BBLAN02600IntroductiontotheHistoryoftheUSA.docVIP

History of the USA (BBLAN 02600) Lecturer: Karáth Tamás PhD (tamas.karath@) Courses: 14 and 28 February (13.15-17.15) The two sessions of this term will allow us a very concise survey of major topics in American history. The lectures will give you guidelines to the main issues, always focusing on some of the most important primary sources. Outlines and illustrative materials will be uploaded on the Department website, under my profile and the code of this course (BBLAN02600: US History). Attendance of the lectures is not a prerequisite for the signature. Session 1 (14 February) (A) American concepts of history. Periods of American history (B) Colonial America and the War of Independence: From the earliest colonial settlements to the birth of the USA. The American Creed: The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution (C) Major issues in 19th-century American history The early years of the Republic, 1776-1815 The peculiar institution: Slavery in North America The westward movement Sources in focus: The Mayflower Compact; Cotton Mather’s The Wonders of the Invisible World and John Winthrop’s A Model of Christian Charity, The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution Session 2 (23 March) A) Civil War and Reconstruction B) Issues in 20th century American history Interventionism vs. isolationism as a key dilemma of foreign policy The Cold War and its interpretations Post-WWII American society Sources in focus: the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address; Plessy vs. Ferguson, Wilson’s 14 points, McCarthy’s speech in Wheeling, The Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court decision; Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” and Letter from a Birmingham Jail Examination procedure The concluding exam will consist of both written and oral parts: (1) a written entry test containing 15 fact questions related to fundamental persons and concepts of American history, (2) discussion of one of the primary sources listed below, and (3) the presentation of an as