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Course Question & AnswerCapitalism and Democracy in America
Purpose of Course showclose
The purpose of this course is to trace the twin paths of capitalism and democracy through American history. This course is premised on the idea that capitalism and democracy are intertwined, though they have often conflicted with one another. One reason that democracy and capitalism often conflict is because capitalism has the capacity for both enormous construction and enormous destruction; these contradictory impulses often appear in tandem. This course is structured to provide students with a brief introduction to the history of capitalism and democracy in Europe and then to explore how they evolved in North America between 1600 and the present. Throughout the course, students will be exposed to primary and secondary readings as well as video and audio lectures that will explore the connections between America’s economic and political development
This course assumes a basic working knowledge of U.S. history. A good resource for review is http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/US_History.
Also available in:
PDF
Learning Outcomes showclose
- Define and identify the terms “capitalism” and “democracy” in a variety of different modern historical eras;
- Identify and define the historical connections between capitalism and democracy and identify periods of tension between capitalism and democracy, explaining how they both strengthen and weaken one another;
- Identify important events, personalities, and concepts related to American democracy and capitalism;
- Identify and describe the emergence and development of both capitalism and democracy in the United States;
- Identify and describe the different periods of American history as they relate to the concepts of capitalism and democracy.
Course Requirements showclose
√ Have access to a computer.
√ Have continuous broadband Internet access.
√ Have the ability/permission to install plug-ins or software (e.g., Adobe Reader or Flash).
√ Have the ability to download and save files and documents to a computer.
√ Have the ability to open Microsoft files and documents (.doc, .ppt, .xls, etc.).
√ Be competent in the English language.
√ Have read the Saylor Student Handbook.
- Unit 1
- Unit 2
- Unit 3
- Unit 4
- Unit 5
- Unit 6
- Unit 7
- Unit 8
- Unit 9
- Unit 10
- Unit 11
- Unit 12
- Unit 13
- Final Exam
- All Units
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Unit 1: Origins of Capitalism and Democracy in Europe to 1500
This chapter will introduce you to European economic and political developments up to 1500, focusing specifically on Europe during the so-called “Dark Ages” (medieval period). We will place particular emphasis on the close relationship between political and economic status, particularly under the feudal system; this is one of the course’s themes, so it is important to understand how European precedents shaped developments in America with regard to the eventual emergence of capitalism and democracy.
Unit 1 Time Advisory show close
Unit 1 Learning Outcomes show close
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1.1 European Society Circa 1500 - The Feudal System
- Lecture: WGBH Boston, Eugen Weber, The Western Tradition, Lecture 20, “Feudal Order”
Link: WGBH Boston, Eugen Weber, The Western Tradition, Lecture 20, “The Feudal Order” (Adobe Flash)
Note: You must disable pop-up blockers before attempting to view the video.
Instructions: Please watch Professor Eugen Weber’s entire 30-minute lecture to get a sense for how feudalism worked. After clicking the hyperlink, a new webpage should open. Toggle down to the appropriate lecture and click the box labeled “VoD” on the right – this will open another box that will display the lecture.
About the link: This website an entire series of lectures produced by WGBH Boston called “The Western Tradition.”
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: WGBH Boston, Eugen Weber, The Western Tradition, Lecture 20, “Feudal Order”
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1.2 European Society Circa 1500 - Government and Religion
- Lecture: WGBH Boston, Eugen Weber, The Western Tradition, Lecture 22, “Cities and Cathedrals of the Middle Ages”
Link: WGBH Boston, Eugen Weber, The Western Tradition, Lecture 22, Cities and Cathedrals of the Middle Ages (Adobe Flash)
Note: You must disable pop-up blockers before attempting to view the video.
Instructions: Please watch Professor Eugen Weber’s entire 30-minute lecture to get a sense of how church and state reinforced one another during the Middle Ages. After clicking the hyperlink, a new webpage should open. Toggle down to the appropriate lecture and click the box labeled “VoD” on the right – this will open another box that will display the lecture.
About the link: This website an entire series of lectures produced by WGBH Boston called “The Western Tradition.”
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: WGBH Boston, Eugen Weber, The Western Tradition, Lecture 22, “Cities and Cathedrals of the Middle Ages”
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Unit 2: Exploration & Expansion: Europe, 1500-1700
Between 1500 and 1700, Europe reasserted its global dominance after almost a millennium of cultural, military, political, and economic submission to the Arab Middle East and North Africa. Europe’s newfound power was buttressed by economic growth that was in turn made possible by changes in the political scene, specifically the death of feudalism and the rise of the European middle class. In addition, European economic growth was aided by the enslavement of millions of Africans whose labor allowed the European colonies in the New World (the Americas) to enrich the mother countries. In this unit, students will explore the roots of European political and economic change between 1500 and 1700, specifically the Protestant Reformation (which weakened the bond between governments and the Church and, over time, eroded monarchs’ political power) and the rise of Enlightenment philosophy, which provided the intellectualframework for more democratic governments. Finally, students will learn how these two developments pushed Europeans to explore first Africa and then the Americas; these explorations led to vast new natural resources and slave labor that enriched Europe and eventually made Great Britain the dominant world power by the beginning of the eighteenth-century.
Unit 2 Time Advisory show close
Unit 2 Learning Outcomes show close
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2.1 The Protestant Reformation
- Reading: Wikibooks’ European History: “European History/Challenges to Spiritual Authority”
Link: Wikibooks’ European History: "Challenges to Spiritual Authority" (PDF)
Also available in:
Google Books (Chapter 4)
Instructions: Please read the entirety of the webpage.
About the link: This online text was developed by Wikibooks as an open educational resource for use in undergraduate history courses.
Terms of Use: The Wikibooks article above is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 (HTML). You can find the original version of this article here (HTML).See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Wikibooks’ European History: “European History/Challenges to Spiritual Authority”
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2.2 The Enlightenment
- Reading: Wikibooks’ European History: “Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment”
Link: Wikibooks’ European History: "Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment" (PDF)
Instructions: Please read the entirety of the webpage.
About the link: This online text was developed by Wikibooks as an open educational resource for use in undergraduate history courses.
Terms of Use: The Wikibooks article above is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 (HTML). You can find the original version of this article here (HTML).See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Wikibooks’ European History: “Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment”
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2.2.1 Enlightenment Philosophy
- Lecture: Yale Open CourseWare: Yale University, Professor John Merriman, European Civilization, 1648-1945, Lecture 5, “The Enlightenment and the Public Sphere”
Link: Yale Open CourseWare: Yale University, Professor John Merriman, European Civilization, 1648-1945, Lecture 5, “The Enlightenment and the Public Sphere” (Youtube)
Also available in:
iTunes U
mp3
Transcript (HTML)
Instructions: Please listen to Professor John Merriman’s entire 55-minute lecture for an overview of the Enlightenment.
About the link: This website hosts free lectures from the nation’s top universities in a wide array of academic subjects.
Terms of Use: John Merriman, European Civilization, 1648-1945 (Yale University: Open Yale Courses), http://oyc.yale.edu (Accessed March 2, 2011). License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0. The original version can be found here.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: WGBH Boston, Eugen Weber, The Western Tradition, Lecture 36, and “The Modern Philosophers”
Link: WGBH Boston, Eugen Weber, The Western Tradition, Lecture 36, “The Modern Philosophers” The Modern Philosophers (Adobe Flash)
Note: You must disable pop-up blockers before attempting to view the video.
Instructions: Please listen to Professor Eugen Weber’s entire 30-minute lecture to get a sense of how “…freedom of thought and expression opened new vistas explored by French, English, and American thinkers.” After clicking the hyperlink, a new webpage should open. Toggle down to the appropriate lecture and click the box labeled “VoD” on the right – this will open another box that will display the lecture.
About the link: This website an entire series of lectures produced by WGBH Boston called “The Western Tradition.”
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: Yale Open CourseWare: Yale University, Professor John Merriman, European Civilization, 1648-1945, Lecture 5, “The Enlightenment and the Public Sphere”
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2.3 Explorations and Conquest
- Lecture: WGBH Boston, Eugen Weber, The Western Tradition, Lecture 25, “The Renaissance and the Age of Discovery”
Link: WGBH Boston, Eugen Weber, The Western Tradition, Lecture 25, The Renaissance and the Age of Discovery (Adobe Flash)
Note: You must disable pop-up blockers before attempting to view the video.
