Faculty Syllabus

HIST-1301 United States History I

Raymond Taylor


Credit Spring 2026

Section(s)

HIST-1301-030 (17071)
LEC TuTh 12:00pm - 1:20pm RRC RRC1 1222.00

HIST-1301-033 (17072)
LEC TuTh 10:30am - 11:50am RRC RRC1 1222.00

HIST-1301-047 (17082)
LEC MW 12:00pm - 1:20pm RRC RRC1 1222.00

Course Requirements

HIST 1301, UNITED STATES HISTORY I: “The United States to 1877” v. 1.1

Spring 2026

Instructor: Ray Taylor, Ph.D. Phone: (512) 223-3385. (Departmental office: Ask for Krystal.)

Email: raymond.taylor@austincc.edu. You can also contact me via Blackboard.

Sections, Locations, and Meeting Times:

HIST 1301-033, 17072, RRC, Building RRC1, Room 1222, TTH 10:30-11:50

HIST 1301-030, 17071, RRC, Building RRC1, Room 1222, TTH 12:00-1:20

HIST 1301-047, 17082, RRC, Building RRC1, Room 1222, MW 12:00-1:20

Office Hours: Adjunct faculty offices, Round Rock Campus, , M 1:20-1:40, T 1:20-1:40 and other times by appointment. You can also contact me by email to arrange a phone conference.

Course Description: A survey of the social, political, economic, cultural, and intellectual history of the United States from the pre-Columbian era to the Civil War/Reconstruction period. United States History I includes the study of pre-Columbian, colonial, revolutionary, early national, slavery and sectionalism, and the Civil War/Reconstruction eras. Credit Hours: 3

Instructional Methodology: This course will employ a combination of instructional methodologies including lecture, in-person discussion, online discussion, and group work.

Grading. In determining your final grade for this course, I will use the following weights:

Exams (4 x 12.5): 50%

Online Discussions (4 x 5): 20%

Attendance: 20%

Map Quiz: 10%

Letter Grades. I’ll convert your course average to a letter grade using the following ranges: A=90-100; B=80-89; C=70-79; D=60-69; F=59 or below.

Exams. You will take four exams, one for each unit of the course. Please consult the Weekly Schedule below for dates. The exams will consist of short essay, identification, and multiple-choice questions. They will address the Learning Objectives described in the Weekly Schedule below, as well as topics we discuss in class. To do well, you’ll need to complete the assigned readings, take notes in class, then review the Learning Objectives and your notes of our class meetings prior to taking the exams. For in-class exams, you must turn in your exam when you leave the room

Online Discussions. You will view several videos and post your responses to a class discussion board.

Attendance. Attendance is mandatory. I’ll take attendance at most meetings, then average your attendance at the end of the semester. Your attendance average will count for 20% of your course grade. If you must miss, please contact me in advance by email.

Map Quiz. You will take a quiz on the map of North America early in the semester. Learning the geography of the continent will help you understand its history and associate events with places.

COURSE POLICIES

Missed Exam and Late Work Policies

If you must miss a class where an exam or other in-class work was due, please contact me in advance via email (raymond.taylor@austincc.edu). Expect a 10% grading penalty for late work. If I agree to give you a makeup exam, please be prepared to take it on the first day you return to class after your absence.

GAI POLICY

GAI (generative artificial intelligence, AI for short) is transforming the internet as well as your browser and word processing software. In contrast to older search engines, GAI browsers will surf the web in response to a user query and generate a reply. Your word processor probably offers a feature that allows GAI to compose a whole letter or essay for you. While GAI has both advantages and disadvantages, it cannot substitute for the individual thinking skills and historical consciousness that this course seeks to develop. Here is my policy: We will use the internet and GAI freely during in-class discussion. However, we will close our books and put away our phones during graded assignments like exams or the map quiz. You won’t have access to the internet or GAI. Unauthorized use of phones or notes during these assignments will result in a grade penalty.

Readings

READINGS

W.H. Brand, American Stories: A History of the United States, Volume 1: (to 1877), 4th Edition or 5th Edition, Pearson.

Videos and additional readings: See Blackboard.

Course Subjects

Course Schedule

Please note that schedule changes may occur during the semester. I’ll announce any changes on Blackboard and in class.

Week/Date

Units and Assignments

Textbook Reading Assignments

Common Course Objectives

Week 1

M: 1/19 MLK Day. No class.

T 1/20, W 1/21

Unit 1

BR Chapter 1, “New World Encounters Preconquest-1609.”

Describe the European background of New World colonization and identify motives of those who migrated to the western hemisphere

Week 2

M 1/26, T 1/27

Online Discussion 1, Due Sunday 2/1

Chapter 2, “England’s New World Experiments 1607-1732.”

