The American Revolution (512:301) Monday and Wednesday 7th Period 6:10-7:30, HH B5 Paul G. E. Clemens [email protected], Van Dyck 217B Thomas Paine Global-Interactive Option (506:492) Tuesday, 2 nd Period, 9:50-10:50 , Scott 106 One-Credit Addition to 512:301 (Special Permission Only – Email Professor) Students who are interested in this additional class should see the description and syllabus at the end of this syllabus. You must be registered for 512:301 and must email with an expression of interest to register for the one-credit addition. Please note that this is a tentative syllabus. Books and assignments will not be substantially different, but it will be tweaked and revised before January 2012. After the syllabus for 512:301 and 506:492, there is a description of the films we will be considering in the course. This course covers American history from the Great War for Empire (the French and Indian War) to the formation of a new national government under the Constitution. We focus primarily on the Revolution itself: its causes, its larger Atlantic context, the way it was fought, and its consequences for the many peoples of America. Students will get a chance to roll-play parts as witnesses at the Boston Massacre of 1770 and as delegates at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. We will look at selected scenes from film versions of the events of this era: The Last of the Mohicans (for its depiction of the Fort William Henry massacre); Drums Along the Mohawk (that captures the terror on the New York frontier during the 1777 raid by British troops and their Iroquois allies); Mary Silliman's War (a recreation of the life of a Connecticut farm family during the war); The Crossing (both for Jeff Daniels' portrayal of George Washington and for what it tells us about the early days of the war); The Patriot (that reenacts the battle of Cowpens), and finally, Burn! , that will help us relate the American Revolution to the other monumental hemispheric revolution - that in Haiti. Reading will include a revolutionary war soldier's diary, the writings of Tom Paine, and a novel on the Haitian Revolution (All Souls Rising), as well as studies of the Fort William Henry massacre, the Stamp Act Crisis of 1765, occupied New York City during the Revolution, and the post-revolutionary Whiskey Rebellion. There will be a mid-term, a final, a paper, a film history journal, an optional extra credit paper, several short written assignments, and required discussion participation. Books to be Purchased: Edward Countryman, The American Revolution (Hill & Wang, 2003). ISBN: 978-0809025626. Amaxon.com price $15.28. Ian K. Steele, Betrayals: Fort William Henry and the "Massacre" (Oxford University Press 1990). ISBN: 978-0195084269. Amazon.com price $22.29. Edmund Morgan and Helen Morgan, The Stamp Act Crisis : Prologue to Revolution (The University of North Carolina Press, 1953, 1995). ISBN: 978-0807845134 . Amazon.com price $18.37. American Revolution 1 Joseph Plumb Martin, Narrative of a Revolutionary Soldier: Some of the Adventures, Dangers, and Sufferings of Joseph Plumb Martin (Signet Classics, 2010). ISBN: 978-0451531582 (or any other edition). Amazon.com price $6.95. Madison Smartt Bell, All Souls' Rising (Penguin, 1995). ISBN: 978-1400076536. Amazon.com price: $11.64 Judith Van Buskirk, Generous Enemies: Patriots and Loyalists in Revolutionary New York (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2002). ISBN: 978-0812218220. Amazon.com price: $24.95 Lawrence Babits, A Devil of a Whipping: The Battle of Cowpens (University of North Carolina Press, 1998). ISBN: 978-0807849262. Amazon.com price $14.96. Course Requirements: 1. Take a mid-term (20% of grade) and final examination (20% of grade). Both will consist of an essay question and identification, based on readings, lectures, and film. 2. Purchase the seven required books (above). You can expect to do about one hundred pages of reading each week. Except for Madison Smartt Bell, you will be assigned selections from all the books. Bell's novel will be read in its entirety and you will have a final exam question on the book. It is long, a little difficult to follow at first, and exceptionally disturbing at other times - you should start reading it early. 3. Keep a journal throughout the semester in which you record your analysis of each film , answer questions about the film distributed before each viewing, and relate the film to the readings and lecture. The journal can be kept in a separate book or done on-line from notes, and it can be illustrated or annotated. All material, from books or the internet, must be cited. See statement about citations from the internet and about plagiarism. The journal will be collected several times during the semester and graded twice (20% of grade). 