HIST-1301 United States History I
Rebecca Czuchry
Credit Fall 2025
Section(s)
HIST-1301-143 (21796)
LEC DIL ONL DIL
HIST-1301-154 (21801)
LEC DIL ONL DIL
HIST-1301-181 (21815)
LEC DIL ONL DIL
HIST-1301-182 (21816)
LEC DIL ONL DIL
Course Requirements
This is an 8-week, fully online, asynchronous course. That means there are no class meetings. Students must have access to a computer with a webcam for this course.
Please note the following:
*This course is time-consuming and reading-intensive.
*This type of online course is designed for mature and capable students with self-discipline, the ability to work independently, and good time-management skills.
DETERMINATION OF GRADE AND EXPLANATION OF COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
*Chapter Reading Quizzes (10%): First and foremost - this is a “reading intensive” class. Students should plan to spend at least one hour thoroughly reading each chapter and taking notes! Your e-textbook also contains reading quizzes throughout each chapter. It is important that you take the quizzes as you are reading. Taking these quizzes while you read will help you retain more of the material in preparation for your exams. You may work ahead on reading and quizzes – and are encouraged to do so – but because this is a very condensed semester, deadlines for quizzes will not be extended for any reason. You will be able to view your quiz scores directly in your eBook throughout the semester, but they will not automatically upload to Blackboard. I will manually upload your final quiz score to the Blackboard gradebook at the end of the semester; this score will make up 10% of your final grade in the course.
*Exams (90%): Students will take three multiple-choice exams. Respondus LockDown Browser plus Monitor is required (must have a computer with a webcam). The exams will be timed and are not open-book or open notes; students are required to do their own work without assistance of any kind as if in a classroom. Further explanation and instructions are posted on Blackboard under “Syllabus.” Each exam will make up 30% of your final grade in the course. Exam deadlines are not flexible; there are no re-tests.
Grading: A (90-100, Excellent); B (80-89. Good); C (70-79, Satisfactory); D (60-69, Minimum Passing); F (59 and below, Failing). Please note: final grades are not “bumped.”
OTHER COURSE-SPECIFIC POLICIES AND INFORMATION:
Late Work Policy: In order to succeed in a Distance Education course, students must be self-motivated. This is especially true in a very condensed 8-week semester; it is the same amount of work as a regular semester, but in half the time! Although we will not be meeting together as a class, students are expected to follow the reading schedule, to keep up with their work, and submit all assignments on time. While you have some flexibility in this course and are free to work ahead on weekly reading and quiz assignments, deadlines are final and late work will not be accepted. Please note that exams must be taken during the scheduled exam period, without exception.
Extra Credit: The only way to earn credit in this class is by completing the above course requirements. There is no extra credit available, so please do not ask.
Internet Access: Internet access is required for the entire semester.
Readings
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK: You will use Pearson's REVEL platform to access the following required textbook: Brands, H.W., et al, American Stories, 5th edition, volume 1. This is an e-book and will be available the first day of the semester. This course includes a fee to cover the costs of required digital materials provided at a discounted rate from the ACC Bookstore. IMPORTANT! The digital materials fee is added to your tuition and fees when you register. You do not have a separate transaction to purchase the book. For more information, see https://www.austincc.edu/academic-and-career-programs/first-day-classes. In Blackboard, click on "Course Materials" to access the REVEL platform. If you have an account with Pearson from other classes you do not need to create a new account.
Course Subjects
This is an 8-week course - we will cover the following topics:
The Aztec and the Spanish; the British in North America
The Meaning of freedom – Colonists, Servants, and Slaves
Colonial Society – Africans in America
The Meaning of Freedom – Revolutions
The Articles of Confederation & U.S. Constitution
Nationalism and “White Men’s Democracy
Slavery and the Anti-Slavery Movement
Manifest Destiny to the Mexican War
Sectionalism and The American Civil War
The Agony of Reconstruction
Student Learning Outcomes/Learning Objectives
Unit I.
1. Identify consequences of the Portuguese exploration of the African coast.
2. Define the nature of Spanish nation-statehood and its significance in preparing Spain for western expansion.
3. Identify the areas in the Western Hemisphere colonized by the Spanish and Portuguese and the significance of the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas.
