HTY 398-0002: Historical Issues: “Slavery and Emancipation in the United States.”

Instructor: Mary Freeman

Days/Time: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 10:00-10:50 a.m.

Course Number: 30257

Location: Stevens Hall 365

Course Description:

How have Americans defined the boundaries of slavery and freedom? This course focuses on how the relationship between slavery and politics shaped the meaning(s) of freedom between the American Revolution and Reconstruction. It examines how various political actors defined and manipulated this relationship to advocate for themselves. The course takes a broad definition of politics that includes not just the electoral realm but also the actions of disfranchised political actors including slaves, women, and freed people.

Major course themes include the rise and development of African slavery in colonial North America, the impact of the Revolution on systems of bondage and ideas about freedom, the development of these ideas in the antebellum United States, antislavery and proslavery movements, the coming of emancipation during the Civil War, and the legacy of slavery and redefinition of freedom during Reconstruction.

Prerequisites: First year students must ask permission.

General Education Requirements: This course does not satisfy any general education requirements.