12/07/04                                                                                

   SETON HALL UNIVERSITY
   History 2341 Colonial America
    Dr. Maxine N. Lurie
    Fall 2004  

Class Meets:  MW 2:30-3:45;  FH 103
 
Required Texts:
     William Cronon, Changes in the Land
     David Price, Love and Hate in Jamestown
     Mary Beth Norton, In the Devil's Snare
     Patricia Bonomi, Lord Cornbury
     John Demos, Unredeemed Captive
     Peter Wood, Strange New Land 

Optional Text book:
    Peter Charles Hoffer, The Brave New World: A History of Early America

Websites.  Websites are listed for each section of the course, general ones as resources for colonial
history are at the end of this syllabus.

Section I.  Introduction.  Sept. 8.
Section II.  Contact and Exploration. Sept. 13, 15, 20.
   William Cronon, Changes in the Land
   Primary source document: Columbus Letter, 1493
   Resource: Kings and Queens of England
   Optional text: Hoffer, Brave New World ch. 2, 3, 4.
   Optional reading (for extra credit): David S. Jones, "Virgin Soils Revisited," William & Mary Quarterly (Oct. 2003) 703-742.
      Optional websites: (1)  Columbus Bibliography Millersville University.  Contains text of 1,000 articles on the European encounter with the Americas.  Some are documents from the time, others recent articles.
                                   (2) Columbus Materials at University Southern Maine
                                   (3)  Maritime Museum  Maritime Museum in Newport News, Virginia.  Information on Columbus and his voyages.
                                   (4) List of Sources   New York Public Library list of materials on Columbus done in 1991.
                                   (5) Library of Congress Exhibition   Exhibition with some information on Columbus.
                                   (6) Vineland Map Report 2002
Brief Assignment #1.  New World Changes   Sept.22.
Section III. Native Americans,  Sept. 22, 27.    
   Optional text: Hoffer, Brave New World ch. 1
   Optional websites:  Index to Native American resources.  List of internet sources.
                               Images of Native Americans
Movie.  "Pocahontas."  Sept. 27
Section IV.  Early Settlement, Sept. 29, Oct. 4, 6.
   David Price, Love and Hate in Jamestown
   Primary source documents: John Smith, "The Starving Time," 1624.
                               Excerpt Maryland Act of Toleration 1649
   Resources: Plymouth Pictures
   Optional text: Hoffer, Brave New World ch. 5, 6.
    Chart of the New England Companies
Optional websites:
       Jamestown Discoveries.  Jamestown site that discusses explorations for original fort.
       Virtual Jamestown Digital archive on Jamestown.
       Plymouth Colony Archive. Maps and text materials on period1620-1691.
Paper #1.  Film and History.  Oct. 6.
Section V. Later Settlement, Oct. 11, 13,18.
   Primary source document: William Penn, Model of Government, 1681.
   Resources: New Jersey Charts: Political and Land
   Optional text: Hoffer, Brave New World ch. 7.
   Optional websites: New Netherland Museum.  Includes pictures and a diagram of Henry Hudson's ship.
         New Netherland Virtual Tour
Section VI. Seventeenth Century Thought and Culture,  Oct. 20, 25.
   Mary Beth Norton, Devil's Snare
   Resource: Benjamin Franklin's Chart of Virtues
   Optional text: Hoffer, Brave New World ch. 8.
   Optional Websites: Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive University Virginia
                                 Salem Witch Trials University Missouri-Kansas City
Movie.   Selection from  "The Crucible."  Oct 25.
Midterm Exam.  BRING BLUE BOOK  Oct 27.  Midterm Study Guide
Section VII.  Development of Political Institutions, Nov. 1, 3.
   Bonomi, Lord Cornbury
   Optional text: Hoffer, Brave New World ch. 9.
Brief Assignment #2.  Power of Colonial Governors.   November 15.
Section VIII.  Political Instability.  Nov. 8, 10.
   Primary source document: Bacon's Rebellion, Dec. 1676.
   Optional text: Hoffer, Brave New World ch. 8
Section IX. Old Colonial System, Colonial Wars, and Expansion.  Nov. 15, 17.
   Primary source document: Navigation Acts, selections from 1660, 1732.
   John Demos, Unredeemed Captive
   Resources: Administrative System and Laws
                     List Colonial Wars
   Optional text: Hoffer, Brave New World ch. 13.
   Optional Website: Historic Deerfield, site of seventeenth century massacre.
Movie.  Brief selection from "Last of the  Mohicans."  Nov 17. 
Section X. Eighteenth Century Thought and the Great Awakening, Nov. 22.
   Primary source documents: Benjamin Franklin on Whitefield. 
             Jonathan Edwards, selections from "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God."
   Optional text: Hoffer, Brave New World ch. 10, 11.
   Optional websites: Benjamin Franklin: A Documentary History
                                Franklin Institute: Benjamin Franklin: Glimpses of the Man
                                Benjamin Franklin History Text Archive
                                Works of Jonathan Edwards
Paper #2.  Impact of war on colonial Americans  Nov. 29.
Section XI.  Labor in the Colonies: Slavery, Indentured Servants, Apprentices and Hired Hands. Nov. 29, Dec. 1.
   Peter Wood, Strange New World
   Optional text: Hoffer, Brave New World ch. 12.
Section XII. Material Culture and Family Life.  Dec. 6, 8.
   Primary source document: Anne Bradstreet, c.1650
   Optional text: Hoffer, Brave New World ch.  11.
   Optional Websites:  Selected Writings of Anne Bradstreet 
Brief Assignment #3.  Review and evaluate web sites. Dec. 6
Brief Assignment #4 (extra credit) Trip Reports.  Dec. 6
Final Exam. BRING BLUE BOOKS  Dec. 14  8:45-10:25. Final Study Guide