4. You will write a comparative paper on your choice of one of the two books and a corresponding film (Generous Enemies with the film, Mary Silliman's War ) OR (Devil of a Whipping with the film , The Patriot ). Papers turned in one class late will be marked down one letter grade; two classes late will receive an "F", and thereafter will receive a "zero." (20% of grade) 5. Most of you will have opportunities to participate directly in group class discussions. We will be recreating the debate over the Boston Massacre - as an historical event, as a trial of the British commanding officer, and as a subject of continuing controversy. We will also recreate the debate that occurred at the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention of 1787 that occurred over the nature and meaning of representation. In addition, specific students will be asked to play a leading role in discussion of specific chapters of the assigned readings. 6. There will be several short quizzes on the assigned readings. There will also be several short (one page) assignments given out about some of these readings. The readings will include both the selections from the books above and handouts distributed occasionally for the class. Not all collected papers and quizzes will be graded, but some of each paper or quiz will be. These graded papers and quizzes and your discussion participation count 20% of the grade. American Revolution 2 7. Attend Class. Attendance is expected and required. After the third unexcused absence, the final grade is lowered one letter grade; six absences result in failure A. Religious holidays are not counted as absences; as a courtesy to your instructor, please let him know you will not be attending class. B. For all other absences, report them using the Rutgers system: https://sims.rutgers.edu/ssra/ …unless you want that absences to count as one of your allowed, unexcused absences. C. After you have reported the absence using the Rutgers system (#2), I may ask for further documentation for an extended absence, family emergency, or other unusual circumstance. Students who have perfect attendance (excused absences excepted) will receive a bonus on the final exam (enough to increase the grade one "step", for example, from a B- to a B). 8. Students can use computers in the classroom to take notes, but for no other purpose. You must sit in the front of the class. If you wish to surf the web during class time, please do not take this course. Cell Phones should be off during class. In general, we follow the procedures of the History Department; please see the statements on “Mutual Responsibilities and Classroom Etiquette” and on “Plagiarism” at: http://history.rutgers.edu/undergraduate/academic-policies 9. Extra Credit: Students may elect to visit a historical site associated with the American Revolution and write an illustrated, “critical” report about the site – how it presents the event(s) or people associated with the site. In what ways does it depict the event? How successful has it been in incorporating things that will interest visitors? Does the site misrepresent history, in your opinion, in any way? Does the site have a “politics”? What balance does it strike between visual and written information? Does it have a “hands-on” aspect? There are more than two- dozen sites in New Jersey, others close by in Pennsylavnia, and some further afield in New England. Among those students have visited in the past are Monmouth Battlefield State Park, Germantown Battlefield Park (Pennsylvania), Rockingham State Historic Site, Washington Crossing State Park (NJ and Pennsylvania side of the Delaware), Morristown National Historic Park/Jockey Hollow Encampment, and Valley Forge National Park (Pennsylvania). Both Philadelphia and Boston have Revolutionary walks in the downtown areas. Documents used in the course will be posted on the Sakai course site. Schedule of Lectures, Films, and Reading Assignments: Jan. 18 (W) Introduction, Film: The Patriot Jan. 23 (M) George Washington's America, c. 1759 Countryman, American Revolution Steele , Betrayals , Chapters, 1-2 Jan. 25 (W) The Seven Years' War (French & Indian War) and the Politics of Empire Steele, Betrayals , Chapters 4-5 Note: Quiz # 1 - Countryman & Steele American Revolution 3 Jan. 30 (M) Film: Last of the Mohicans - selections from 1920 (silent) and 1936 versions. Note: assignment on film ( Last of Mohicans ) and book ( Betrayals) -- see web page Steele, Betrayals, pages 182-185. Feb. 1 (W) British Politics in the Age of George III Countryman, American Revolution, Morgan, Stamp Act Crisis , Chapters, 1-3. Feb. 6 (M) Stamp Act Crisis Morgan, Stamp Act Crisis, Chapters, 5, 8, 11 Feb. 8 (W) Ideological Origins of the American Revolution Countryman, American Revolution Morgan, Stamp Act Crisis, Chapters, 16, 17 Feb. 13 (M) Boston Massacre Web-page assignment: Boston Massacre Home Page Feb.15 (W) The Battle for Boston Martin, Private Yankee Doodle, Introduction & 1776.