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History 470

U.S. Constitutional and Legal History

Fall 2009: 12:35-1:50 in TA-1.                                                                                    
Prof. Waldrep

Office Hours:
Science 225: 2-4 on Thursdays and by appointment. E-mail cwaldrep@sfsu.edu or phone 338-2982.  Http://bss.sfsu.edu/waldrep

Texts: Urofsky and Finkelman, A March of Liberty; Waldrep and Curry, The Constitution and the Nation: Establishing the Nation and Waldrep and Curry, The Constitution and the Nation: The Civil War and American Constitutionalism.

History 470 uses the lecture and discussion format to develop students’ ability to assess and think critically about historical issues and how to interpret those issues.  Students should gain a basic factual knowledge of American constitutionalism.  This means being prepared to discuss cases and key documents.  Students will develop skills in analyzing historical data and reaching informed conclusions about those data.  This class covers half of American history.  The second half will be covered in history 471, offered in the spring. I recommend that you take both halves, both 470 and 471.

To pass the course, students must:

1. Attend class. Attendance is of the utmost importance.
2. Study the readings for each week before we talk about them in class.
3. Take the examinations.  You must know the names of cases and documents and be prepared to summarize their significance on tests. If you do not have the time for the preparation necessary to do this work, you should drop this class immediately.
4. Complete essay assignments.

Exams
            We will have three essay exams.  These exams will all be document-based. Our goal is to learn how to construct historical arguments using primary source documents. You have to use the documents we study in class to make an argument about what you have learned in class.  Use only documents discussed in class and taken from our book or the handouts.  Each test will consist of ten paragraphs covering eight documents of your choosing.  These are timed tests.  You must be selective in choosing information for the exams: remember that you will have only 75 minutes to write your first two essays.  You will not have time to tell all you know about the documents. Choose the most important facts. In a court case, this means summarizing the judges’ arguments, not getting bogged down in detailed background information. Figure out how to summarize the constitutional argument in each document in just three to four sentences.  Remember, history is never about telling all you know about the past, it’s about choosing the most important information.  In this class, the most important information is about our evolving federal system, how the locus of power shifts.  Keep you eye on where the power is at particular historical moments.

Final grade:
            Tests:               70% [three exams]
            Essays:             20% [two papers]
            Discussion:      10%
            Class participation is an important part of your grade.  Obviously, you must come to class and to participate knowledgeably, you must read the assignments before discussions.

All dates and deadlines are tentative. Be alert to in-class announcements.

Schedule of Classes

August 25: Introduction to the course: principle themes and terms.

August 27: Old World
            Readings: Urofsky and Finkelman, chapter 1;Waldrep and Curry, chapter 1.

September 1 & 3: New World
            Urofsky and Finkelman, chapter 2; Waldrep and Curry, chapter 2.

September 8: State Budget Closure Day.

September 10:  Revolution
            Urofsky and Finkelman, chapter 3;Waldrep and Curry, chapter 3.

September 15 & 22: Confederation
            Urofsky and Finkelman, chapter 4; Waldrep and Curry, pages 65-84.

September 17 & 18: San Francisco Rights Conference in the Towers.

Exam: September 24

September 29 & October 1: Writing the Constitution
            Urofsky and Finkelman, chapters 5 & 6; Waldrep and Curry, page 84-129.

First paper due October 8.
            Write five pages (typed and double-spaced) summarizing one session from the Rights Conference. Be sure your first paragraph ends with your thesis statement and that the paper identifies the thesis statement of the presentations you are analyzing. Be sure the session you choose covers the time period before 1877.

October 6 & 8: Early American Republic
            Urofsky and Finkelman, chapter 7; Waldrep and Curry, chapter 5.

October 13 & 15: The Marshall Court
            Urofsky and Finkelman, chapter 8 & 10; Waldrep and Curry, chapter 6.

October 20 & 22: Jacksonian Constitutionalism
            Urofsky and Finkelman, chapter 15; Waldrep and Curry, vol. 2, chapter 1.

October 27 & 29: Slavery
            Urofsky and Finkelman, chapter 17; Waldrep and Curry, chapter 2.

November 3 & 5:  The Impending Crisis
            Urofsky and Finkelman, chapter 18; Waldrep and Curry, chapter 3.

November 10:  Introduction to the Civil War
            Urofsky and Finkelman, chapters 19 & 20; Waldrep and Curry, chapter 4.

Exam: November 12

November 17:  The Civil War continued.

Second paper due November 17. Write a ten-page paper based on one of the topics covered by a paper from the Rights Conference. Find primary sources that will allow you to test the thesis proposed at the conference.

November 19:  Reconstructing Citizenship
            Urofsky and Finkelman, chapter 21; Waldrep and Curry, chapter 5.

Thanksgiving Break: Week of November 23.
      
December 1 & 3: State Action and Civil Rights
            Urofsky and Finkelman, chapter 22; Waldrep and Curry, chapter 6.     

December 8 & 10: Civil Rights continued.

Final exam will be during final exam week.