Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "HS 376H"
COURSE NAME: "The Atlantic Revolutions: The U.S., France, Haiti, and Latin America (This is an honors course and carries 4 semester hours of credit; NB: Minimum 3.5 CUM GPA required)"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Fall 2014

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Gene Ogle
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: TTH 10:00 AM 11:15 AM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Co-requisites: EN 110; Recommended: Junior Standing, One previous history course
OFFICE HOURS: By appointment

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

In this course, we will explore the revolutions that shook the Atlantic World from 1776 to 1830. As the first modern revolutions, the “American,” French, Haitian, and Latin American Revolutions not only brought an end to the first era of European colonialism, they also ushered in the modern age of politics. Modern democracy, dictatorship, human rights, nationalism, political terrorism, and the first abolitions of slavery are all products of this era.

While these four revolutions were intimately tied to one another and developed out of similar tensions within the British, French, and Spanish Empires, they took different turns and have bequeathed significantly different legacies to the modern world. In this course, we will both pursue those connections and seek to understand those differences, comparing these revolutions with one another in terms of their origins, dynamics, and outcomes. A central focus of the course will be on the meanings these revolutions held for the people who lived through them.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
This course will primarily be run as a seminar in which we discuss the assigned readings. As such, your active participation in our discussions is absolutely necessary to making the course work well. The very high percentage of your grade that will be based on your participation reflects that fact. In addition to everyday participation in classroom discussions, you may also be asked to do a few short (5-10 minutes) presentations to the class—I will give you more information about these presentations in class.

We will determine the additional components for students who enrol in the honors option for this course during the second week of classes--in the past these components have been either additional readings, dicussions, and short papers or longer, fuller research papers.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
In this course, you will work on developing the following skills: critical analysis of primary sources of various types and historians’ and ethnohistorians' arguments, researching historical subjects, developing your own well-reasoned and well-supported arguments, and effectively communicating your arguments in writing.

Please note that the assignments below may be subject to minor modifications.

TEXTBOOK:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number	Library Call Number	Comments	Format	Local Bookstore	Online Purchase
Revolutions in the Atlantic World: A Comparative History	Klooster, Wim	NYU Press	978-0814747896

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

NONE

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
In Class Participation	This course will primarily be run as a seminar in which we discuss the assigned readings. As such, your active participation in our discussions is absolutely necessary to making the course work well. The high percentage of your grade that will be based on your participation reflects that fact. You should bring a question based on the readings that you believe we should discuss to each class. On occasion, additional brief in class or out of class reaction papers may be assigned as components of your participation grade. Please note that behaving in ways that create distractions for other members of the class (including the professor) will lower your participation grade. Such behavior includes, but is not limited to: messaging, checking Facebook or other social networks, catching up on e-mail, watching on-line videos, reading non-class related materials, studying for other courses, shopping on-line, and generally any activity that detracts from your or any other classmate's full participation in what we are doing in the classroom.	25%
Reaction Papers (3-4)	In each of the reaction papers (see the course schedule for due dates), you will develop a brief but coherent and well-supported argument regarding the readings for the day on which the paper is due. In these papers, you should not summarize the reading, but rather develop a main thought of your own building on those readings. Ways of developing such arguments include, but are not limited to: critiquing some part of the argument of a secondary source, testing some part of the argument of a secondary source through the analysis of a primary source, comparing and contrasting different readings, or developing a point made by one of the authors more fully and in doing so explaining more of what it may tell us about the subject under discussion. Your grade for these reaction papers will be determined by the strength and focus of your analysis, the persuasiveness of your argument (including quality of writing), and the originality of your thought.	10%
Living the Revolutions Project	In the “Living the Revolutions Project,” you will explore and reconstruct the life of an anonymous/undocumented person who lived through the era of the Atlantic Revolutions. In other words, you will do research on a character who is “fictional” but nonetheless represents many of the people who participated in these revolutions but left few records of their experiences. I will provide you with a character and some basic background information about her or him during the second week of classes. Then, throughout the rest of the semester you will explore and provide the rest of the class with updates regarding the varying paths his or her life could have taken. There are three written components of this project. First, you will prepare a research plan and bibliography (10%). In your research plan, you should identify and briefly discuss the topics you need to research to reconstruct the possible life courses of your character and the primary and secondary sources you will use to carry out that research. You should also discuss the ways in which you plan to use those sources for this project. In addition to briefly discussing your main sources in the text, you should list them in a standard bibliography at the end of your research plan. Finally, speculate and briefly discuss the additional kinds of sources you might hope to find were you to pursue this project beyond the resources available to you at this point. Second, you will prepare an annotated flowchart indicating the varying paths your character’s life might have taken as he or she became involved in the events of the Atlantic Revolutions (15%). To satisfactorily complete this part of the assignment, you will need to clearly identify the events that would have been likely turning points in your character’s life. For each “crossroads” she or he meets, you should provide a brief note explaining what factors might have shaped which path she or he would have chosen (or been forced to choose). You should also be sure to identify the sources you used in developing each "crossroads." You are to work on this flowchart throughout the semester and will regularly report on your progress in it. Over the course of the semester, you will be responsible for doing this for a minimum of 8 to 10 "crossroads." Finally, you will prepare a “memoir” written by your character towards the end of her or his life (15%). In this piece of well-informed and researched “historical fiction,” you should recount the age of Atlantic Revolutions through the eyes and experiences of your character, reflecting upon what it meant to him or her. This “memoir” should be turned in with the notes and materials you used in preparing it. Your grade for each component will be determined by the strength of your analysis, the thoroughness and relevance of your research, the persuasiveness of your argument (including quality of writing), and the originality of your thought.	40%
Final Exam	The final exam will be composed of two essay questions I will give you the week before the exam. You will answer one of those questions. The exam will be open book and open notes. Your grade on the exam will depend upon the analytical strength and persuasiveness of your arguments, your capacity to discuss the material we cover in the course as a whole, and the factual accuracy of your answers.	20%
Short Biography Paper (3-5 Pages) and Presentation	In the short biography paper, you will explore the life course of an individual who lived through at least one if not more of the revolutions we will be studying. You will also make a 15 minute presentation to the rest of the class on this figure. In your paper and your presentation, you should focus on what the revolution(s) they experienced meant to them as well as what their experiences can tell us about that revolution or those revolutions. You will choose your subject from a list that I will provide.	5%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the cou
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:

This course will primarily be run as a seminar in which we discuss the assigned readings. As such, your active participation in our discussions is absolutely necessary to making the course work well. The high percentage of your grade that will be based on your participation reflects that fact. You should bring a question based on the readings that you believe we should discuss to each class. On occasion, additional brief in class or out of class reaction papers may be assigned as components of your participation grade.

ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.

STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE

Important Course Policies

All late work will be penalized by at least one letter grade. No late work will be accepted following the final examination.

Any documented case of academic dishonesty on any assignment will result not only in a failing grade for the assignment in question but also in a failing grade for the course as a whole. If you have questions about how to cite material properly, refer to the appropriate sections of the MLA Style Manual or Chicago Manual of Style (or come talk to me during my office hours). There are copies of both in the reference section of the library downstairs. Please note that also submitting work that you have previously submitted (or plan to submit) for credit in another course is also a form of academic dishonesty, unless you obtain explicit approval from both instructors to do so. For this course, no such double submission is allowed. Please note that your papers may be submitted to turnitin.com to check their content for plagiarism.

Accessing Shared Documents on MyJCU

     1. Go to the internal web site (MY JCU).
     2. After you have logged in, click on the course post-it for Fall 2014, HS 376. Then click on shared files.
     3. You should then be able to access any course handouts not accessible by clicking the links on this syllabus.
     4. Be sure to check the handouts page frequently for changes and updates. Similarly, I will post messages on the MyJCU board should I need to contact you in between class meetings (e.g., in the case of an unexpected class cancellation, etc.).

Accessing J-Stor Readings

While on campus, you should be able to access these readings simply by clicking on the links on the syllabus. On the page that appears, you can find links to download the full article as a PDF file or to print it out. Off-campus you may need to go to the website for the Frohring Library, click on the link for "Databases" and "J-Stor" and then search for the article manually.

Course Schedule (Please note that what is below may be subject to minor changes.)

Week One

Sept. 2 Introductions—Revolutions and Comparative History

Sept. 4 Setting the Stage—The World’s First World War and the Crisis of Empires?