4. Describe characteristics of the Aztec Empire at the time of Spanish conquest.
5. Explain the significance of French settlement in North America.
6. Compare and contrast the political and social dynamics of the early English colonies (New England, Southern, and Middle colonies), especially with regard to motivation for settlement, family life, interaction with Native Americans, and types of labor utilized.
7. Describe the effects of post-Restoration policies on the older colonies, including the Navigation Acts.
8. Explain the significance of Bacon’s Rebellion.
9. Identify the factors leading to the French and Indian War and the effect British victory had on British-colonial relations.
10. Explain the effect the 1763 Proclamation Line had on colonial relations with Britain and with Native Americans.
11. Analyze the economic and political relationship between England and its North American colonies by the mid-18th century.
12. Describe the significance of early pre-Revolutionary legislation such as the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act, and the Quartering Act, etc.
13. Analyze the impact of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense on the revolutionary cause.
14. Analyze the Declaration of Independence in terms of revolutionary rhetoric and political theory.
15. Identify the provisions of the 1783 Peace Treaty of Paris.
16. Describe the experience of loyalists during and immediately after the Revolutionary War.
Unit II
1. Explain the significance of the Articles of Confederation and identify its strengths and weaknesses.
2. Describe the new state constitutions written during the Founding Era, especially with regard to separation of powers.
3. Define the significant issues and compromises associated with the 1787 Constitutional Convention, especially the 3/5 Compromise, the electoral college, and separation of powers.
4. Explain the significance of early legislation passed by Congress, such as creating the Bill of Rights, creating the Cabinet, and passing the 1789 Judiciary Act.
5. Explain the dynamics of the election of 1800 and Thomas Jefferson’s approach to the office of the presidency.
6. Explain the significance of the Louisiana Purchase and the subsequent Lewis & Clark Expedition.
7. Analyze the development of post-war of 1812 nationalism and technological advancement.
8. Explain the significance of the Missouri Compromise of 1820.
9. Analyze the foreign policy of the Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, especially the Adams-Onis Treaty and the Monroe Doctrine.
10. Identify the significance of the disputed 1824 presidential election.
11. Explain the appeal of Andrew Jackson to the “common man.”
12. Analyze the expansion of democracy during the Jacksonian era, especially with regard to “universal suffrage” and proliferation of political parties.
13. Analyze the significance of certain events during Jackson’s presidency, especially Indian removal and the Nullification Crisis.
Unit III
1. Identify the effects of the cotton gin in deepening the South’s dependence on slavery.
2. Describe the influence of the planter class in the antebellum South.
3. Describe similarities between white women’s and black women’s experiences in the South.
4. Describe and explain the lives of slaves on large plantations and on small farms.
5. Explain the significance of the oral tradition of stories and songs for enslaved Americans.
6. Explain different types of slave resistance and escape, including escape via the Underground Railroad.
7. Identify the advantages/disadvantages faced by free blacks in the North.
8. Describe issues critical to the abolition movement, including the American Colonization Society and the response by radical abolitionists.
9. Describe issues critical to the women’s rights movement and the significance of the 1848 Seneca Falls convention.
10. Explain the meaning and significance of Manifest Destiny for 19th century Americans.
11. Analyze the settlement of Texas with regard to its relationship with Mexico.
12. Describe the beginnings of the War with Mexico and the provisions of the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo.
13. Describe the provisions of the Compromise of 1850.
14. Analyze the significance of Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
15. Explain the significance of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854.
16. Analyze the Dred Scott case and the effects the decision had on expansion of slavery.
17. Explain the significance of the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates, especially with regard to the men’s stance on expansion of slavery.
18. Analyze the impact of John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia, on North/South relations.
19. Describe the election of Abraham Lincoln to the presidency and the subsequent secession of South Carolina.
20. Describe the significance of the border states, especially Kentucky, to both the North and South.
21. Identify the provisions of and analyze the significance of the Emancipation Proclamation.
22. Explain how the Civil War affected Native Americans, especially the Cherokee.
23. Analyze the significance of President Lincoln’s death on early Reconstruction.
24. Explain the effect of the “Black Codes” on formerly enslaved people in the Southern states.
25. Describe the critical issues of the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson.
26. Analyze the significance of the three Reconstruction constitutional amendments.
27. Describe and analyze the process of “redemption” in the Southern states.
Office Hours
Published: 05/01/2025 12:17:21