 

Course Objectives.
    To teach about early American history (peoples, exploration and settlement, political developments, culture).
    To provide information on the historiography of the period and a sense of what historians do, where and why they disagree.
    To give students experience with different historical formats including primary source documents, monographs, films, maps, and internet materials.
    To help students learn writing skills, and critical analysis.

Course Requirements:
    There will be a midterm exam, a final exam, three brief assignments, and two papers.
    The midterm exam will consist of 10 IDs and one essay; the final of 10 IDs and two essays.

See Directions for Writing Papers  and also History Department Academic Policy Statement  before you start writing any paper for this course. Print required cover sheet, go through the check list, and sign  it before you turn in your papers.  

 Late papers will be penalized -- 1/2 grade after the first day, and another 1/2 grade for each subsequent week.

Papers.
    Brief Assignments. 1-3 pages each. Quotations, as evidence, and formal footnotes are required.
        #1. Write a paper discussing the impact of Native Americans and Europeans on the environment. Which was more substantial and why? Based your answers on information in Cronnon.
        #2. Write a paper discussing just how powerful colonial governors were.  Use Cornbury as an example.
        #3 Examine and write an evaluation of at least three websites with materials related to this course.  You can find your own, or use the ones suggested on this syllabus.  You may NOT use any sites required for the course, but you can use those noted as optional.  State what you think is useful or not, and whether this is a reliable source of information. Directions for using websites.
        #4 Visit to historical site.  For extra credit.

    Papers. 3-5 pages each. Quotations, as evidence, and formal footnotes are required.
   Paper #1.  After watching the movie on Pocahontas and reading the book on Jamestown write an evaluation of the movie.  Is it history or fiction?  Does how Hollywood treats history matter? 
 
   Paper #2. Read Demos. What was the impact of war on colonial Americans in general and the William's family in particular?

Grading.
    Paper #1 15%, paper #2 15%; midterm 30%; final exam 30%; brief assignments and class participation 10%.  Attendance will be taken and only three absences are permitted.  After three absences, and for EACH subsequent three absences, you will lose 1/2 a grade from your final grade. The penalty for plagiarism is a zero first instance, an F for the course second instance. Plagiarized papers are deposited in the History Department office, and cases reported to the Dean.

Office Hours.
FH340
MWF 10-12 and by appointment
973-275-2772
email luriemax@shu.edu

Extra Credit.
    Click on above to see general policy and requirements.  You can get extra credit in this course by visiting a historic site (list of those in the state is below).
    List of Colonial Historic Sites in New Jersey for trips.

Websites.  General list for reference (not for extra credit, and not for papers on websites).
(1) Omohundro Institute for Early American History and Culture

(2) List of map sites.

(3) National Archives

(4) Library of Congress

(5) Rutgers University Libraries.  For catalog and webpage on American and British History Resources on the Internet.

 

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