You will also need to answer two discussion posts for prepared questions addressing larger historical themes. There will be at least five questions to lead the discussion. You must post responses for AT LEAST two, by the deadline in the Tentative Course Calendar. Discussion Post #2 will close on December 5, at 11:59 P.M.
Choose one of the following questions to answer.
#1. The men who wrote the Constitution did not envision the active and continuing involvement of ordinary citizens in affairs of states. Describe the various ways in which ordinary citizens became involved in political concerns.
#2. Some women worked in mills, relishing the freedom and independence they felt away from the farm for the first time, while others developed a cult of domesticity, thinking themselves free to not have to work outside the home. Compare the meaning of freedom for these two groups of women. Think back to women’s roles in other chapters and compare the role of women during the market revolution with the “republican motherhood” role of women during the American Revolution.
#3. Compare the economic policies of the American System with those of Alexander Hamilton. What was similar? What was different? How do you think Hamilton would have rated presidents like John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson?
#4. Discuss the relationship between masters and slaves in the American South. Did masters have all the power in this relationship, or did the enslaved exert some power? Points to consider include paternalism, the size of slaveholdings, slavery and the law, forms of slave resistance, and labor organization (task and gang systems).
#5. One of the debates within the antislavery crusade was colonization of African-Americans to Africa. Explain the various arguments for and against colonization.
#6. Explain how the various parties reacted to the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Be sure to discuss why the Whig Party failed, why the Democratic Party split, and why the Republican Party unified. How did each party view slavery and define freedom?
#7. What strategy did General Grant ultimately adopt to achieve victory for the Union, and why did he do so? Why was his strategy criticized?
#8. For whites, freedom, no matter how defined, was a given, a birthright to be defended. For African-Americans, it was an open-ended process, a transformation of every aspect of their lives and of the society and culture that had sustained slavery in the first place. Defend or disprove this argument.
These discussion posts need to be a minimum of 500 words. Your grades for discussion posts will be based on your ability to answer the questions, follow directions, make positive contributions to the discussion. Remember that discussion posts are not texts or tweets. Make an assertion and back it up with historical evidence. Be sure you answer the questions being asked, and go beyond repeating and confirming what others have written to provide a positive contribution. Use proper grammar- remember, you are contributing to a college-level class. Because you are required to participate in only two, your recorded scores will be your highest two that you earn. In other words, if you post discussion answers for more than two questions, you will still have only two scores recorded toward your grade, but those two scores will be your two highest, rather than your first two.