Instructions: Please listen to Professor Eugen Weber’s entire 30-minute lecture to get a sense of how the Renaissance ignited an age of discovery. After clicking the hyperlink, a new webpage should open. Toggle down to the appropriate lecture and click the box labeled “VoD” on the right – this will open another box that will display the lecture.
About the link: This website an entire series of lectures produced by WGBH Boston called “The Western Tradition.”
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: WGBH Boston, Eugen Weber, The Western Tradition, Lecture 25, “The Renaissance and the Age of Discovery”
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2.3.1 Slave Labor and Pre-Capitalist Economic Development in Europe
- Lecture: iTunesU: Arizona State University, Department of History, College of Liberal Arts, The Birth of the Modern: Europe and Its Others, Lecture 8, “The Slave Trade, Part I”
Link: Arizona State University, Department of History, College of Liberal Arts, The Birth of the Modern: Europe and Its Others, Lecture 8, The Slave Trade, Part I (iTunesU)
Instructions: Please listen to the entire 42-minute lecture to get a sense of the institution of slavery.
About the link: This website hosts free lectures from the nation’s top universities in a wide array of academic subjects.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: iTunesU: Arizona State University, Department of History, College of Liberal Arts, The Birth of the Modern: Europe and Its Others, Lecture 9, “The Slave Trade, Part II”
Link: Arizona State University, Department of History, College of Liberal Arts, The Birth of the Modern: Europe and Its Others, Lecture 9, The Slave Trade, Part II (iTunesU)
Instructions: Please listen to the entire 44-minute lecture to get a sense of the institution of slavery.
About the link: This website hosts free lectures from the nation’s top universities in a wide array of academic subjects.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: iTunesU: Arizona State University, Department of History, College of Liberal Arts, The Birth of the Modern: Europe and Its Others, Lecture 8, “The Slave Trade, Part I”
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2.3.2 Natural Resources, Slave Labor and European Expansion into the Americas
- Lecture: WGBH Boston, Eugen Weber, The Western Tradition, Lecture 26, “The Renaissance and the New World”
Link: WGBH Boston, Eugen Weber, The Western Tradition, Lecture 26, The Renaissance and the New World (Adobe Flash)
Note: You must disable pop-up blockers before attempting to view the video.
Instructions: Please listen to Professor Eugen Weber’s entire 30-minute lecture to get a sense of how “…the discovery of America challenged Europe.” After clicking the hyperlink, a new webpage should open. Toggle down to the appropriate lecture and click the box labeled “VoD” on the right – this will open another box that will display the lecture.
About the link: This website an entire series of lectures produced by WGBH Boston called “The Western Tradition.”
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: WGBH Boston, Eugen Weber, The Western Tradition, Lecture 26, “The Renaissance and the New World”
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Unit 3: Colonial Governance and Economics in North America
This unit asks why Great Britain became the dominant European power in North American continent, examining various political and economic factors that contributed to her rise to power. This unit also sets the stage for the American Revolution by exploring the ways in which economic growth exacerbated the tension between the fundamentally incompatible understandings of political participation that Britain and her colonies held.
Unit 3 Time Advisory show close
Unit 3 Learning Outcomes show close
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3.1 Britain’s North American Colonies
- Reading: Wikibooks’ US History: “English Colonies”
Link: Wikibooks’ US History: English Colonies (PDF)
Instructions: Please read the entirety of the website in order to get a sense culture and politics of Britain’s North American colonies and the reason for their founding.
About the link: This online text was developed by Wikibooks as an open educational resource for use in undergraduate history courses.
Terms of Use: The Wikibooks article above is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 (HTML). You can find the original version of this article here (HTML).See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: iTunesU: Stanford University, Jack Rakove, Colonial and Revolutionary America, Lecture 4, “The Godly Commonwealth”
Link: Stanford University, Jack Rakove, Colonial and Revolutionary America, Lecture 4, The Godly Commonwealth (iTunesU)
Instructions: Please listen to Professor Jack Rakove’s entire 50-minute lecture to get a sense of Britain’s North American colonies.
About the link: This website hosts free lectures from the nation’s top universities in a wide array of academic subjects.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: iTunesU: Stanford University, Jack Rakove, Colonial and Revolutionary America, Lecture 9, “America as a Post-Reformation Society”
Link: Stanford University, Jack Rakove, Colonial and Revolutionary America, Lecture 9, America as a Post-Reformation Society (iTunesU)
Instructions: Please listen to Professor Jack Rakove’s entire 50-minute lecture to get a sense of Britain’s North American colonies.
About the link: This website hosts free lectures from the nation’s top universities in a wide array of academic subjects.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Wikibooks’ US History: “English Colonies”
- 3.1.1 Reasons for British Colonial Expansion into North America: Religious, Economic, and Political
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3.1.1.1 Religious Reasons for Britain’s Colonial Expansion into North America
- Reading: John Winthrop: “A Model of Christian Charity (1630)”
Link: John Winthrop: A Model of Christian Charity (HTML)
Instructions: Please read the entirety of the website in order to get a sense of the religious motivation for emigrating to North America.
About the link: This online text was developed by Hanover Historical Texts Project as an open educational resource for public use.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: John Winthrop: “A Model of Christian Charity (1630)”
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3.1.1.2 Economic Reasons for Britain’s Colonial Expansion into North America
- Web Media: History Channel, “Jamestown Founded in 1607”
Link: History Channel, “Jamestown Founded in 1607” (Adobe Flash)
Instructions: Please watch the entire 4-minute video to get a sense of the reasons for Jamestown’s founding.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Web Media: History Channel, “Jamestown Founded in 1607”
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3.1.2 Political Reasons for Britain’s Colonial Expansion into North America: The Glorious Revolution in Great Britain
- Reading: History.com: “English Civil Wars”
Link: History.com: “English Civil Wars” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read the entirety of the website in order to get a sense of the events that caused the English Civil War and its relationship to the founding of Britain’s North American colonies.
About the link: This online text was developed by Wikibooks as an open educational resource for use in undergraduate history courses.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: History.com: “English Civil Wars”
- 3.2 Salutary Neglect, Economics and Government
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3.2.1 Mercantilism
- Reading: Wikipedia: “Bacon’s Rebellion”
Link: Wikipedia:“Bacon's Rebellion” (PDF)
Instructions: Please read the entirety of the website in order to get a sense of the history of the relationship between colonial economics and democracy, as expressed during Bacon’s Rebellion.
About the link: This online text was developed by Wikipedia’s users as an open educational resource; it has not been peer-reviewed, so please bear that in mind when using Wikipedia.
Terms of Use: The WIkibooks article above is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 (HTML). You can find the original version of this article here (HTML).See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Wikipedia: “Bacon’s Rebellion”
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3.2.2 Bacon’s Rebellion
- Reading: Associated Content/N.K.: “Mercantilism and the British Colonies in America”
Link: Associated Content/N.K.: “Mercantilism and the British Colonies in North America” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read the entirety of N.K.’s article about British mercantile policies during the 18th century.
About the link: This links to a news source called associated content.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Associated Content/N.K.: “Mercantilism and the British Colonies in America”
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3.2.3 The Seven Years War/French & Indian War
- Lecture: C-SPAN/Tattered Cover Bookstore, “Crucible of War: The Seven Years’ War”
Link: C-SPAN/Tattered Cover Bookstore, “Crucible of War: The Seven Years’ War” (Youtube)
Instructions: Please watch the entire 35-minute debate to better understand the importance of the Seven Years War.
About the link: This website an entire series of lectures produced by C-SPAN and the Tattered Cover Bookstore.
Terms of Use: The material above was produced by C-SPAN, with permission granted for non-commercial use with no modifications to the material. The original version can be found here http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/156412-1.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: C-SPAN/Tattered Cover Bookstore, “Crucible of War: The Seven Years’ War”
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Unit 4: The American Revolution, 1750-1800
This unit examines the reasons why Britain’s American colonies rebelled and investigates the consequences of that decision. We will pay particular attention to the role that America’s pre-capitalist economy played in pushing the colonies to rebel and the ways in which economic growth created conditions favorable to increased political participation.
