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U.S. HISTORY TO 1865: WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A FREE NATION? (HIS-241214)

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Course Description:


What was life like for the first European colonists? What were the ideas, events and actions that led to the American Revolution? What did the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution mean to the people who wrote it? How did the idea of liberty and the practice of slavery develop and co-exist? What was it like to be a woman, an immigrant, a slave, or a poor worker in America’s formative years? This course will explore such questions. In doing so, we will meet and hear the voices of a diverse group of people ranging from well-known figures such as Thomas Jefferson and George Washington to others who by law and custom were excluded from the political process but still made a significant impact upon our nation’s history and identity. Students will read and discuss primary texts on each of these topics, and complete both written assignments and contribute to an ongoing blog. The goal of the course is to stimulate dialogue about the meaning of America and each of our own places within it.

This course fully meets the General Education requirement in American History. No prerequisites are required.

Important Note: this course has been renamed several times. Students who have successfully completed 241214, with a different title, should not enroll in this course.


This online course is offered through Online Learning. You can take this as an individual course or as part of an online degree program, with term starts in March, May, September, November and January. View current term offerings and all online courses. Click here to register for online courses.

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Liberal Study
Lower Level
Credits: 4
Meets General Education Requirement In: American History-Full
Term(s) Offered (Subject to Change) : Spring 1. Spring 2. Summer. Fall 1.

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