Course: History 4881/6881
Semester: Spring
Professor: Dr. Arwin D. Smallwood
Office: 121 Mitchell Hall, Phone: 678-3869
Office Hours: T, Th, 1 PM – 2 PM and by appointment
Class Meets: Mitchell Hall, Room 200; T, Th, 11:20 AM – 12:45 AM
History 4881/6881: African-American History From Slavery to Present
Course Description:
History 4881/6881 is an introduction to African-American History from slavery to
present. The course examines the African Diaspora and the African-American
experience from slavery to reconstruction. This course also examines the
African-American experience from reconstruction to present including Black
Reconstruction, the rise of the Ku Klux Klan, The Black "Exodus, thirty years of
lynching, the Civil Rights movement, major African-American leaders, the current
issues of drugs, crime, violence, and the growing rift between poor blacks and
the black middle and upper classes. These issues will be discussed in the
context of American history.
Objectives:
The purpose of this course is to help students better understand the
African-American experience and how that experience has been shaped and impacted
by living in America from slavery to the present. Additionally, this course will
give students a detailed and thorough history of slavery and the Civil Rights
Movement in America. Students will be taught to think and write critically and
to verbalize historical viewpoints. Students will be expected to critically
analyze both events and personalities that have impacted their lives and that of
their ancestors.
Required Books:
Blassingame, John W. The Slave Community.
Cone, James H. Martin & Malcolm & America.
Franklin, John Hope. From Slavery to Freedom. 8th edition.
Harrison, Alferdteen. Black Exodus.
Smallwood, Arwin D. The Atlas of African-American History and Politics.
All students will be required to:
1. Attend all classes on time daily;
2. Complete all reading assignments before class;
3. Take two exams, a final, and turn in one 5 page paper
Assignment Schedule:
1st Exam Thursday, February 17
2nd Exam Thursday, March 17
Paper Due Thursday, April 7
Final Exam (See University Exam Schedule)
Grading Policy:
Course grade will be computed as follows:
1st Exam 20%
2nd Exam 20%
Paper 25%
Final Exam 35%
(No Make-up exams without valid university approved excuse)
You will be graded on a ten point scale:
A = 90 - 100
B = 80 – 89
C = 70 – 79
D = 60 - 69
F = 0 – 59
Grading System for Paper
I. Structure = 25 points
A. Introduction
B. Body
C. Conclusion
D. Footnotes or Endnotes
E. Bibliography
II. Mechanics =25 points
A. Grammar (including proper use of words)
B. Sentence structure and phrasing
C. Overall readability of paper
D. Correct format and usage of footnotes
E. Correct format for bibliography
III. Content =50 points
A. Is it apparent that student is familiar with their source?
B. How well does student prove her/his point?
C. Does student use valid comparisons and contrasts?
D. Does the introduction give a thorough overview of paper?
E. Did student integrate book into paper?
F. How well does the paper address its thesis?
G. Does the conclusion bring paper to a proper close?
History 4881/6881Paper Assignment
Drawing upon Cone’s book Martin & Malcolm & America, write a five page paper
explaining the political philosophies of Martian Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.
Explain how the lives of these two men helped shape their political philosophies
and how their views shaped black America during and since the civil rights
movement. Support your arguments by citing examples from the book.
Paper Requirements
Paper Format
Papers should be 5 pages in length with a clear thesis, introduction, body,
conclusion, footnotes or endnotes, and a bibliography. Papers are to be typed,
double-spaced, and written in dear concise prose. A typed rough draft of your
paper should be completed one week prior to the due date.
Plagiarism
The use of another individual's ideas or words without proper citation
constitutes Plagiarism.
Plagiarism is the worst form of academic misconduct and will result in a grade
of “F.” You can avoid plagiarism by citing your sources using Kate Turabian's
Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations, 5th edition. If you
are unsure about what Plagiarism is, please speak with your T. A. or me.
Late Papers
Papers are due at the start of class on the due date. Late papers will
automatically receive a grade of "F."
Paper Components
Thesis
Your paper should have a thesis, a sentence that states the main point of the
paper.
Introduction
Your introduction should tell the reader in brief what you are going to discuss
in the body of your paper. It should indicate how the paper's contents will be
organized and developed.
