HIST 1111 United States History 1
Through our exploration and sharing of the past, we come to a better understanding of the United States and its people and what we could make for our futures. As students of the past, we investigate whose stories get told and whose stories have been left buried, ignored, or forgotten. Examining primary sources (things people created during their lives, for their own purposes) and secondary source claims (what “histories” say about that past) allows us to analyze how groups interacted in the past and how power affected individual lives and interactions through to the Civil War and Reconstruction. Individual and group analysis and critical thinking together get us closer to understanding the choices, limits, and options that controlled their visions of the possible. Students will develop vital skills in source evaluation and analysis as well as how to communicate historical knowledge about current issues with clarity and nuance.