Unit 4 Time Advisory show close
Unit 4 Learning Outcomes show close
- Reading: Wikibooks’ US History: “Road to Revolution”
Link: Wikibooks’ US History: Road to Revolution (PDF)
Instructions: Please read the entirety of the website in order to get a sense of the events that caused the American Revolution prior to moving onto the subunits below.
About the link: This online text was developed by Wikibooks as an open educational resource for use in undergraduate history courses.
Terms of Use: The Wikibooks article above is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 (HTML). You can find the original version of this article here (HTML).See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Wikibooks’ US History: “Road to Revolution”
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4.1 Consequences of the Seven Years War/French & Indian War
- Lecture: iTunesU: Stanford University, Jack Rakove, Colonial and Revolutionary America, Lecture 14, “The View from London”
Link: Stanford University, Jack Rakove, Colonial and Revolutionary America, Lecture 14, The View from London (iTunesU)
Instructions: Please listen to Professor Jack Rakove’s entire 50-minute lecture to get a sense of Britain’s understanding of the events that were taking place in North America.
About the link: This website hosts free lectures from the nation’s top universities in a wide array of academic subjects.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: iTunesU: Stanford University, Jack Rakove, Colonial and Revolutionary America, Lecture 14, “The View from London”
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4.2 Economics, Society, and Government in the North
- Lecture: iTunesU: Stanford University, Jack Rakove, Colonial and Revolutionary America, Lecture 12, “Commerce and Culture”
Link: Stanford University, Jack Rakove, Colonial and Revolutionary America, Lecture 12, Commerce and Culture (iTunesU)
Instructions: Please listen to Professor Jack Rakove’s entire 50-minute lecture to get a sense of cultural and economic life in Britain’s northern North American colonies.
About the link: This website hosts free lectures from the nation’s top universities in a wide array of academic subjects.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: iTunesU: Stanford University, Jack Rakove, Colonial and Revolutionary America, Lecture 12, “Commerce and Culture”
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4.3 Economics, Society, and Government in the South
- Lecture: iTunesU: Stanford University, Jack Rakove, Colonial and Revolutionary America, Lecture 5, “Southern Plantations”
Link: Stanford University, Jack Rakove, Colonial and Revolutionary America, Lecture 5, Southern Plantations (iTunesU)
Instructions: Please listen to Professor Jack Rakove’s entire 50-minute lecture to get a sense of cultural and economic life in Britain’s southern North American colonies.
About the link: This website hosts free lectures from the nation’s top universities in a wide array of academic subjects.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: iTunesU: Stanford University, Jack Rakove, Colonial and Revolutionary America, Lecture 6, “Slavery and the Plantation Complex”
Link: Stanford University, Jack Rakove, Colonial and Revolutionary America, Lecture 6, Slavery and the Plantation Complex (iTunesU)
Instructions: Please listen to Professor Jack Rakove’s entire 50-minute lecture to better understand the relationship between slavery and economic and political development in the southern colonies/states of Revolutionary America.
About the link: This website hosts free lectures from the nation’s top universities in a wide array of academic subjects.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: iTunesU: Stanford University, Jack Rakove, Colonial and Revolutionary America, Lecture 5, “Southern Plantations”
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4.4 The American Revolution
- Reading: Wikibooks’ US History: “American Revolution”
Link: Wikibooks’ US History: American Revolution (PDF)
Instructions: Please read the entirety of the website in order to get a sense for the progress of the American Revolution.
About the link: This online text was developed by Wikibooks as an open educational resource for use in undergraduate history courses.
Terms of Use: The article above is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 (HTML). You can find the original version of this article here (HTML).See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: WGBH Boston, Eugen Weber, The Western Tradition, Lecture 34, “The American Revolution”
Link: WGBH Boston, Eugen Weber, The Western Tradition, Lecture 34, The American Revolution (Adobe Flash)
Note: You must disable pop-up blockers before attempting to view the video.
Instructions: Please listen to Professor Eugen Weber’s entire 30-minute lecture to get a sense of how the British created a society that “…tested Enlightenment ideas and resisted restrictions imposed by England.” After clicking the hyperlink, a new webpage should open. Toggle down to the appropriate lecture and click the box labeled “VoD” on the right – this will open another box that will display the lecture.
About the link: This website an entire series of lectures produced by WGBH Boston called “The Western Tradition.”
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: iTunesU: Stanford University, Jack Rakove, Colonial and Revolutionary America, Lecture 15, “Crisis of Independence”
Link: Stanford University, Jack Rakove, Colonial and Revolutionary America, Lecture 15, Crisis of Independence (iTunesU)
Instructions: Please listen to Professor Jack Rakove’s entire 50-minute lecture to better appreciate the symbiotic relationship of economic and political development in the northern colonies/states of British North America.
About the link: This website hosts free lectures from the nation’s top universities in a wide array of academic subjects.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Wikibooks’ US History: “American Revolution”
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4.5 The American Constitution
- Reading: Wikibooks’ US History: “Constitution Early Years”
Link: Wikibooks’ US History: “Constitution Early Years” (PDF)
Instructions: Please read the entirety of his entry, which discusses the development of the US constitution.
About the link: This online text was developed by Wikibooks as an open educational resource for use in undergraduate history courses.
Terms of Use: The article above is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 (HTML). You can find the original version of this article here (HTML).See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: National Archives and Records Administration: U.S. Constitution
Link: National Archives and Records Administration: U.S. Constitution (PDF)
Also available in:
eText format on the Kindle ($0.00)
PDF
Instructions: Please read the entirety of the United States Constitution in order to better understand how the Founders envisioned citizens participating in the new national government and the Founders’ attitudes about the relationship between economics and America’s political institutions. To view in PDF format, please follow the "PDF" link above; the link is at the bottom right of the page.
About the link: This is a transcription of the United States Constitution in its original form. Items that are hyperlinked have since been amended or superseded. The United States Constitution was drafted in the summer of 1787 and ratified (agreed upon) by most of the thirteen original states over the following year. The Constitution lays out the basic institutions of the United States federal government and their function while an ancillary document – the Bill of Rights, or the first ten amendments to the Constitution – places limitations on the power of government to infringe upon individual property, religious, and political rights.
This material is part of the public domain.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: C-SPAN/The New York Historical Society, “James Madison and the Constitution”
Link: C-SPAN/The New York Historical Society, “James Madison and the Constitution” (Youtube)
Instructions: Please watch the entire 60-minute debate to better understand the American Constitution.
About the link: This website an entire series of lectures produced by C-SPAN and the New York Historical Society.
Terms of Use: Terms of Use: The material above was produced by C-SPAN, with permission granted for non-commercial use with no modifications to the material. The original version can be found here http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/281562-1.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Wikibooks’ US History: “Constitution Early Years”
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4.5.1 Balance of Powers
- Reading: Yale University’s e-copy of James Madison’s “Federalist 51”
Link: Yale University’s e-copy of James Madison’s Federalist 51 (PDF)
Instructions: Please read the entirety of this document to better understand the philosophical and economic underpinnings of the constitution. Madison was heavily involved in assembling the Constitutional Convention and writing the Constitution, and the Federalist Papers (of which this reading is one) were a series of articles written by Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay in defense of the proposed Constitution and arguing that states should ratify it.
About the link: This online text is part of a comprehensive database at Yale Law School chronicling the history of law and diplomacy.
Terms of use: This material is part of the public domain.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Yale University’s e-copy of James Madison’s “Federalist 51”
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4.5.2 The U.S. Constitution and Property Rights: Did the Founders sacrifice democracy to protect property rights?
- Reading: Charles Beard, An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States: “Chapter I: Historical Interpretation of the United States” & “Chapter VI: The Constitution as an Economic Document”
Link: Charles Beard, An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States: Chapter I (HTML) & Chapter VI (HTML)
Also available in:
PDF
Google Books
Instructions: Please read the entirety of these two chapters to understand Beard’s seminal (and highly controversial) interpretation of the origins of the Constitution.
About the link: This online text is based on Charles Beard’s An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States, published in 1921. It has since entered the public domain.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.