Body
Using the paper's thesis as a guide, plan the major sections of the paper's body
and make sure that each section relates directly to the paper's thesis and
logically to the other section(s) in the paper. Provide transitional elements
(phrases, sentences, paragraphs) in the paper's body to logically connect ideas,
paragraphs, and sections.
Conclusion
Your paper's conclusion should summarize the main points of the paper in much
the same manner the introduction prepares the reader for what is to come.
Footnotes or Endnotes
Your paper should contain footnotes or endnotes which cite your sources No
Parenthetical References (lecture, articles, textbook, and other materials).
Failure to cite sources is plagiarism which will result in the grade of "F" (see
Kate Turabian for format and style).
Bibliography
Your paper should have a bibliography which lists the names of sources
consulted. (see Kate Turabian).
Specific Instructional Objectives:
1. Discuss Africa: Its climate, geography, and people before European
exploration.
2. Discuss the Trans-Saharan and East African Slave Trades.
3. Discuss Africans and the exploration of the Americas including: the
Caribbean, Central America and the Southwestern United States.
4. Discuss slave revolts and Maroon Communities in the Spanish, Portuguese,
English, French, and Dutch colonies of the Caribbean and the Americas.
5. Discuss the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and the European nations (France,
England, Spain Portugal, Sweden, Denmark and Holland) and African nations (Senegambia,
Benin, and Wolof) enriched by the trade.
6. Discuss the legalization of slavery, Slave Codes, and Black Codes in the
thirteen original colonies.
7. Discuss the role of Africans and slavery in the "Triangular Trade" between
Africa, America, the Caribbean, and Europe.
8. Discuss the role of African-Americans in the American Revolution and the
origins of Sierra Leone.
9. Discuss the emancipation of slaves in the North and its impact on North-South
relations.
10. Discuss the rise of the "Cotton Kingdom" and Missouri Compromise from
1820-1860.
11. Discuss the significance of the Compromise of 1850, the Kansas-Nebraska Act
of 1854, Bleeding Kansas in 1855, the Dred Scott Decision in 1857, and John
Brown's Raid in 1859.
12. Trace the establishment and development of the first Black colleges and
churches in the South during Reconstruction.
13. Discuss Black Reconstruction, the “Freedmen's Bureau" and the establishment
of "Peonage" in the South from 1868-1877.
14. Discuss the role of African Americans in the development of the West in
particular Black Cowboys, Black settlers and the Buffalo Soldiers.
15. Discuss the impact of the "Compromise of 1877" and the "Black Exodus" on the
North and South.
16. Discuss the origins of Jim Crow, and the disenfranchisement of
African-Americans in the South.
17. Discuss the rise of the Ku Klux Klan and thirty years of lynching in
America.
18. Discuss the evolution of African-American education in America from 1865 to
1954 explaining W. E. B. Du Bois's Liberal Arts education and Talented Tenth
theory and Booker T. Washington's Agricultural and Technical education and his
self help philosophy.
19. Discuss the Colored Farmers' Alliance and the role of Black farmers in the
"Populist Movement."
20. Discuss the development of the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People (NAACP) and the National Urban League (NUL) and their impact on
the African-American community of America.
21. Discuss the various phases of the "Great Migration" and its impact on
Northeastern, Midwestern, and far Western Cities.
22. Discuss Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA)
1914-1920.
23. Discuss the "Harlem Renaissance" and its impact on urban and rural African
Americans.
24. Discuss the contributions of African-American soldiers during World War I
and the War's impact on their lives.
25. Discuss the movement of African-American voters from the Republican to the
Democratic Party during the election of Franklin Roosevelt and the
transformation of African-American politics in America.
26. Discuss the rise of "Black Nationalism" and "Pan -Africanism" in America and
Africa and their roles in decolonization of Africa.
27. Discuss African-American soldiers in World War II and the war’s impact on
the African-American community, including the origins of the Civil Rights
Movement.
28. Discuss Brown v. Topeka, Kansas Board of Education and its meaning for black
education.
29. Discuss Malcolm X and his contributions to people of color around the world.
30. Discuss Martin Luther King and his role in the civil rights movement
including: the Montgomery bus boycott, founding of the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference (SCLC), the Civil Rights marches, Freedom Rides, and
Sit-Ins.
