T/Th 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM; 8/17/2026 - 10/9/2026; 8 weeks
A survey of the history of the United States from the late 1870s to the present. Emphasis is placed on political as well as economic, cultural, and social forces which have shaped the American past.
Course Alignment
General Education Outcomes are the knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes, and behaviors that students are expected to develop as a result of their overall experiences with any aspect of the college, including courses, programs, and student services, both inside and outside of the classroom. The General Education Outcomes specifically learned in this course are:
- Critical Thinking
Course Description: This course examines the political, economic, cultural, and social development of the United States from the pre- Columbian era through the end of the Civil War. It discusses the dynamics of class, race, gender, and religion, and how they affected this development. Using both primary and secondary sources, students will analyze concepts and frame ideas, while exploring significance, thematic connections and challenges in the evolution of the U.S.
Course Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
· Distinguish between primary and secondary sources as the foundation of modern historical scholarship.
· Formulate historical arguments, both orally and in writing, and defend them using evidence and critical thinking.
· Develop an awareness of the contingent relationships among social, political, religious, cultural, and economic variables throughout U.S History.
· Integrate and apply an understanding of the ways in which historical events and constructs are connected to contemporary societal issues (political and governance systems, social and economic inequities, climate change, etc.)
Faculty Contact Information
Tues 1-2:30pm; Wed 2-3:30pm; or by appointment
Course Information
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Distinguish between primary and secondary sources as the foundation of modern historical scholarship
- Interpret primary sources critically by analyzing their historical contexts
- Formulate historical interpretations, both orally and in writing, and defend them critically with reference to primary and secondary sources
- Demonstrate an understanding of the various political, social, and economic movements within the United States, including the origins and development of its peoples and cultures to 1877
- Winning the West
- The Rise of Industrial America
- Life in Industrial America
- The Rise of the Urban Metropolis
- Politics in the Gilded Age
- The Populist Movement
- America Becomes a World Power
- Social Progressivism
- Political Progressivism
- America and the Great War
- The Roaring Twenties
- The Great Depression
- The First New Deal
- The Second New Deal
- The Road to the Second World War
- America and the Second World War
- The Rise of the Cold War
- Cold War America
- The Civil Rights Movement
- The Height of Liberalism
- The Vietnam War Era
- The Rights Movement
- America in Crisis
- The Conservative Revolution
- End of the Cold War Era
- Post-Cold Ware America
- America in a New Millennium
- An Era of Historic Firsts
Course Structure and Learning Approach:
Each week we will meet and have a mix of lecture, discussion, videos, and in-class activities. Students should attend lectures, take notes, read assigned materials before each class, ask questions, and engage in class discussions.
Grades will be based on the following:
Assignment | Points |
Attendance/ Participation | 100 |
Quizzes (4) | 100 |
Midterm Exam | 75 |
Student Presentation | 100 |
Final Research Paper | 100 |
Peer Evaluation and Self- Reflection | 25 |
Scale:
A: 500-450
B: 449-400
C: 399-350
D: 349-300
F: 299- Lower
Evaluation and Assessment Methods:
Attendance and Participation (100pts): You will be expected to attend every class, and thoughtfully engage in class discussions, group discussions, and in-class activities to ensure maximum class success. If a class is missed, you are still responsible for assigned readings, films, and other materials discussed in class. You should borrow notes on lectures and discussions from a classmate and contact me if you are unable to attend a class.
Quizzes (100pts): There are 4 quizzes required in this course. The quizzes will be in the form of short- answer based surrounding assigned reading material, lectures, and in-class activities. One quiz can be made up when a student has an excused absence. You are responsible for requesting to make up the quiz and instructor will provide a topic for the student to write a 1.5 page essay and turn in within 5 days of quiz date.
Midterm (75pts): The midterm will consist of short- answer, short essay, fill in the blank, and true or false. It will draw from key terms, themes, concepts, and people covered in the first half of the course. Study guide will be posted on Blackboard prior to the exam. Make up exams may be scheduled for extenuating circumstances with documentation and proper notification to me.
Research Paper (100pts): This paper is an opportunity for you to synthesize and apply what you’ve learned throughout the course. For this paper, you will develop a historical argument on a specific claim within the U.S. History to 1865 parameter. This should be framed with narrowly defined substantial ideas relating to your selected topic.
The research paper will be completed in stages, including topic selection, thesis development, annotated bibliography, draft submission, and final paper. This process is designed to support skill development in historical research, argumentation, and revision.
As an additional and last step, you will investigate the legacy the historical concepts may hold today.
Student Presentation (75pts): Using the research and findings from your final paper, you will make a 3-minute presentation to the class using slides and visual aids.
Peer Evaluation and Self-Reflection (25pts): You will write on each student presentation, relaying information and evaluation. You will complete a reflection on your experience in researching your topic and what you have learned through this course.
Extra Credit:
Extra Credit will be offered throughout the semester by the professor.
Liberal Arts & Sciences
Dean, Jennifer Huggins; 815-802-8484; R310; jhuggins@kcc.edu; Division Office- W102; 815-802-8700
College Policies, Resources and Supports
College Policies
For information related to the Student Code of Conduct Policy, Withdrawal Policy, Email Policy, and Non- Attendance/Non-Participation
Policy, please review the college’s Code of Campus Affairs and Regulations webpage, which can be found at catalog.kcc.edu under the
Academic Regulations & Conduct Guide.
