The Civil War and Reconstruction
HIST 322
   Syllabus
      Spring 2002
      HIST 322A
       Tu Th 11:00-12:15
                                                   Tower N225

Professor: Dr. Cathy McDonnell Schultz
     Office: S322
     Office Phone: 740-3595
    e-mail: cschultz@stfrancis.edu
    Office Hours:  MWF 12:15-1:15
                         Tu, Th / 12:30-1:00
               Other times by appointment.

On-line access
To access this on-line, please go to USF's home page (www.stfrancis.edu) and follow these links: "Academic Programs" > "Undergraduate Programs" > "History and Political Science Department" > "Dr. Cathy Schultz" > "On-line syllabi"

Note on Disabilities
All students with documented disabilities who need accommodations should contact your professor within the first two weeks of school and schedule an appointment with the Disabilities Coordinator. Please call Dr. MeShelda Jackson at 815-740-3461 or email her at mjackson@stfrancis.edu to schedule an appointment.

Table of Contents:

Course Description:
     "The Civil War was unquestionably the most important event in the life of the nation. It saw the end of slavery and the downfall of a southern planter aristocracy. It was the watershed of a new political and economic order, and the beginning of big industry, big business, big government. It was the first modern war and, for Americans, the costliest, yielding the most American casualties and the greatest domestic suffering, spiritually and physically. It was the most horrible, necessary, intimate, acrimonious, mean-spirited, and heroic conflict the nation has known."  (From The Civil War, Geoffrey Burn with Ken Burns and Ric Burns, Alfred Knopf Publishing, 1990, p. xix).
      The Civil War is  acknowledged  by many historians as the defining experience of the United States of America, even perhaps more so than the American Revolution a century earlier. As James McPherson, the author of Drawn with the Sword puts it, "The war of 1861-1865 resolved two fundamental questions let unresolved by the war of 1776-1783: whether the United States would endure as one nation, indivisible,  and whether slavery would continue to mock the ideals of liberty on which the republic was founded," (James McPherson, Drawn with the Sword, Oxford University Press, 1996, p. viii.)
      We will be examining this war not merely through the four years of battles that decided it militarily, but as the over one hundred year struggle it was in actuality. Events from the time of the Revolution helped to cause it, and  economic, political, and cultural ramifications continued from it long after the surrender at Appomattox.  Class sessions will combine lecture, discussion, debate, and viewing of the award winning PBS video series, "The Civil War."

Course Objectives:
At the end of this course, you should:

A. Understand the key movements, people, events, and ideas that led to the coming of the Civil War, determined its outcome, and shaped its aftermath.
B. Be able to analyze significant issues and problems of the era.
C.. Effectively write essays that argue significant theses concerning what helped cause the war, whether its outcome was inevitable, and why Reconstruction took place as it did.
D. Research primary and secondary sources well..
E. Write a good research paper.
F. Be able to effectively join in class discussions on issues from the readings.

Required Texts:

Required texts: (Both of these are available in the bookstore)
1) William Barney, Battleground for the Union, Prentice Hall, 1990
2) James McPherson, Drawn with the Sword, Oxford University Press, 1996

There will also be handouts of articles that I will distribute in class.

I also recommend (but am not requiring), the book The Civil War by Geoffrey Ward, Ric Burns, and Ken Burns. It is the textual version of their epic, award winning PBS video series "The Civil War." We will be watching most of that series in class, and having the book will be helpful. Plus, it is stunning visually, and makes a great coffee table book! Buying it new will set you back $75 (one big reason I didn't require it for class). However, if you go on Amazon.com, you can find used copies, many in excellent condition, for only $10-15. I personally got a used copy (which looks almost new) through Amazon and only paid $10 plus shipping. You will NOT find this book in the USF bookstore, since, again, I'm not requiring it.

Requirements and (Tentative) Grading Percentages
A. Participation/Preparation: You are expected to attend all class sessions, and complete all readings and course requirements. 15% of your final grade will be based on your participation in class discussions and debate, and on the daily reading quizzes.

