HIST159 The American Civil War

Department of Social & Behavioral Science: History

  1. Course Number and Title

    HIST159 The American Civil War

  2. Number of Credits

    3 credits

  3. Minimum Number of Instructional Minutes Per Semester

    2250

  4. Prerequisites

    None

    Corequisites

    None

  5. Other Pertinent Information

    None

  6. Catalog Course Description

    This course examines the American Civil War, the conflict that defined the United States. Students study the time period stretching from the Compromise of 1850 to the Presidential election of 1876 as well as the various reasons for the war, the combat, the eventual outcome, and the Reconstruction Period.

  7. Required Course Content and Direction

    1. Learning Goals:

      1. Course
        2. Students will:
        1. identify the major reasons for the outbreak of the American Civil War;
        2. differentiate between the societies, cultures, and economies of the Northern and Southern United States;
        3. recount the course, campaigns and major battles of the Civil War;
        4. evaluate the American Civil War and its effects on the international community;
        5. evaluate the reasons behind the North’s victory over the South; and
        6. evaluate the effectiveness of the Reconstruction Period.

      2. Core (if applicable)
        3. This course is not included in the Core.

    2. Planned Sequence of Topics and/or Learning Activities:

      1. the Compromise of 1850: why necessary, details, how passed, and results
      2. slavery as an issue in: economics, Southern strategy, the transcontinental railroad, the Kansas-Nebraska bill, expansion of the United States, in the social fabric of the land, and as a cause of the war
      3. Kansas as a microcosm of the war
      4. John Brown
      5. the Dred Scott Decision
      6. the Lincoln-Douglas Debates
      7. the presidential elections of 1856 and 1860
      8. Lincoln's dilemma: Washington D.C. is in the South
      9. King Cotton
      10. conflict begins, and Lincoln's response
      11. first battles
      12. How did the South expect to win? What went wrong?
      13. Why does the North not win an immediate victory?
      14. War in the East. War in the West.
      15. the Lincoln administration
      16. troubles with England. Alabama affair
      17. France in Mexico
      18. the Emancipation Proclamation: war cannot end in Union victory without freedom for the slaves
      19. some important battles: Antietam, Chancellorsville, Shiloh, Vicksburg, Gettysburg, the Wilderness Campaign
      20. beginning of the end: Sherman's March and Petersburg
      21. Southern politics, economics, and military affairs
      22. election of 1864
      23. Lee's surrender
      24. Lincoln's assassination
      25. Andrew Johnson and reconstruction
      26. Johnson's impeachment
      27. congressional reconstruction
      28. reconstruction: how did it fail the ex-slaves?
      29. Amendments 13 and 14
      30. the Grant Administration: corruption
      31. the disputed election of 1876
      32. the end of reconstruction

    3. Assessment Methods for Core Learning Goals:

      1. Course
        2. Student assessment consists of in-class exams, electronically administered exams, essays, written assignments, multi-media projects, and/or participation in classroom/online discussions.

      2. Core (if applicable)
        3. This course is not included in the Core.

    4. Reference, Resource, or Learning Materials to be used by Students:

      See course format.

  8. Teaching Methods Employed

    Section VIII is not being used in new and revised syllabi as of 12/10/08.

Review/Approval Date - 5/05; Core Goals/Objectives added 5/05; Revised 5/2012