See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Charles Beard, An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States: “Chapter I: Historical Interpretation of the United States” & “Chapter VI: The Constitution as an Economic Document”
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Unit 5: Federalism and Republicanism in America, 1790-1815
This unit explores the period of American history best symbolized by two men who are often depicted as the embodiments of capitalism and democracy: Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. We will study the tension between Americans who advocated for an economy based on manufacturing and aided by a strong central government (Hamilton) and those who argued for an agricultural economy unfettered by government regulation (Jefferson). We will also discuss the mounting importance of the issue of slavery, which many Northerners had begun to consider undemocratic and therefore contradictory to the American constitution. Southern slaveholders, by contrast, argued that their democracy was predicated upon owning slaves, a tension that could only be resolved by the American Civil War.
Unit 5 Time Advisory show close
Unit 5 Learning Outcomes show close
- 5.1 Two Visions of American Government and Economics: Hamiltonian Federalism versus Jeffersonian Agrarianism
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5.1.1 Alexander Hamilton’s Vision: America as a World Industrial Power
- Reading: Alexander Hamilton, Report on Manufactures
Link: Alexander Hamilton’s Report on Manufactures (ePub format)
Also available in:
Microsoft Word
HTML
PDF
Instructions: Please read the first eleven pages of this document to better understand Hamilton’s vision of the United States.
About the link: This online text is Alexander Hamilton’s Report on Manufactures, published in 1791. It has since entered the public domain.
Terms of Use: This material is part of the public domain.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: C-SPAN/The New York Historical Society, “Alexander Hamilton and Liberty”
Link: C-SPAN/The New York Historical Society, “Alexander Hamilton and Liberty” (Youtube)
Instructions: Please watch the entire 80-minute debate to better understand historians’ views about Hamilton, money, and American government.
About the link: This website an entire series of lectures produced by C-SPAN and the New York Historical Society.
Terms of Use: The material above was produced by C-SPAN, with permission granted for non-commercial use with no modifications to the material. The original version can be found here http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/180695-2.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Alexander Hamilton, Report on Manufactures
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5.1.2 Thomas Jefferson’s Vision: America as an Agrarian Paradise
- Reading: Yale University’s e-copy of Thomas Jefferson’s Jefferson’s Opinion on the Constitutionality of a National Bank, 1791
Link: Yale University’s e-copy of Thomas Jefferson’s Opinion on the Constitutionality of a National Bank, 1791 (HTML)
Also available in:
Google Books
Instructions: Please read this document to understand Thomas Jefferson’s vision of the United States.
About the link: This online text is Thomas Jefferson’s response to Hamilton’s Report on Manufactures. It has since entered the public domain.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: C-SPAN/The Massachusetts Historical Society, “Jefferson, Adams and Their Legacy”
Link: C-SPAN/The Massachusetts Historical Society, “Jefferson, Adams and Their Legacy” (Youtube)
Instructions: Please watch the entire 75-minute debate to better understand historians’ views about Jefferson’s legacy and American government.
About the link: This website an entire series of lectures produced by C-SPAN and the Massachusetts Historical Society.
Terms of Use: The material above was produced by C-SPAN, with permission granted for non-commercial use with no modifications to the material. The original version can be found here http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/287373-2.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Yale University’s e-copy of Thomas Jefferson’s Jefferson’s Opinion on the Constitutionality of a National Bank, 1791
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5.1.3 Compromise: Capitol for Capital
- Reading: Wikipedia: “First Bank of the United States”
Link: Wikipedia: “First Bank of the United States” (PDF)
Instructions: Please read the entirety of the entry in order to get a sense of the history of the first bank of the United States.
About the link: This online text was developed by Wikipedia’s users as an open educational resource; it has not been peer-reviewed, so please bear that in mind when using Wikipedia.
Terms of Use: The WIkibooks article above is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 (HTML). You can find the original version of this article here (HTML).See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Wikipedia: “First Bank of the United States”
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5.2 The War of 1812
- Reading: Wikibooks’ US History: “War, Nationalism, and Division”
Link: Wikibooks’ US History:“War, Nationalism, and Division” (PDF)
Instructions: Please read the entirety of the webpage in order to learn about Jeffersonian democracy, which culminated in the War of 1812 and made possible the rise of Andrew Jackson.
About the link: This online text was developed by Wikibooks as an open educational resource for use in undergraduate history courses.
Terms of Use: The Wikibooks article above is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 (HTML). You can find the original version of this article here (HTML).See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Wikibooks’ US History: “War, Nationalism, and Division”
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5.3 Andrew Jackson and the Rise of American Democracy
- Web Media: C-SPAN's "Life Portrait of Andrew Jackson"
Link: C-SPAN's "Life Portrait of Andrew Jackson" (Adobe Flash)
Instructions: Please watch the entire video to get a sense of the American Industrial Revolution.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: C-SPAN/Jimmy Carter Library and Museum, “American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House”
Link: C-SPAN/Jimmy Carter Library and Museum, “American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House” (Youtube)
Instructions: Please watch the entire 70-minute discussion.
About the link: This website an entire series of lectures produced by C-SPAN and the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum.
Terms of Use: The material above was produced by C-SPAN, with permission granted for non-commercial use with no modifications to the material. The original version can be found here http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/282625-2.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Web Media: C-SPAN's "Life Portrait of Andrew Jackson"
-
Unit 6: The Market Revolution and Antebellum America
This unit explores the explosive economic growth unleashed by the conclusion of the War of 1812 and the concomitant expansion of political participation, a process known as democratization. Often called the “Era of the Common Man,” the period between 1820 and 1850 came to be symbolized by Andrew Jackson, a man who saw himself as heir to the agrarian republicanism promoted by Jefferson. Ironically, it was Hamilton’s vision of industrial economic growth that created the conditions that made the expansion of the electorate possible, which in turn allowed Jackson to be elected president.
Unit 6 Time Advisory show close
Unit 6 Learning Outcomes show close
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6.1 The American Industrial Revolution
- Web Media: History Channel, “The Industrial Revolution”
Link: History Channel, “The American Industrial Revolution” (Adobe Flash)
Instructions: Please watch the entire 2 ½ -minute video to get a sense of the American Industrial Revolution.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Web Media: History Channel, “The Industrial Revolution”
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6.2 American Politics: From Jeffersonian Republicans to Jacksonian Democrats
- Reading: Reading: Northern Virginia Community College: Dr. Henry Sage’s Academic American History: “The John Quincy Adams Years and the American Economy,” “JOHN MARSHALL: The ‘Man Who Made the Court Supreme,’” and “Jacksonian Democracy”
Link: Northern Virginia Community College: Dr. Henry Sage’s Academic American History: “The John Quincy Adams Years and the American Economy,” (PDF) “JOHN MARSHALL: The ‘Man Who Made the Court Supreme,’” (PDF) and “Jacksonian Democracy” (PDF)
Instructions: Please read the entirety of these web pages to get a sense of the political climate in the early nineteenth century that led to the expansion of “democracy.”
About the link: This text was developed by Dr. Sage as a part of his independent online American History course, “Academic American History.”
Terms of Use: The material above has been reposted with permission for noncommercial use by Dr. Henry Sage. It can be viewed in its original form here, here, and here.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Reading: Northern Virginia Community College: Dr. Henry Sage’s Academic American History: “The John Quincy Adams Years and the American Economy,” “JOHN MARSHALL: The ‘Man Who Made the Court Supreme,’” and “Jacksonian Democracy”
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Unit 7: Westward Expansion
Part of America’s continued economic success is due to the availability of land; the West functioned not just as a place, but also as an idea of what the ideal American society would look like. In theory, it was a place where the fluidity of society allowed anyone to reinvent himself or herself and rise from pauperism to prosperity. To most Americans, this rags-to-riches tale represented true democracy. Reality often diverged from the ideal, however, and the West was violent, dangerous, and often as undemocratic as any city in the East.
Unit 7 Time Advisory show close
Unit 7 Learning Outcomes show close
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7.1 Overview of Westward Expansion, 1840-1860
- Reading: Wikibooks’ US History: “Westward Expansion and Manifest Destiny”
Link: Wikibooks’ US History:“Westward Expansion and Manifest Destiny” (PDF)
Instructions: Please read the entirety of the website in order to get a sense of the progress of the relationship between westward expansion, the possession of land, and democracy in American history.
