HIST 386(F) The American Revolution

An examination of the ideological, political, and social aspects of the movement for American Independence, 1760-1790. The analysis will focus on the disparate experiences of well-documented geographic and economic communities to raise the question of how many movements were actually going on at the same time, how many different meanings might have been implied by "independence." We will also survey the major historiographical trends, from contemporary debates to recent scholarly analyses, to see how fertile a ground the Revolution has been for wildly divergent interpretations of the "real" America. Students will do extensive reading and discussion in class and will write two short book-review essays to develop their skills of interpretation. The major piece of work in the course will be a substantial research paper. Open to sophomores. Groups A and D

Hour: TRACY