History 286 - AfAm Hist from Slave Trade to Recon

(Offered as BLST 286 [US], EDST 286 and HIST 286; or may be included in AF concentration, but not AF for distribution in the History major.) This course traverses African American history from the beginnings of the transatlantic slave trade through the close of the American Civil War. Focusing on the Black freedom struggle, we will explore questions including: What are the origins of American slavery and how and why did it expand in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries? What did “Africa” mean to Black Americans and how did differing ideas about Black nationalism contribute to the struggle for citizenship and abolition? What political, economic, and day-to-day actions did African Americans take to secure liberation, promote abolition, and to lay claim to civic inclusion? What role did access to literacy play in slaveholders’ efforts to perpetuate slavery and racial oppression? How did African Americans utilize education and schooling to promote liberation; to lay claim to citizenship; and to agitate against slavery and civic exclusion? And what did “freedom” mean both to enslaved Black Americans and to Black Americans who lived their lives in a nation founded on racial oppression? Readings will consist of primary sources, including the writings of early Black Americans; and scholarly and historical explorations of African American history during this period. Assignments will expose students to research in early African American history and to analyzing and interpreting key historical questions and debates.

Limited to 25 students. Fall semester. Professor Moss.

How to handle overenrollment: History, Black Studies and Educational Studies majors.

Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: Readings include historical monographs, slave narratives by men and women, and one work of fiction.