Module One
As you can see from the “table of contents” page, there are five modules, each lasting for three weeks. The dates for the module are delineated on that previous page. Since this is the first module, I will explain the layout, repeated in the subsequent four module pages. First will be an announcement as to any special assignment for the particular module. Then the readings from the course texts are delineated. There will be videos to watch that can be accessed through the college’s library holdings. You may have to login using your Banner ID and password. Each video will be linked so you do not have to search for it (let me know if there are ANY issues). Related to your course texts will be a series of webpages, some you must read, that are connected to the modules topic(s). These are outside my control. I attempt to find government, museum, and university sites but if you have ANY problems, let me know. Last is the essay for each module. Review the announcement on essay exams for direction.
Special assignment: this module is going to have a “mini-module” in it. You should plan on completing that work in the first week. For the rest of the module, you will have the entire three-week period. Caution: do not put your work off until the last minute (very easy to do, BUT NOT in your best interests). You will be assessed on the quality of your writing and the
Course textbook readings for Module One: From Gallagher/Waugh, The American War, read pages 1-12. Excerpts from Peter Kolchin, American Slavery Excerpts from David Reynolds. Waking Giant NB: when reading excerpts, start at the beginning of a chapter, or a subsection of the chapter, usually delineated with a Roman Numeral, a line, or some other type of symbol. I use excerpts in a similar way to book readings on reserve at the library: they get right to important points and you do not have to buy the entire book.
Videos for this first module: From the PBS series The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross: The Black Atlantic (1500-1800). From the PBS series Slavery and the Making of America: “The Downward Spiral” and “Liberty in the Air.” There is some overlap between the first video and this one, but their overall focus is different: the former more global in its focus while the latter focuses in on the developing United States. From the Growth of a Nation series, “Democracy in America.” From Howard Zinn: The People’s Historian, “A Fractured Nation (1800-1865).” You should watch segments one through six. From the Empires of Industry series, “Textiles: Birth of An American Industry,” Segments one through eleven.
Below are websites that have content connected to this module. They should be used as part of your discussion posts and essays. Use them to further your own learning or as a starting point for a possible research topic. -From the University of Houston: The Slave Trade's Significance -Slavery, the Constitution, and a Lasting Legacy -Andrew Jackson and Indian Removal -Samuel Slater and his mill -Francis Cabot Lowell and his mill
This module’s essay: While the main difference between the North and the South was slavery there were other differences as well, each important in the development of two different regions. Using the readings and videos for the last three weeks, explain the important differences, culturally, economically, and politically, between the North and the South. Reminder: you must do either this essay or the next module’s essay.