Resources
KCC offers various academic and personal resources for all students. Many services are offered virtually, as well as in person. Please visit
Student Resources - Kankakee Community College to access student resources services such as:
• Clubs and organizations
• Counseling and referral services
• Office of disability services
• Student complaint policy
• Transfer services
3 KCC Syllabi
• Tutoring services, etc.
Copyright & Syllabus Disclaimer
The materials on this course are only for the use of students enrolled in this course for purposes associated with this course. Further
information regarding KCC's copyright policy is available at https://kcc.libguides.com/copyright.
AI Policy
Text- generating software (such as ChatGPT, iA Writer, Marmot or Botowski) should be avoided. These programs should not be used to evade doing your own work and/or copy text/ideas without proper citation.
In addition, AI programs can have implicit bias, and even present incorrect information.
Week | Class Dates | Topics | Learning Materials |
Week 1: Indigenous North America & European Exploration | Aug. 18–20 | Aug. 18: Course Introduction, Syllabus, Course Expectations, Research Paper Overview. Aug. 20: Indigenous North America, Cahokia, European Exploration, Columbus, and the Columbian Exchange. | Readings: The American Yawp Chapter 1. Video: Cahokia Mounds. Primary Sources: 1-2 |
Week 2: Colonial America & the Atlantic World | Aug. 25–27 | Aug. 25: Europeans and Native Americans, the Spanish Empire, Colonization, and Resistance. Aug. 27: English Colonization, Jamestown, New England, Slavery, Race, and the Atlantic World. | Readings: The American Yawp Chapters 2–3. Videos: Gaspar Yanga; The Truth About Pocahontas; American Holocaust: When It's All Said and Done I'll Still Be an Indian; Salem Witch Trials; Amistad (selected clip). Primary Source: 6. Accusations of witchcraft, 1692 and 1706 |
Week 3: Revolution & the Founding of the United States | Sept. 1–3 | Sept. 1: French and Indian War, Road to Revolution, and the American Revolution. Sept. 3: Declaration of Independence, George Washington, Results, Articles of Confederation, Constitutional Convention, and the Bill of Rights. | Readings: The American Yawp Chapters 4–5. Video: Liberty! The American Revolution (selected excerpts). Primary Source: Pontiac Calls for War (1763), Thomas Paine, Common Sense, Letter from Abigail Adams to John Adams, Braintree, Mass (March 31, 1776) |
Week 4: The Early Republic & Jacksonian America | Sept. 8–10 | Sept. 8: Thomas Jefferson, the War of 1812, and the Early Republic. Sept. 10: Jacksonian Democracy, Indian Removal, and the Market Revolution. | Readings: The American Yawp Chapters 6–7. Video: Jon Meacham on Thomas Jefferson. Assignment: Midterm Exam |
Week 5: Slavery & the Peculiar Institution | Sept. 15–17 | Sept. 15: The Peculiar Institution: Slavery in Antebellum America. Sept. 17: Resistance, Enslaved Communities, and the Expansion of Slavery. | Readings: The American Yawp Chapters 8–10. Videos: Africans in America; Amistad (selected clip); Twelve Years a Slave Primary Source: excerpt from The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustava Vassa, the African (1789) |
Week 6: Reform, Expansion & Sectional Conflict | Sept. 22–24 | Sept. 22: Reform Movements, Abolition, Women's Rights, and Religious Revival. Sept. 24: Manifest Destiny, Texas, and the Mexican-American War. | Readings: The American Yawp Chapters 11–13. Primary Sources: F. Douglass, What to the Slave... |
Week 7: Sectional Crisis & the Civil War | Sept. 29–Oct. 1 | Sept. 29: Sectionalism, the Compromise of 1850, Kansas-Nebraska Act, Dred Scott v. Sandford, the Causes of the Civil War, Secession, and the Election of 1860. Oct. 1: The Civil War, Emancipation, and the Experiences of Women and African Americans during the War; Student Presentations/ Peer Evals | Readings: The American Yawp Chapter 14. Video: Civil War documentary (selected excerpts). Primary Sources: 1,2,6 |
Week 8: Reconstruction & the Legacy of the Civil War | Oct. 6–8 | Oct. 6: Reconstruction, the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, the Freedmen's Bureau, and the End of Reconstruction; Student Presentations/ Peer Evals Oct. 8: Legacy of the Civil War and Reconstruction; Student Presentations/ Peer Evals | Readings: The American Yawp Chapter 15. Videos: Eric Foner on Reconstruction; Civil War Memory. Assignments: Research Paper Due; Student Presentations (if assigned). |
College Policies, Resources and Supports
For information related to the Student Code of Conduct Policy, Withdrawal Policy, Email Policy, and Non- Attendance/Non-Participation Policy, please review the college’s Code of Campus Affairs and Regulations webpage, which can be found at catalog.kcc.edu under the Academic Regulations & Conduct Guide.
KCC offers various academic and personal resources for all students. Many services are offered virtually, as well as in person. Please visit Student Resources - Kankakee Community College to access student resources services such as:
- Clubs and organizations
- Counseling and referral services
- Office of disability services
- Student complaint policy
- Transfer services
- Tutoring services, etc.
The materials on this course are only for the use of students enrolled in this course for purposes associated with this course. Further information regarding KCC's copyright policy is available at https://kcc.libguides.com/copyright.
|Course syllabus/calendar is subject to change.