Welcome to the United States History course! This course will focus on the “encounter” of Europeans to the New World. Native American society and culture will be examined in the face of European colonialism and what can only be described as the greatest land theft in human history: The taking of North America for European settlement and profit. The course will then proceed to analyze settlement patterns and colonial economies. The struggle for independence will be covered as will the beginnings of nation building.
As settlers move west and illegally seize Native American lands, Native American resistance will be examined. By the 1800’s the US was transformed into a free-market economy which facilitated even more growth, settlement and development. The status of African Americans and women will also be analyzed as will the persecution of other ethnic and religious minorities such as Germans and Mormons. The growing sectional split between North and South will be examined as will the outbreak and course of the Civil War.
From there on, we will discuss life in the early 1900s as well as both World Wars, the Korean, Vietnam, and Cold Wars. Throughout this entire course, we will be taking a look at each President throughout history and continue onto the 21st century.
