Revolutionary America, 1763-1815 The Age of Jefferson (U01017)

? Credit Points : 40 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : HCA-4-RA

The course will take a long view of revolutionary America, considering American development during the era from the 1763 Peace of Paris until the 1815 Treaty of Ghent. Chronologically the course will consider: the rise of the American resistance to Britain; the War of Independence; the establishment of republican government in the states and the federal government; the political struggles between Federalists and Republicans during the Federalist era, the advent of Jefferson, and the War of 1812 as "the second war of independence." From a thematic standpoint the course will consider how the revolution affected different segments of the American population, including women, African Americans, Native Americans, rural and urban folk. Other themes to be considered include western expansion, the rise of the market and the radicalism of the revolution. Students will focus on the career, historiography and documentary legacy of Thomas Jefferson in order to study the rich complexity of American History during this period.

Entry Requirements

? Pre-requisites : A pass in a third level historical course or equivalent.

Subject Areas

Home subject area

History, (School of History, Classics and Archaeology, Schedule E)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 4th year

? Delivery Period : Not being delivered

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 22 weeks

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Monday	09:00	10:50	Central

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

The course aims to introduce students to the complexity of eighteenth-century American society. Those following the course should gain an insight into the political, social, and economic development of revolutionary and early national America. The course is designed to enable students to engage critically with significant primary and secondary sources. Having completed this course students should be able to participate both orally and in writing in the historiographical debates concerning the American Revolution. Additionally, they should have developed the critical sensitivity necessary to evaluate primary sources. Specifically, students should build upon skills acquired in their previous three years to: improve their awareness of the nature and use of various types of historical evidence; to demonstrate the nature of history as argument by focusing on the debates between historians about key issues; to increase their skills in research, writing, and presentation of papers; and to increase their organisational, critical and communication skills.