About the link: This online text was developed by Wikibooks as an open educational resource for use in undergraduate history courses.
Terms of Use: The Wikibooks article above is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 (HTML). You can find the original version of this article here (HTML).See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Wikibooks’ US History: “Westward Expansion and Manifest Destiny”
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7.1.1 Mexican/American War
- Reading: PBS: “The US-Mexican War”
Link: PBS:“US-Mexican War” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read the sections labeled “Prelude to War,” War (1846-1848),” and “Aftermath.” (You can navigate back and forth using the toggle bar on the left hand side).
About the link: This online text was developed as an open educational resource designed to supplement PBS’ documentary US-Mexican War, 1846-1848.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: PBS: “The US-Mexican War”
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7.1.2 The Gold Rush
- Lecture: C-SPAN/Kepler’s Books, H.W. Brands “The Age of Gold”
Link: C-SPAN/Kepler’s Books, H.W. Brands “The Age of Gold” (Youtube)
Instructions: Please watch the entire 60-minute discussion to better understand the California Gold Rush and its relationship to the expansion of democracy.
About the link: This website an entire series of lectures produced by C-SPAN and Kepler’s Books.
Terms of Use: The material above was produced by C-SPAN, with permission granted for non-commercial use with no modifications to the material. The original version can be found here http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/AgeofG.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: C-SPAN/Kepler’s Books, H.W. Brands “The Age of Gold”
-
Unit 8: The American Civil War
One of the defining events in American history, the Civil War was a contest between the divergent strands of American political and economic thinking – the Hamiltonian vision, which argued for industrial growth and supported widespread enfranchisement, and the Jeffersonian vision, which proposed a racially stratified agrarian society where white men’s democratic rights came at the expense of African slavery.
Unit 8 Time Advisory show close
Unit 8 Learning Outcomes show close
- Reading: Wikibooks’ US History: “Civil War”
Link: Wikibooks’ US History: “Civil War” (PDF)
Instructions: Please read the entirety of the website in order to get a sense of the caused, progress and consequences of the American Civil War.
About the link: This online text was developed by Wikibooks as an open educational resource for use in undergraduate history courses.
Terms of Use: The Wikibooks article above is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 (HTML). You can find the original version of this article here (HTML).See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Wikibooks’ US History: “Civil War”
- 8.1 Causes of the War
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8.1.1 Slavery
- Lecture: iTunesU: Yale University, David Blight, The Civil War and Reconstruction Era, 1845-1877, Lecture 2, “Southern Society: Slavery, King Cotton, and Antebellum America’s ‘Peculiar’ Region”
Link: iTunesU: Yale University, David Blight, The Civil War and Reconstruction Era, 1845-1877, Lecture 2, “Southern Society: Slavery, King Cotton, and Antebellum America’s ‘Peculiar’ Region” (Youtube)
Also available in:
iTunes U
mp3
Transcript (HTML)
Instructions: Please listen to Professor David Blight’s entire 55-minute lecture on Antebellum America.
About the link: This website hosts free lectures from the nation’s top universities in a wide array of academic subjects.
Terms of Use: David Blight, The Civil War and Reconstruction Era, 1845-1877 (Yale University, Open Yale Courses), http://oyc.yale.edu (Accessed March 2, 2011). License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0. The original version can be found here.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: iTunesU: Yale University, David Blight, The Civil War and Reconstruction Era, 1845-1877, Lecture 2, “Southern Society: Slavery, King Cotton, and Antebellum America’s ‘Peculiar’ Region”
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8.1.2 Divergent Understandings of the Constitution
- Lecture: iTunesU: Yale University, David Blight, The Civil War and Reconstruction Era, 1845-1877, Lecture 4, “A Northern World View: Yankee Society, Antislavery Ideology, and the Abolition Movement”
Link: iTunesU: Yale University, David Blight, The Civil War and Reconstruction Era, 1845-1877, Lecture 4, “A Northern World View: Yankee Society, Antislavery Ideology, and the Abolition Movement” (Youtube)
Also available in:
iTunes U
Mp3
Transcript (HTML)
Instructions: Please listen to Professor David Blight’s entire 55-minute lecture to get a sense of northerners’ worldviews in antebellum America.
Terms of Use: David Blight, The Civil War and Reconstruction Era, 1845-1877 (Yale University, Open Yale Courses), http://oyc.yale.edu (Accessed March 2, 2011). License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0. The original version can be found here.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: iTunesU: Yale University, David Blight, The Civil War and Reconstruction Era, 1845-1877, Lecture 4, “A Northern World View: Yankee Society, Antislavery Ideology, and the Abolition Movement”
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8.2 The Economics of Modern Warfare
- Lecture: iTunesU: Yale University, David Blight, The Civil War and Reconstruction Era, 1845-1877, Lecture 17, “Home fronts and Battlefronts: ‘Hard War’ and the Social Impact of the Civil War”
Link: iTunesU: Yale University, David Blight, The Civil War and Reconstruction Era, 1845-1877, Lecture 17, “Home fronts and Battlefronts: ‘Hard War’ and the Social Impact of the Civil War” (Youtube)
Also available in:
iTunes U
Mp3
Transcript (HTML)
Instructions: Please listen to Professor David Blight’s entire 55-minute lecture to get a sense of the war’s impact on American society.
Terms of Use: David Blight, The Civil War and Reconstruction Era, 1845-1877 (Yale University, Open Yale Courses), http://oyc.yale.edu (Accessed March 2, 2011). License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0. The original version can be found here.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: iTunesU: Yale University, David Blight, The Civil War and Reconstruction Era, 1845-1877, Lecture 17, “Home fronts and Battlefronts: ‘Hard War’ and the Social Impact of the Civil War”
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8.3 Reconstruction
- Reading: Wikibooks’ US History: “Reconstruction”
Link: Wikibooks’ US History:“Reconstruction” (PDF)
Instructions: Please read the entirety of the webpage in order to get a sense of the causes, progress, and consequences of the American Civil War.
About the link: This online text was developed by Wikibooks as an open educational resource for use in undergraduate history courses.
Terms of Use: The article above is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 (HTML). You can find the original version of this article here (HTML).See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: iTunesU: Yale University, David Blight, The Civil War and Reconstruction Era, 1845-1877, Lecture 24, “Retreat From Reconstruction”
Link: iTunesU: Yale University, David Blight, The Civil War and Reconstruction Era, 1845-1877, Lecture 24, “Retreat From Reconstruction” (Youtube)
Also available in:
iTunes U
Mp3
Transcript (HTML)
Instructions: Please listen to Professor David Blight’s entire 55-minute lecture on the war’s impact on American society.
Terms of Use: David Blight, The Civil War and Reconstruction Era, 1845-1877 (Yale University, Open Yale Courses), http://oyc.yale.edu (Accessed November 11, 2010). License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0. The original version can be found here.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Wikibooks’ US History: “Reconstruction”
-
Unit 9: Post Civil War America: The Gilded Age (1870-1897)
The federal government’s victory in the American Civil War was followed by nearly seventy years of Republican dominance of the national government. During this period, the tension between democracy and capitalism, which had been growing since at least the 1820s, increased, and a series of presidential administrations shifted the balance decisively toward capital. This led to a reaction from organized labor, which based its appeal on (among other things) democracy.
Unit 9 Time Advisory show close
Unit 9 Learning Outcomes show close
- Reading: Wikibooks’ US History: “Age of Invention and Gilded Age”
Link: Wikibooks’ US History:“Age of Invention and Gilded Age” (PDF)
Instructions: Please read the entirety of the website in order to get a sense of the strained relationship between democracy and capital during the Gilded Age
About the link: This online text was developed by Wikibooks as an open educational resource for use in undergraduate history courses.
