Revolutionary America

Few events in American history hold as much cultural power as the American Revolution.  From Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “shot heard round the world” to the recent Broadway hit, Hamilton, Americans have long asked:  what is the history of the birth of the United States?  This class will examine the history and context of the revolution, analyze the viewpoints of diverse participants, and consider the way that memory of it has changed over time.

At the end of the course I hope you will have a solid grounding in American history, and a keen appreciation of the complexity of the past as well as the contingencies of historical change.  I also hope you will have sharper analytical skills with which to assess evidence and formulate your own arguments, as well as sharper writing and verbal skills with which to organize and articulate your own ideas — beyond the confines of history, and useful in any field of endeavor.