U. S. History

Students will have two base texts, but our classroom focus and writing assignments will be on primary source documents. The following lists the general goals of the course.

1) Students will understand what the study of history involves. One misconception is that studying history is merely the  memorization of facts and dates—although that does play an important role. The proper study of history involves drawing logical conclusions regarding causes and effects of events and situations by using textual evidence from primary source documents.

2) Students will get a sense of purpose in the study of history. The study of history serves a variety of purposes, one of which is not bolstering our prejudiced assumptions about the world. One important benefit of knowing history is that it provides an informed perspective on the problems of the present and suggests real, not theoretical solutions.

3) Students will learn how to interpret primary source documents. When students read  primary source documents, it is important for them to know about the authors and their relationship to the event about which they are writing. It is also important for them to consider the author's milieu, viewpoints and any consequential biases. In essays, students will be required to compare and contrast the perspective of authors of the past with that of authors of the present.