Terms of Use: The Wikibooks article above is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 (HTML). You can find the original version of this article here (HTML).See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Wikibooks’ US History: “Age of Invention and Gilded Age”
- 9.1 Industrial Changes and Economic Growth
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9.1.1 Transcontinental Railroad
- Lecture: C-SPAN/National Press Club, Stephen Ambrose, “Nothing Like it in the World”
Link: C-SPAN/National Press Club, Stephen Ambrose, “Nothing Like it in the World” (Youtube)
Instructions: Please listen to Stephen Ambrose’s entire 90-minute lecture to get a sense of the interaction between business interests and government as it related to the development of the transcontinental railroad.
About the link: This website an entire series of lectures produced by C-SPAN.
Terms of Use: The material above was produced by C-SPAN, with permission granted for non-commercial use with no modifications to the material. The original version can be found here http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/159024-1.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: C-SPAN/National Press Club, Stephen Ambrose, “Nothing Like it in the World”
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9.1.2 Industrialization and Economic Growth
- Reading: The Saylor Foundation's "Industrialization and Economic Growth"
Link: The Saylor Foundation's "Industrialization and Economic Growth" (PDF)
Instructions: Please read this in its entirety.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: The Saylor Foundation's "Industrialization and Economic Growth"
- 9.2 Politics
-
9.2.1 Republican Domination of Post-Civil War Politics
- Reading: The Saylor Foundation's "Republican Domination of Post-Civil War Politics"
Link: The Saylor Foundation's "Republican Domination of Post-Civil War Politics" (PDF)
Instructions: Please read the linked material.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: The Saylor Foundation's "Republican Domination of Post-Civil War Politics"
-
9.2.2 Organized Labor and the Homestead Strike
- Web Media: History Channel, “Andrew Carnegie and the Homestead Strike”
Link: History Channel, “Andrew Carnegie and the Homestead Strike” (Adobe Flash)
Instructions: Please watch the entire 5-minute video on the Homestead strike.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Web Media: History Channel, “Andrew Carnegie and the Homestead Strike”
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9.2.3 Populism
- Reading: Reading: Northern Virginia Community College: Dr. Henry Sage’s Academic American History: “The Gilded Age,” and “Politics in the Gilded Age”
Link: Northern Virginia Community College: Dr. Henry Sage’s Academic American History: “The Gilded Age,” (PDF) and “Politics in the Gilded Age” (PDF)
Instructions: Please read the entirety of these web pages in order to get a sense of the rise of popular discontentment which resulted from the unregulated economic boom during the Reconstruction era.
About the link: This text was developed by Dr. Sage as a part of his independent online American History course, “Academic American History.”
Terms of Use: The material above has been reposted with permission for noncommercial use by Dr. Henry Sage. It can be viewed in its original form here and here.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Reading: Northern Virginia Community College: Dr. Henry Sage’s Academic American History: “The Gilded Age,” and “Politics in the Gilded Age”
-
Unit 10: Progressivism and World War I
Some view Progressivism (1890-1914) as an approach to reducing the tension between capital and democracy by regulating corporations and alleviating the worst sufferings of poor Americans. Progressivism is best understood as a reaction against the excesses of the Gilded Age, specifically the corrupt political influence of men like Andrew Carnegie and the violent and repeated clashes between labor and capital. In many ways, many Progressives saw themselves as trying to “split the difference” between Hamilton’s vision for America and Jefferson’s, though the movement itself was really an inchoate collection of smaller, sometimes antagonistic movements bound together mostly by their shared antipathy toward the status quo; because of this, Progressives often spent as much energy fighting each other as they did fighting their enemies on the right and the left.
Unit 10 Time Advisory show close
Unit 10 Learning Outcomes show close
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10.1 Costs of Industrialization - Economic Instability
- Lecture: iTunesU: UC Berkeley, Professor J. Bradford Delong, Economics 113, Lecture 10, “Depression and Panics, 1840-1933”
Link: iTunesU: UC Berkeley, Professor J. Bradford Delong, Economics 113, Lecture 10, “Depression and Panics, 1840-1933” (Youtube)
Instructions: Please listen to Professor J. Bradford’s entire 55-minute lecture on the cycle of American economics between 1840 and 1933.
About the link: This website hosts free lectures from the nation’s top universities in a wide array of academic subjects.
Terms of Use: The above video is reposted from the University of California – Berkeley. The original version can be found here. This video is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Web Media: Khan Academy’s “20th Century Capitalism and Regulation in the United States”
Link: Khan Academy’s “20th Century Capitalism and Regulation in the United States” (YouTube)
Instructions: Please watch the above video (approx. 14 minutes), which provides an overview on the cycles of regulation and deregulation from the beginning of the twentieth century to the millennium. This web media should take 15 minutes to complete.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: iTunesU: UC Berkeley, Professor J. Bradford Delong, Economics 113, Lecture 10, “Depression and Panics, 1840-1933”
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10.1.1 Panic of 1873
- Reading: Drew VandeCreek “1873-1876: The Panic of 1873”
Link: Drew VandeCreek “1873-1876: The Panic of 1873” (HTML)
Also available in:
Adobe Flash
Instructions: Please read the entirety of the webpage outlining the causes and effects of the Panic of 1873.
About the link: This online text was developed by Wikibooks as an open educational resource for use in undergraduate history courses.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Drew VandeCreek “1873-1876: The Panic of 1873”
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10.1.2 The Panic of 1893
- Reading: Wikipedia: “Panic of 1893”
Link: Wikipedia: “Panic of 1893” (PDF)
Instructions: Please read the entirety of the webpage in order to get a sense of the history of the Panic of 1893.
About the link: This online text was developed by Wikipedia’s users as an open educational resource; it has not been peer-reviewed, so please bear that in mind when using Wikipedia.
Terms of Use: The WIkipedia article above is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 (HTML). You can find the original version of this article here (HTML).See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Wikipedia: “Panic of 1893”
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10.2 Progressivism
- Reading: Wikibooks’ US History: “Progressive Era”
Link: Wikibooks’ US History: “Progressive Era” (PDF)
Instructions: Please read the entirety of the website on various attempts to rebalance the relationship between democracy and capital during the Progressive Era.
About the link: This online text was developed by Wikibooks as an open educational resource for use in undergraduate history courses.
Terms of Use: The Wikibooks article above is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 (HTML). You can find the original version of this article here (HTML).See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Wikibooks’ US History: “Progressive Era”
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10.2.1 Theodore Roosevelt
- Lecture: C-SPAN, Edmund Morris, “Theodore Rex”
Link: C-SPAN, Edmund Morris, “Theodore Rex” (Youtube)
Instructions: Please listen to Professor Edmund Morris’ entire 55-minute lecture on the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt.
About the link: This website an entire series of lectures produced by C-SPAN.
Terms of Use: The material above was produced by C-SPAN, with permission granted for non-commercial use with no modifications to the material. The original version can be found here http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/167521-1.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: C-SPAN, Edmund Morris, “Theodore Rex”
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10.2.1.1 “Trust-busting”
- Reading: History Commons: “Context of 'August 23, 1902: Roosevelt Advocates Federal Regulation, Oversight of Corporations'“
Link: History Commons: “Context of 'August 23, 1902: Roosevelt Advocates Federal Regulation, Oversight of Corporations'“ (PDF)
Instructions: Click this link to read Roosevelt’s 1902 speech in which he presented his rationale for federal regulation of large corporations or “trusts”
Terms of Use: This resource is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 1.0 Generic license. It is attributed to History Commons and the original version can be found here.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: History Commons: “Context of 'August 23, 1902: Roosevelt Advocates Federal Regulation, Oversight of Corporations'“
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10.2.1.2 1902 Coal Miners’ Strike
- Web Media: History Channel, “J.P. Morgan Battles Coal Minters in 1902”
Link: History Channel, “J.P. Morgan Battles Coal Miners in 1902” (Adobe Flash)
Instructions: Please watch the entire 3-minute video to get a sense of Roosevelt’s role as a “trust-buster.”
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Web Media: History Channel, “J.P. Morgan Battles Coal Minters in 1902”
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10.2.1.3 Taft and the Bull Moose Party
- Web Media: History Channel, “Roosevelt Forms Bull Moose Party”
Link: History Channel, “Roosevelt Forms Bull Moose Party” (Adobe Flash)
Instructions: Please watch the entire 2-½ -minute video to get a sense of Roosevelt’s goals in forming the Bull Moose Party.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Web Media: History Channel, “Roosevelt Forms Bull Moose Party”
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10.2.2 World War I
- Reading: Wikibooks’ US History: “World War I”
Link: Wikibooks’ US History:“World War I” (PDF)
Instructions: Please read the entirety of the website in order to get a sense of the causes and consequences of World War I.
