. Connelly, “In Defense of Congress” (N)

William F. Connelly, “Congressional Government and Separation of Powers” (N)

Week 11 (October 30) – The Judiciary

Readings:

Ceaser, chapter 13

Federalist 78 (See Footnote 2)

Marbury v. Madison (1803) (N)

Brutus, “The Problem of Judicial Review” (N)

Jefferson, “Against Judicial Review” (N)

McCulluch v. Maryland (1819) (N)

Week 12 (November 6) – Judiciary and Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

Readings:

Ceaser, chapter 16

William Brennan, “Constitutional Interpretation” (N)

Robert Bork, “Testimony Before the Senate Judiciary Committee” (N)

Roe v. Wade (1973) (N)

Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pa. v. Casey (1992) (N)

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) (N)

Brown v. Board of Education (1954) (N)

Week 13 (November 13) – American Exceptionalism: Are We Different?

Readings:

Kingdon, America the Unusual

Week 14 (November 20) – Foreign Policy

Readings:

Ceaser, chapter 17

Pontuso, “American Foreign Policy and the Victory of Liberal Democracy” (N)

Huntington, “Clash of Civilizations”[14]

Week 15 (November 27) – Old Fears and New Horizons: Tocqueville and Fukuyama

Readings:

Alexis de Tocqueville, Selections from Democracy in America (N)

Robert Putnam, “Bowling Alone” (N)

Please note: We will not hold classes Sept. 4, 2006, in observance of Labor Day. Classes after 2 p.m. on October 6, 2006, are suspended for observance of Mountain Day. October 16-17, 2006, is Fall Weekend and no classes are held. No classes are held Nov. 22-24, 2006, in observance of Thanksgiving.

[1] http://classics.mit.edu//Plutarch/lycurgus.html

[2] http://www.constitution.org/fed/federa02.htm

[3] http://libertyonline.hypermall.com/Lincoln/gettysburg.html

[4] http://209.208.234.42/archives/speeches/jan1144.cfm

[5] http://www.supremelaw.org/decs/lopez/lopez.htm

[6] http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/virginia.htm

[7] http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/firsts/thanksgiving/thankstext.html

[8] http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/P/jm4/writings/memor.htm

[9] http://www.lonang.com/exlibris/misc/danbury.htm

[10] http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/TocDem2.html

[11] http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/

[12] http://pages.towson.edu/sovadia/SOCI243%5COne%20Nation,%20Slightly%20Divisible.htm