History 202 - Civil War Era

What caused the US's bloodiest war? How and why did the Civil War transition officially from a limited war to preserve the status quo to a revolutionary total war that embraced emancipation and more? What were the long-term outcomes of the defeat of secession and the destruction of racial slavery? How did different groups define meaningful freedom, citizenship, and the role of the federal government during Reconstruction? How did a counter-revolution overturn many of Reconstruction's successes? We will also study the ongoing battles over historical memories of the war, attending to how the Civil War was and is remembered, misremembered, represented, and misrepresented in popular culture. The course concludes with an assessment of the legacies of the era. This is not a course solely devoted to military history. (Gen. Ed. HS, DU)

Open to Undergraduate Students only.