About the link: This online text was developed by Wikibooks as an open educational resource for use in undergraduate history courses.
Terms of Use: The WIkibooks article above is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 (HTML). You can find the original version of this article here (HTML).See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: WGBH Boston, Eugen Weber, The Western Tradition, Lecture 47, “The First World War and the Rise of Fascism”
Link: WGBH Boston, Eugen Weber, The Western Tradition, Lecture 47, “The First World War and the Rise of Fascism” (Adobe Flash)
Note: You must disable pop-up blockers before attempting to view the video.
Instructions: Please listen to Professor Eugen Weber’s entire 30-minute lecture to get a sense of how World War I was a turning point in European and American history. After clicking the hyperlink, a new webpage should open. Toggle down to the appropriate lecture and click the box labeled “VoD” on the right – this will open another box that will display the lecture.
About the link: This website an entire series of lectures produced by WGBH Boston called “The Western Tradition.”
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Wikibooks’ US History: “World War I”
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10.2.3 The Nye Committee
- Reading: “Report of the Special Committee on Investigation of the Munitions Industry (The Nye Report), U.S. Congress, Senate, 74th Congress, 2nd sess., February 24, 1936, pp. 3-13”
Link: “Report of the Special Committee on Investigation of the Munitions Industry (The Nye Report), U.S. Congress, Senate, 74th Congress, 2nd sess., Feburary 24, 1936, pp. 3-13” (PDF)
Instructions: Please read the entirety of this report to understand the Nye Committee’s conclusions that U.S. munitions manufacturers manipulated the U.S. into World War I in order to raise profits. This is an excellent example of the cynicism that characterized American attitudes toward capitalism during the Great Depression.
About the link: This text was posted as a supplement to Dr. Vincent Ferraro’s undergraduate political science courses at Mt. Holyoke College.
Terms of Use: This material is part of the public domain.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: “Report of the Special Committee on Investigation of the Munitions Industry (The Nye Report), U.S. Congress, Senate, 74th Congress, 2nd sess., February 24, 1936, pp. 3-13”
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Unit 11: The "Roaring" 1920s, Great Depression and World War II
The Great Depression was a turning point in the relationship between democracy and capitalism. The Roosevelt administration’s response to the Great Depression was a series of programs known as The New Deal that were aimed at curbing the business excesses that had characterized the 1920s and ensuring that all Americans had some basic level of social security. Roosevelt’s successful prosecution of World War II burnished his reputation as a great president, which consequently cemented the New Deal’s place at the center of American economic and political ideology for the next quarter century.
Unit 11 Time Advisory show close
Unit 11 Learning Outcomes show close
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11.1 The “Roaring Twenties”
- Reading: Wikibooks’ US History: “Roaring Twenties and Prohibition”
Link: Wikibooks’ US History:“Roaring Twenties and Prohibition” (PDF)
Instructions: Please read the entirety of the webpage in order to get a sense of the 1920s.
About the link: This online text was developed by Wikibooks as an open educational resource for use in undergraduate history courses.
Terms of Use: The WIkibooks article above is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 (HTML). You can find the original version of this article here (HTML).See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Wikibooks’ US History: “Roaring Twenties and Prohibition”
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11.1.1 Industrial Growth
- Lecture: iTunesU: UC Berkeley, Professor J. Bradford Delong, Economics 113, Lecture 13, “Mass Production, 1910-1980”
Link: iTunesU: UC Berkeley, Professor J. Bradford Delong, Economics 113, Lecture 13, “Mass Production, 1910-1980” (Youtube)
Instructions: Please listen to Professor J. Bradford’s entire 55-minute lecture to get a sense of America’s rising industrial power in the 20th century.
About the link: This website hosts free lectures from the nation’s top universities in a wide array of academic subjects.
Terms of Use: The above video is reposted from the University of California – Berkeley. The original version can be found here. This video is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: iTunesU: UC Berkeley, Professor J. Bradford Delong, Economics 113, Lecture 13, “Mass Production, 1910-1980”
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11.1.2 A “Consumer’s Paradise”
- Reading: The Saylor Foundation's "A Consumer's Paradise"
Link: The Saylor Foundation's "A Consumer's Paradise" (PDF)
Instructions: Please read the linked material.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: The Saylor Foundation's "A Consumer's Paradise"
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11.1.3 Criticism of the “Roaring Twenties:” The Great Gatsby
Not everyone was pleased about the economic and political changes taking place in the 1920s—some felt that the growth in consumer debt and the introduction of labor-saving devices like the automobile signaled the death of traditional American values, like hard-work and thrift. Others deplored the rising numbers of people with self-made wealth (the “nouveau riche”). F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsbyhas come to be viewed as the seminal literary critique of American society in the 1920s; the book’s depiction of the listless, unhappy, and criminal lives of America’s wealthy was a scathing indictment of the consequences of America’s newfound wealth.
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11.1.3.1 The Great Gatsby
- Reading: Sparknotes: “The Great Gatsby”
Link: Sparknotes:“The Great Gatsby” (HTML)
Full Text available in:
eText format on the Kindle
HTML
Instructions: Please read the entirety of the webpage in order to get an overview of the plot and meaning of “The Great Gatsby.” You can click on each of the links under the table of contents to move through the plot summary and analysis. You may also choose to read the work in its entirety, though this is not required for the course.
About the link: This online text was developed by Sparknotes to summarize, contextualize and analyze major literary works.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Sparknotes: “The Great Gatsby”
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11.2 The Great Depression
- Reading: Wikibooks’ US History: “Great Depression and New Deal”
Link: Wikibooks’ US History:“Great Depression and New Deal” (PDF)
Instructions: Please read the entirety of the entry to understand the Great Depression and New Deal.
About the link: This online text was developed by Wikibooks as an open educational resource for use in undergraduate history courses.
Terms of Use: The WIkibooks article above is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 (HTML). You can find the original version of this article here (HTML).See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Wikibooks’ US History: “Great Depression and New Deal”
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11.3 Americans’ Changing Relationship with Federal Government
- Lecture: iTunesU: UC Berkeley, Professor J. Bradford Delong, Economics 113, Lecture 11, “The New Deal, 1933-1941”
Link: iTunesU: UC Berkeley, Professor J. Bradford Delong, Economics 113, Lecture 11, “The New Deal, 1933-1941” (Youtube)
Instructions: Please listen to Professor J. Bradford’s entire 55-minute lecture to get a sense of FDR’s various responses to the Great Depression.
About the link: This website hosts free lectures from the nation’s top universities in a wide array of academic subjects.
Terms of Use: The above video is reposted from the University of California – Berkeley. The original version can be found here. This video is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: C-SPAN, Christina Romer, “Economic Lessons of the Great Depression”
Link: C-SPAN, Christina Romer, “Economic Lessons of the Great Depression” (Youtube)
Instructions: Please listen to Professor Christina Romer’s entire 55-minute lecture to get a sense of lessons learned from the Great Depression.
About the link: This website an entire series of lectures produced by C-SPAN.
Terms of Use: The material above was produced by C-SPAN, with permission granted for non-commercial use with no modifications to the material. The original version can be found here http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/284497-1.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: iTunesU: UC Berkeley, Professor J. Bradford Delong, Economics 113, Lecture 11, “The New Deal, 1933-1941”
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11.4 World War II and “The Arsenal of Democracy”
- Reading: Wikibooks’ US History: “World War II and Rise of Atomic Age"
Link: Wikibooks’ US History: “World War II and Rise of Atomic Age” (PDF)
Instructions: Please read the entirety of the website in order to get a sense of World War II and the Atomic Age.
About the link: This online text was developed by Wikibooks as an open educational resource for use in undergraduate history courses.
