HIST 105-03, Race and Citizenship in the United States, Spring 2009

Abstract

From the very beginning of this nation’s founding, historical perceptions of race have shaped definitions of citizenship and what it means to be an American. This course will examine how social and cultural constructions of race changed over time and influenced who could and could not be considered an American citizen from the colonial and American revolutionary period to the late nineteenth century. Students will read primary and secondary sources on race and citizenship that compare and contrast the experiences of American Indians, African Americans, European immigrants, and Asian Americans in the United States. As the nation expanded in size and population, questions about race and citizenship became central to this nation’s history.