This course is designed to be both an introduction to American history and
an introduction to history as a discipline. History is not simply
comprised of facts, rather it is an understanding of the past. This class
is designed to teach "the facts" as well as how to think analytically and
critically about the early history of American from Pre-Columbian times
through the Civil War. Assignments teach what historians have learned
about early America and how they have retrieved and recreated the past.

Student assignments include two out-of-class writing assignments, two
exams and responsible class participation. Classes are a mixture of both
lecture and discussion. At the end of this course, students should have
learned what some historians think about America's past and be capable of
thinking about their past, this nation's past, and the world's past in a
responsible and more critical manner.