Terms of Use: The WIkibooks article above is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 (HTML). You can find the original version of this article here (HTML).See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: C-SPAN, Julian Zelizer, “Politics of National Security”
Link: C-SPAN, Julian Zelizer, “Politics of National Security” (Youtube)
Instructions: Please listen to Professor Julian Zelizer’s entire 40-minute lecture to get a sense of the relationship between the expansion of the government during World War II, national security, and individual liberty.
About the link: This website an entire series of lectures produced by C-SPAN.
Terms of Use: The material above was produced by C-SPAN, with permission granted for non-commercial use with no modifications to the material. The original version can be found here http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/291980-4.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Wikibooks’ US History: “World War II and Rise of Atomic Age"
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Unit 12: Post-War America in 1970
Following World War II, the United States rose to global dominance of what Timepublisher Henry Luce called “The American Century.” Though locked in an ideological struggle with the Soviet Union, the United States exercised an unprecedented amount of global power fueled by its economic and military strength. Because of America’s almost unrivaled position as the factory and breadbasket of the world, the U.S. economy grew exponentially, expanding the middle class and shrinking the distance between the “haves” and “have-nots.” One consequence was what many scholars view as the high-water mark of American political participation in the 20th century.
Unit 12 Time Advisory show close
Unit 12 Learning Outcomes show close
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12.1 The Cold War
- Lecture: iTunesU: UC Berkeley, Professor J. Bradford Delong, Economics 113, Lecture 12, “World War II and the Cold War, 1941-1956”
Link: iTunesU: UC Berkeley, Professor J. Bradford Delong, Economics 113, Lecture 12, “World War II and the Cold War, 1941-1956” (Youtube)
Instructions: Please listen to Professor J. Bradford’s entire 55-minute lecture to get a sense of the economic ramifications of WWII and the early Cold War.
About the link: This website hosts free lectures from the nation’s top universities in a wide array of academic subjects.
Terms of Use: The above video is reposted from the University of California – Berkeley. The original version can be found here. This video is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: iTunesU: UC Berkeley, Professor J. Bradford Delong, Economics 113, Lecture 12, “World War II and the Cold War, 1941-1956”
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12.2 Democracy and Capitalism in Post-War U.S. Foreign Policy
- Reading: History News Network/Thomas McCormick: “What Would William Appleman Williams Say Now?”
Link: History News Network/Thomas McCormick: “What Would William Appleman Williams Say Now?” (HTML)
Instructions: Please read the entirety of this article to understand William Appleman Williams’s seminal interpretation of capitalism, US foreign policy, and democracy (The Tragedy of American Diplomacy), which remains an important document today.
About the link: This online text was published by History News Network, an online magazine dedicated to issues relevant to historians.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.The Saylor Foundation does not yet have materials for this portion of the course. If you are interested in contributing your content to fill this gap or aware of a resource that could be used here, please submit it here.
- Reading: History News Network/Thomas McCormick: “What Would William Appleman Williams Say Now?”
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12.3 American Society
- Reading: Wikibooks’ US History: “Eisenhower Civil Rights Fifties”
Link: Wikibooks’ US History:“Eisenhower Civil Rights Fifties” (PDF)
Instructions: Please read the entirety of the entry to understand the Great Compression of 1950s, or the expansion of the American middle class and democracy.
About the link: This online text was developed by Wikibooks as an open educational resource for use in undergraduate history courses.
Terms of Use: The WIkibooks article above is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 (HTML). You can find the original version of this article here (HTML).See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Wikibooks’ US History: “Kennedy and Johnson”
Link: Wikibooks’ US History:“Kennedy and Johnson” (PDF)
Instructions: Please read the entirety of the entry to understand the Great Compression of 1950s, or the expansion of the American middle class and democracy.
About the link: This online text was developed by Wikibooks as an open educational resource for use in undergraduate history courses.
Terms of Use: The WIkibooks article above is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0 (HTML). You can find the original version of this article here (HTML).See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: Wikibooks’ US History: “Eisenhower Civil Rights Fifties”
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Unit 13: America Since 1970
Since 1970, capital and democracy have slowly returned to the antagonistic positions they occupied for much of the late 19th century; by the 1990s, many observers began referring to American society was mired in a “Second Gilded Age.” As the American economy shifted from manufacturing to “knowledge-based” fields or service industries, the class differences between those with college degrees and those without increased while, at the same time, political participation in national elections steadily declined.
Unit 13 Time Advisory show close
Unit 13 Learning Outcomes show close
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13.1 The End of the American System
- Lecture: iTunesU: UC Berkeley, Professor J. Bradford Delong, Economics 113, Lecture 24, “The Breakdown of the New Deal Order”
Link: iTunesU: UC Berkeley, Professor J. Bradford Delong, Economics 113, Lecture 24, “The Breakdown of the New Deal Order” (Youtube)
Instructions: Please listen to Professor J. Bradford’s entire 55-minute lecture to get a sense of the cycle of the breakdown of the New Deal order.
About the link: This website hosts free lectures from the nation’s top universities in a wide array of academic subjects.
Terms of Use: The above video is reposted from the University of California – Berkeley. The original version can be found here. This video is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: iTunesU: UC Berkeley, Professor J. Bradford Delong, Economics 113, Lecture 24, “The Breakdown of the New Deal Order”
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13.1.1 Nixon Administration and the Bretton Woods System
- Reading: “A Decade of American Foreign Policy, 1941-1949: The Bretton Woods Agreement”
Link: “A Decade of American Foreign Policy, 1941-1949:The Bretton Woods Agreement” (PDF)
Instructions: Please read the entirety of the website in order to get a sense of Bretton Woods Agreement which the Nixon Administration abandoned in 1972.
About the link: This online text was by the Avalon Project as an open educational resource.
Terms of Use: This material is part of the public domain.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Reading: “A Decade of American Foreign Policy, 1941-1949: The Bretton Woods Agreement”
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13.1.2 Attack on the New Deal - Reaganomics
- Lecture: C-SPAN/The Aspen Institute, “The Age of Reagan, 1974-2008”
Link: C-SPAN/The Aspen Institute, “The Age of Reagan, 1974-2008” (Youtube)
Instructions: Please watch the entire 70-minute discussion to better understand Reagan’s legacy.
About the link: This website an entire series of lectures produced by C-SPAN and the Aspen Institute.
Terms of Use: The material above was produced by C-SPAN, with permission granted for non-commercial use with no modifications to the material. The original version can be found here http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/204903-1.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: C-SPAN/The Aspen Institute, “The Age of Reagan, 1974-2008”
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13.2 Political Participation in American elections, 1970-2000
- Lecture: iTunesU: UC Berkeley, Professor J. Bradford Delong, Economics 113, Lecture 21, “Why has there been so little Social Democracy in the United States?”
Link: iTunesU: UC Berkeley, Professor J. Bradford Delong, Economics 113, Lecture 21, “Why has there been so little Social Democracy in the United States?” (Youtube)
Instructions: Please listen to Professor J. Bradford’s entire 55-minute lecture to get a sense of FDR’s various responses to the Great Depression.
About the link: This website hosts free lectures from the nation’s top universities in a wide array of academic subjects.
Terms of Use: The above video is reposted from the University of California – Berkeley. The original version can be found here. This video is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Lecture: iTunesU: UC Berkeley, Professor J. Bradford Delong, Economics 113, Lecture 21, “Why has there been so little Social Democracy in the United States?”
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13.3 Capitalism’s Pros and Cons
- Web Media: Khan Academy’s “When Capitalism is Great and Not So Great”
Link: Khan Academy’s “When Capitalism is Great and Not So Great” (YouTube)
Instructions: Please watch the above video (approx. 14 minutes), which provides an argument as to when capitalism can potentially undermine innovation, competition and merit. This web media should take 15 minutes to complete.
Terms of Use: Please respect the copyright and terms of use displayed on the webpage above.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Web Media: Khan Academy’s “When Capitalism is Great and Not So Great”
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Final Exam
- Final Exam: The Saylor Foundation's "HIST312 Final Exam"
Link: The Saylor Foundation's "HIST312 Final Exam"
Instructions: You must be logged into your Saylor Foundation School account in order to access this exam. If you do not yet have an account, you will be able to create one, free of charge, after clicking the link.See a broken link? Please let us know!
- Final Exam: The Saylor Foundation's "HIST312 Final Exam"