Klooster, 1-10

Gould, "Revolution and Counter-Revolution," 214-227, Recommended 227-231 (handout)

PART ONE: NORTH AMERICA

Week Two—First Reaction Paper Due Tuesday or Thursday

Sept. 9 Origins—Imperial Reorganization and British Political Culture

Klooster, 11-15

Breen, “An Empire of Goods,” 467-499 http://www.jstor.org/stable/175565

Sept. 11 Dynamics and Ideology—Patrician Leadership, Plebian Support?

Klooster, 15-41

Linebaugh and Rediker, “A Motley Crew in the American Revolution,” in Linebaugh and Rediker, The Many Headed Hydra, 211-247 (On Reserve)

“The Hypertext Declaration of Independence" http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/compare.htm

Week Three—Second Reaction Paper Due Tuesday or Thursday

Sept. 16 Founding Mothers—Women in the Revolution

Gundersen, “Independence, Citizenship, and the American Revolution,” 59-77 http://www.jstor.org/stable/3174027

“Sarah Osborn Recollects Her Experiences in the Revolutionary War, 1837” http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5833/

Judith Sargent Stevens Murray, “On the Equality of the Sexes (1790)” http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=3&psid=165

“Abigail Adams and John Adams Debate Women’s Rights" http://www.historytools.org/sources/Abigail-John-Letters.pdf

“Eliza Wilkinson on Women and War” http://americainclass.org/sources/makingrevolution/war/text7/elizawilkinsonsc.pdf

Sept. 18 “Empire of Liberty”—The View from “Indian Country”

Calloway, “‘We Have Always Been the Frontier’: The American Revolution in Shawnee Country,” 39-52 http://www.jstor.org/stable/1185604

“The War for Independence Through Seneca Eyes: Mary Jemison Views the Revolution, 1775–7”

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5826/

“Jefferson's Confidential Letter to Congress” http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=65820#axzz1X3lE1qG2

Jefferson, “Indian Addresses” http://libertyonline.hypermall.com/Jefferson/Indian.html

Jefferson, “Native Americans and the American Revolution” http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=3&psid=220

Week Four

Sept. 23 American Freedom, American Slavery—Afro-Americans and the Revolution

Klooster, 41-44

Crow, “Slave Rebelliousness and Social Conflict in North Carolina, 1775 to 1802,” 79-102 http://www.jstor.org/stable/1920970

“Proclamation of Earl of Dunmore” http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part2/2h42t.html (View the original document: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part2/2h42b.html)

Runaway ad for Titus, 1775 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part2/2h1.html

“‘Natural and Inalienable Right to Freedom’: Slaves’ Petition for Freedom to the Massachusetts Legislature, 1777”http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6237/

“Blacks Petition Against Taxation Without Representation March 14, 1780” http://sageamericanhistory.net/federalperiod/docs/BlacksPet.htm

Phillis Wheatley, “Letter and Poem to General Washington” http://the-american-catholic.com/2010/04/06/george-washington-and-phillis-wheatley/

Benjamin Banneker, “Letter to Jefferson” http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part2/2h71t.html

Sept. 25 Aftermath—Inheriting the Revolution

Appleby, “The American Heritage: The Heirs and the Disinherited,” 798-813 http://www.jstor.org/stable/1902154

Compare the “Constitution of the United States,” (http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/usconst.asp) with various Revolutionary era state constitutions (http://avalon.law.yale.edu/subject_menus/18th.asp)

Research Plan Due

PART TWO: FRANCE AND EUROPE

Sept. 26 OFFICIAL FRIDAY MAKE-UP DAY Origins—Imperial Reorganization, Fiscal Crisis, and Demands for Reform

Klooster, 45-51

Shovlin, "Toward a Reinterpretation of Revolutionary Antinobilism: The Political Economy of Honor in the Old Regime" http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/315929

Sieyes, "What is the Third Estate?" http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/d/280/

Week Five

Sept. 30 Dynamics—From Constitutional Monarchy to the Terror and Beyond

Klooster, 51-83

Hunt, "The Rhetoric of Revolution," 19-51 (Handout)

"Terror is the Order of the Day" http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/d/416/

“Living the Revolutions” Character Report (Background) Due

Oct. 2 Meanings?—Rights, Revolution, and Rationalization

Review Klooster, 51-83

“Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen” http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/rightsof.asp

"Constitution of 1793" http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/d/430/

Explore French Revolutionary Songs “Ça Ira” http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/caira.html and Others at http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/chap11a.html

The French Revolutionary Calendar http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/d/435/

