This module explores both the broad contours and the key events of American history, from the passage and implementation of the US Constitution (1789) to the conclusion of the Civil War (1865). Using a variety of primary source material, we will look closely at the culture and politics of race, class and gender in this rapidly industrialising and expanding nation and will consider how and why different groups struggled to extend the promises of democracy defined in the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights to all Americans.
This module combines a lecture series that offers an overview of the history of the United States in the 19th century with a closely linked set of seminars that focus on the construction of race, class and gender difference over the same period. Seminars are structured around primary readings and recommended secondary texts that offer critical and historical insight into the topics under consideration. This combination allows students to explore important thematic aspects of world history while simultaneously providing grounding for further study and research into the history of the United States in the 19th and/or 20th centuries.