ADHS 1701 History of U.S. Expansion, 1783-1917

This course will introduce students to the history of U.S. expansion across the North American continent and into the Pacific and Caribbean. We will investigate how a group of disparate former British colonies hugging the Atlantic seaboard conquered and colonized a vast area, using sources from the inhabitants of the lands that eventually became part of the U.S. as well as the Anglo-Americans on the front lines of expansion. We will attempt to understand the often violent encounters between established cultures and Anglo-Americans, including almost constant war with indigenous Americans, the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, and the Spanish-American War. We will pay specific attention to the fundamentals of historical inquiry, including interpreting primary sources, putting them in historical context, and crafting historical arguments. Counts as History Core for Woods College degree students.