  1. Explain the diversity of English speaking colonies of North America.

Week 3

M 2/2, T 2/3

 

Chapter 3, “Putting Down Roots:Opportunity and Oppression in Colonial Society 1619-1783.”

  1. Explain the societies that evolved in the English colonies of North America, together with the development of unfree labor systems.

Week 4

M 2/9, T 2/10

Exam 1 (second weekly meeting)

Chapter 4. “Experience of Empire: Eighteenth Century America 1680-1763.”

  1. Explain the political relationships between the English colonies and the Mother Country.

    Describe the economic, religious and political developments in eighteenth century Colonial America.

    Identify the wars fought by English colonists in North America and evaluation the impact

Week 5

M 2/16, T 2/17

Unit 2

Chapter 5. “The American Revolution: From Elite Protest to Popular Revolt 1763-1783.”

  1. Trace the growing alienation of the colonies from Great Britain, which ended with the decision to declare independence.

    Describe the course of the American Revolution to the winning of Independence, including the significant campaigns and the diplomatic maneuvers that helped gain victory.

    Explain the impact of the American

    Revolution on American society and politics and the problems that arose after independence.

Week 6

M 2/23, T 2/24

Discussion 2 due Sunday 3/1

Chapter 6. “We The People, 1783-1789.”

  1. Describe the restructuring of the Republic at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and the fight for the ratification of the Constitution.

Week 7

M 3/2, T 3/3

 

Chapter 7. “Democracy and Dissent: The Violence of Party Politics 1788-1800.”

  1. Trace the rise and development of political parties during the 1790s, including the contributing domestic and foreign policy differences and the attempted suppression of the Republicans by the High Federalists.

Week 8

M 3/9, T 3/10

Exam 2 (second weekly meeting)

Chapter 8. “Republican Ascendancy: The Jeffersonian Vision 1800-1814.”

  1. Describe the key events and developments of the Jefferson and Madison administrations, including the attempts to avoid war with Britain, together with the outcomes of the War of 1812.

Spring Break 3/15-3/18

 

 

  1.  

Week 9

M 3/23, T 3/24

Unit 3. Discussion 3 due Sunday 3/29

Chapter 9. “Nation Building and Nationalism 1815-1825.”

  1. Describe the territorial expansion and economic developments after the War of 1812.

Week 10

M 3/30, T 3/31

 

Chapter 10. “The Triumph of White Men’s [sic] D emocracy.

  1. Trace the social, economic and political developments of the Jacksonian Era which democratized the United States and transformed the party system.

    Identify the religious developments of the Antebellum Era.

Week 11

M 4/6, T 4/7

 

Chapter 11. “Slavery in the US South 1793-1861.”

  1. Trace the expansion of slavery in the early nineteenth century and explain the effects of that expansion.

    Describe the African American experience under slavery.

Week 12

M 4/13, T 4/14

Exam 3 (second weekly meeting)

Chapter 12. “The Pursuit of Perfection 1800-1861.”

  1. Describe major religious, social, and demographic trends of the period 1800-1861.

Week 13

M 4/20, T 4/21

Unit 4.

Chapter 13. “An Age of Expansionism 1830-1861.”

  1. Describe the territorial and internal expansion of the United States during the 1830s and 1840s, including the war with Mexico.

Week 14

M 4/27, T 4/28

Discussion 4 due Sunday 5/3

Chapter 14. “The Sectional Crisis 1846-1861.”

  1. Explain the events from the Compromise of 1850 to the election of 1860 that led to the disruption of the union.

Week 15

M 5/4, T 5/5

 

Chapter 15. “Secession and the Civil War 1860-1865.”

  1. Trace the course of the Civil War from succession to Appomattox, paying particular attention to the social, economic, and political effects of the conflict.

Week 16

M 5/11, T 5/12

Exam 4 (second weekly meeting)

Chapter 16. “The Agony of Reconstruction 1865-1877.”

  1. Describe the reconstruction of the South and explain its failure.

    Identify the major problems of the Grant administration and evaluation his handling of those problems.


 

Student Learning Outcomes/Learning Objectives

History Department Common Learning Objectives (See the Course Schedule below).

General Education Competencies

Upon completion of the general education component of an associate’s degree, students will demonstrate competence in:

1. Gathering, analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating and applying information (Critical Thinking).

2. Analyzing and critiquing competing perspectives in a democratic society (Civic Awareness).

3. Comparing, contrasting, and interpreting differences and commonalities among peoples, ideas, aesthetic traditions, and cultural practices (Cultural Awareness).

Office Hours

M T W Th 1:20 PM - 1:40 PM RRC

NOTE

Office Hours

M T W Th 1:20 PM - 1:40 PM RRC

NOTE

Published: 01/07/2026 20:08:10