HIST 435-01, The Civil War and Reconstruction Era, Spring 2012

Abstract

This course focuses on political, constitutional, social, and cultural developments surrounding the central event in United States history, the Civil War. Topics will include the development of antebellum society in the North and South, the rise of sectional politics and the crisis of secession, the impact of the war on the lives of white and black Americans, and post-war attempts to reconstruct the social, political, and constitutional order. After completing this course, students should have a broad understanding of the history of the American Civil War and Reconstruction Era, as well as the main debates among historians who study the period. Because this is a research seminar, all students will write a significant research paper based substantially on primary sources and will contribute regularly to class discussion.