Week Six

Oct. 7 Citoyennes—Women and the Revolution

Desan, “‘War Between Brothers and Sisters’: Inheritance Law and Gender Politics in Revolutionary France,” 597-634 http://www.jstor.org/stable/286913

"Petition of Women of the Third Estate to the King" http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/d/472/

Wollstonecraft, "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman" http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/d/579/

Olympe de Gouges, The Declaration of the Rights of Woman (September 1791) http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/d/293/

"Discussion of Women’s Political Clubs and Their Suppression, October 1793" http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/d/294/

“Living the Revolutions” Character Report (1-2 Crossroads/Choices) Due

Oct. 9 Aftermath—Napoleonic Europe

"The Napoleonic Experience" (Liberty, Equality Fraternity Website)

http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/chap9a.html (be sure to read all of this web chapter--there are four pages)

Cole, "Playing Muslim," 125-143 (Handout)

Primary Sources on Napoleon http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/d/501/

http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/d/502/

http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/d/508/

http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/d/509/

http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/d/517/

PART THREE: SAINT DOMINGUE/HAITI AND THE CARIBBEAN

Week Seven—Third Reaction Paper Due Tuesday or Thursday

Oct. 14 Origins—Sugar Island Slavery, Racial Discrimination, and Colonial Complaints

Klooster, 84-92

Garrigus, "Saint Domingue's Free People of Color and the Tools of Revolution" in Geggus and Fiering, eds., The World of the Haitian Revolution, 49-64 (On Reserve)

“Le Code Noir” http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/d/335/

"Voodoo, 1786" https://directory.vancouver.wsu.edu/sites/directory.vancouver.wsu.edu/files/inserted_files/webintern02/voodoo.pdf

Moreau de Saint-Méry, “On ‘Race’ in Saint Domingue” https://directory.vancouver.wsu.edu/sites/directory.vancouver.wsu.edu/files/inserted_files/webintern02/Saint-Domingue%20Race.pdf

Oct. 16 Dynamics—From Rich Whites to Poor Whites to Free People of Color to Slaves

Klooster, 92-110

Thornton, “African Soldiers in the Haitian Revolution” in Shepherd and Beckles, eds., Caribbean Slavery in the Atlantic World, 933-945 (On Reserve)

Fick, “Dilemmas of Emancipation: From the Saint Domingue Insurrections of 1791 to the Emerging Haitian State" http://www.jstor.org/stable/4289578

Dalmas, "History of the Revolution of Saint Domingue," 89-93 (Handout)

Week Eight

Oct. 21 Meanings?—Political Ideology in a Multicultural Revolutionary Society

Thornton, "'I Am the Subject of the King of Congo': African Political Ideology and the Haitian Revolution" http://www.jstor.org/stable/20078560

Jean François and Biassou, "Letters to the Commissioners," 99-102 (Handout)

Sonthonax, "Decree of General Liberty," 120-125 (Handout)

"Insurgent Responses to Emancipation," 125-128 (Handout)

L’Ouverture, “Dictatorial Proclamation” (1801) https://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/toussaint-louverture/1801/dictatorial.htm

“Haitian Declaration of Independence” (MyJCU)

Oct. 23 From Slave to Citoyenne—Women in the Revolution

Moitt, “Slave Women and Resistance in the French Caribbean,” in Gaspar and Hine, eds., More Than Chattel, 239-258 (On Reserve)

Colwill, "'Fetes de l'Hymen, Fetes de la Liberté': Marriage, Manhood and Emancipation in Revolutionary Saint-Domingue" in Geggus and Fiering, eds., The World of the Haitian Revolution, 125-155 (On Reserve)

“Living the Revolutions” Character Report (1-2 Crossroads/Choices) Due

Week Nine

Oct. 28 Aftermath—Race, Freedom, and Independence in Haiti and Beyond

Klooster, 110-116

Girard, Haiti, 59-73 (Handout)

Dubois, Haiti: The Aftershocks of History, 52-88 (Handout)

“Haitian Constitution of 1805” http://www.webster.edu/~corbetre/haiti/history/earlyhaiti/1805-const.htm

“Images of the Armorial of Christophe’s Kingdom (brochure)” http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/Haiti.pdf