B. There will be three tests, including the final. Each is worth 20%.

C. Essays. There will be two required essays, each worth 5% of the final grade.  Each should be 2-3 pages long (typed, double spaced).  They should be grammatically correct, and well written.  Your own reading summaries, and the note taking/discussion during class should provide you with all the necessary background to write each essay.  You should make reference to the class readings, and the use of significant, short quotations from the texts (using proper citation) is strongly encouraged. These essays should have a thesis, in other words, you should make an argument. You should avoid vague generalizations, but instead, support your assertions with solid evidence. There is no one right answer to the questions you will be discussing in your essays, but I will be looking for solid use of evidence to support your arguments. Grading will be based on the strength of your argument, use of evidence, content, and writing.

The first essay will answer the overall question, "Was the Civil War truly unavoidable?"  In this, you will discuss the elements most responsible for the war, and discuss whether or not a war could have-or should have-been avoided.

The second essay will discuss, "Lessons from the Battlefields." In this you will explore the enduring fascination Americans have with the Civil War as experienced on the battlefield. Thousands upon thousands of books, documentaries, movies, and web sites are devoted to the military side of the Civil War. Discuss why there's such a  fascination, and give your lasting impression of the conduct and course of this war.

D. Research Paper: Voices from the War You will do a research paper (5-7 pages long, worth 15% of the final grade) based on first person primary sources from the Civil War. These can be found in books or from Web sites. You can focus on one person, or on a homogenous group (slaves, plantation owners, members of a military unit, for ex.) Use your primary source material to explore the experience of the war through the eyes of your particular person or group. Some questions to guide your research and writing: What was it like to live during the period of study? How was the coming of the War, the War itself, and the aftermath of the War perceived and understood by those who experienced these events? How did the War change them?

  Grading scale: 90-100%= A     80-89% =B 70-79% = C     60-69% = D

 
Good Web Sites on the Era
 Civil War Photographs
 The Civil War Homepage Great resource. Hundred of links to primary source sites
  Civil War Battle-oriented site.
 Illinois in the Civil War
 Timeline of the Civil War
 The Valley of the Shadow: Two Communities in the War
 Primary Sources on Women in the War
 Civil War Biographies
 Civil War Music
Reconstruction

Course Schedule and Reading Assignments:

 (Note: schedule is subject to change.)

(All readings and assignments are due on the day they are listed.)

Part I: Antebellum America: The Causes of the War

1/15:  Syllabus and course introduction
1/17: McPherson, essay 4 . Barney, pp. 1-22. Expect a quiz.

1/22: Barney, pp. 23-36. McPherson, essay 1. Expect a quiz.
     Reading Guide
1/24: Barney, chapter 2. Reading Guide  Expect a quiz.

1/29: Barney, chapter 3. Reading Guide Quiz
1/31: McPherson, essay 2. Quiz

2/5: Barney, chapter 4. Reading Guide   Quiz
2/7:  McPherson, essay 3. Quiz

2/12: Test #1:  The causes
2/14: Essay 1 Due:  "Was the Civil War truly unavoidable?" (see instructions above)

Part II: The Country Divided: Stalemate and Victory

2/19: Barney, pp. 143-163. Quiz. Reading Guide
2/21: Barney, pp.163-181. Quiz. Reading Guide

2/26: McPherson, essay 5. Quiz
2/28: McPherson, essay 6-7. Quiz

                     Week of 3/2-3/10 is Spring Break; Enjoy!

3/12  Barney, 182-196. Quiz.
3/14: Barney, pp. 196-224. Quiz.    Reading Guide

3/19:   McPherson, essay 8-9. Quiz
3/21:   McPherson, essay 10-11. Quiz

3/26:   McPherson, essay 12-13. Quiz
3/28:   Holy Thursday; no class

4/2:  (Revised) Read two Lincoln readings handed out in class.
     Bring in a two page essay arguing whether or not Lincoln was one of our top three President.
     Class debate on Lincoln.
4/4:    Readings handed out in class

4/9: Test #2: The Course and Conduct of the War.

Part III: Reconstructing a Union, Creating a Nation

 4/11: Barney, chapter 7: Quiz    Reading Guide

4/16: Barney chapter 8, (read only pp. 262-292;)   Quiz
4/18: Barney, chapter 9, (read only pp. 303-304, 314-323, 331-337) Quiz

4/23: Essays handed out in class
 4/25: Essay #2 due, which should discuss the, "how were the issues that caused the    war  "resolved" (if they were) during the war, or in the Reconstruction era, or afterwards?" (the question focuses more on the "how" than the "when," though both could be discussed.) Also, how did America change because of the war?

4/30: Research Paper on "Voices of the War" due.

Final Exam Week -  May 1-7