HIS3031 Civil War & Reconstruction

This upper-level course presents a thorough portrait of the Civil War. It begins with an examination of the coming of the war, including the development of abolitionism and the counter-argument of the pro-slavery positions that changed in the 1830s and 1840s, before moving on to the fierce and increasingly widespread political battles of the 1850s. Next, and through a survey of the ever-increasing scholarship, we will investigate the war itself: the political, social, and cultural aspects in addition to the military history necessary to the understanding of the war itself. Then, the aftermath of the war will be studied: the great promise of Reconstruction, the inclusion of African Americans in the politics of the nation, and the long slide of Reconstruction to failure. This brings us to the nadir of the 1896 Supreme Court decision affirming Jim Crow: Plessy v. Ferguson. Finally, upper-level students will close the course with an analysis of both the memory of the war and the changing historiography from the late nineteenth century to the present, culminating in a final address to the dynamic question: How is the Civil War remembered? In addition to James McPherson’s Ordeal by Fire and two works of historical fiction, upper-level students will read numerous primary documents and scholarly essays as they develop their understanding of both the history, and historiography, of the Civil War era. Students must have completed three courses at the 2000 level, with grades of C or higher, as prerequisites for this course. Students cannot receive credit for both HIS 2031 and HIS3031. Credits: 3.000

WRT 1012 Lecture Min Credits: 3.00