PART FOUR: LATIN AMERICA

Oct. 30 Origins—Criollo Fears and the Threats from Below

Klooster, 117-127

Serulnikov, “Disputed Images of Colonialism,” 189-226 http://www.jstor.org/stable/2517139

Humboldt, “Problems And Progress in Mexico, c. 1800” http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1800humboldt-mexico.html

“José de Galvez’s Decrees for the King’s Subjects in Mexico (1769, 1778),” in Mills, Taylor, and Graham, eds., Colonial Latin America, 316-319 (On Reserve)

“Late Eighteenth-Century Inscriptions on Fountains and Monuments in Mexico City,” in Mills, Taylor, and Graham, eds., Colonial Latin America, 384-389 (On Reserve)

“America Nursing Spanish Noble Boys,” in Mills, Taylor, and Graham, eds., Colonial Latin America, eds., 395-396 (On Reserve)

Week Ten—Fourth Reaction Paper Due Tuesday or Thursday

Nov. 4 Dynamics—European Upsets and Conservative Revolutions?

Klooster, 127-157

Adelman, "Iberian Passages", 59-82 (Handout)

Bolívar, “Proclamation to the People of Venezuela, 15 June 1813” (Handout)

Bolívar, “Reply of a South American to a Gentleman of this Island” http://faculty.smu.edu/bakewell/bakewell/texts/jamaica-letter.html

“The Plan of Iguala and Other Documents on Mexican Independence” http://www.tamu.edu/ccbn/dewitt/iguala.htm (Scroll Down For the English Versions)

“José María Morelos’s ‘Sentiments of the Nation,’” in Mills, Taylor, and Graham, Colonial Latin America, eds., 397-400 (On Reserve)

“The Argentine Declaration of Independence,” in Mills, Taylor, and Graham, Colonial Latin America, eds., 401-402 (On Reserve)

“Living the Revolutions” Character Report (1-2 Crossroads/Choices) Due

Nov. 6 Participants, Victims, Martyrs—Women and Latin American Independence

Brewster, “Women and the Spanish-American Wars of Independence: An Overview,” 20-35 http://www.jstor.org/stable/3874426

Week Eleven

Nov. 11 Indians—Independence?

Platt, “Simón Bolívar, the Sun of Justice and the Amerindian Virgin: Andean Conceptions of the Patria in Nineteenth-Century Potosi,” 159-185 http://www.jstor.org/stable/157661

Bolívar, “Decrees on Indian Rights, Lands, and Tribute,” in Bolívar, El Libertador, 184-190 (On Reserve)

Recommended: Archer “The Indian Insurgents of Mezcala Island on the Lake Chapala Front, 1812-1816,” 84-128, in Schroeder, ed., Native Resistance and the Pax Colonial in New Spain (On Reserve).

Nov. 13 Slaves and Castas—Liberty and Equality?

Review Klooster, 149-157

Blanchard, “Independence,” in Blanchard, Slavery and Abolition in Early Republican Peru, 1-18 (On Reserve)

Bolívar, “Decree for the Emancipation of the Slaves,” in Bolívar, El Libertador, 177-178 (On Reserve)

Bolívar, “ Letter to General Francisco de Paula Santander: On Slave Recruitment,” in Bolívar, El Libertador, 182-183 (On Reserve)

“Living the Revolutions” Character Report (1-2 Crossroads/Choices) Due

Week Twelve

Nov. 18 Aftermath—Heroes on Horseback

Wolf and Hansen, “Caudillo Politics: A Structural Analysis,” 170-179 http://www.jstor.org/stable/177739

Bolívar, “The Bolivian Constitution,” in Bolívar, El Libertador, 54-66 (On Reserve)

Bolívar, “Manifesto Justifying the Dictatorship” and “Manifesto Concerning the Installation of the Constituent Congress, the End of the Dictatorship, and Announcing the End of His Political Career,” in Bolívar, El Libertador, 140-144 (On Reserve)

Annotated Biography Flowchart Due

PART FIVE—COMPARISONS, LEGACIES, EXPERIENCES

Nov. 20 Comparing Revolutions and Legacies

Klooster, 158-174

Trouillot, “An Unthinkable History,” in Trouillot, Silencing the Past, 70-107 (On Reserve)

Week Thirteen

Nov. 25 TBA

Dec. 1 TBA

Dec. 5 Experiences: Reminiscences from Living the Revolutions

“Memoir” Due

FINAL EXAM--Date To Be Announced