31. Discuss the Black Panther Party, Black power, the Black counter culture and
the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).
32. Discuss Lyndon B. Johnson and the impact of his "Great Society" programs on
the African-American community.
33. Discuss the reasons for the end of the "Black Exodus" from the American
South in 1980.
34. Discuss the white response to Civil Rights (Conservatism) during the period
1980-2000, including Ronald Reagan, Newt Gingrich, George H.W. Bush and George
W. Bush.
35. Discuss the new challenges for Black America in the 21st century (education,
drugs, crime, and AIDS).
Schedule of Assignments:
Week 1: Jan. 18 – 20
- Introduction: "How and Why We Study History"
- From Slavery to Freedom. Chapter 1 & 2 "Africa before Europeans"
- Atlas of African-American History and Politics. Unit 1 "Africa: It’s Climate,
Geography and people"
Week 2: Jan. 25 – 27
- From Slavery to Freedom. Chapter 3 "Exploration, Colonization, and early
European Slavery and Slave Trading"
- The Atlas of African-American History and Politics. Unit 2 “The Native
American Slave Trade, the Atlantic Slave Trade, and the Political Developments
in North America and the Caribbean”
Week 3: Feb. 1 - 3
- From Slavery to Freedom. Chapter 4 "African, European, and Native American
cultural blending in the New World"
- The Atlas of African-American History and Politics. Unit 2 “The Native
American Slave Trade, the Atlantic Slave Trade, and the Political Developments
in North America and the Caribbean”
Week 4: Feb. 8 - 10
- From Slavery to Freedom. Chapter 5 & 6 "Blacks, the American Revolution and
the New American Republic"
- The Atlas of African-American History and Politics. Unit 3 “Free Blacks,
Slaves, and Slavery in the New Republic”
-Review for Exam #1 (Thursday, February 10)
Week 5: Feb. 15 - 17
- From Slavery to Freedom. Chapter 7 & 8 "Blacks, Manifest Destiny, the Rise of
the ”Cotton Kingdom,” and the Expansion of "The Peculiar Institution" into the
Lower South"
- The Slave Community. "Acculturation, Assimilation and the Africanization of
The American South"
- The Atlas of African-American History and Politics. Unit 4 “The Peculiar
Institution” and the rise of Sectionalism in Antebellum America”
- Exam #1 (Thursday, February 17)
Week 6: Feb. 22 - 24
- From Slavery to Freedom. Chapter 9 & 10 "Free Blacks and Abolitionist in
America During the Antebellum Period” and "North-South Tension and the coming of
the Civil War"
- The Atlas of African-American History and Politics. Unit 4 “The Peculiar
Institution” and Sectionalism in Antebellum America”
Week 7: Mar. 1 - 3
- From Slavery to Freedom. Chapter 11, 12 & 13 "Blacks during the Civil War,
Reconstruction, and the rise of the KKK and Jim Crow"
- The Atlas of African-American History and Politics. Unit 5 The Impact of the
Civil War, Emancipation, and Reconstruction on African Americans”
Week 8: Mar. 8 -10
- NO CLASS “FALL BREAK”
Week 9: Mar. 15 -17
- From Slavery to Freedom. Chapter 14 "Self Help and Philanthropy: The rise of
the post slavery southern Black community: The rise of Black Schools, Churches,
and Economics (Peonage) 1865 - 1900"
- Lecture "Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois and their impact on the
educational, economic, and political development of Black America 1895 - 1915"
- The Atlas of African-American History and Politics. Unit 6 The Black Struggle
Against Colonialism and American Racism: Blacks, The Indian Wars, and the
Spanish American War”
-Review for Exam #2 (Thursday, March 10)
Week 10: Mar. 22 - 24
- From Slavery to Freedom. Chapter 15 & 16 "Jim Crow: The New KKK, Lynching, and
the Organization of the NUL and the NAACP:" and "African-Americans In Pursuit of
Democracy: Blacks and World War I 1914 - 1919"
-Black Exodus. "The Great Migration from the American South 1914 -1920"
-The Atlas of African-American History and Politics. Unit 7 The Rise of Jim
Crow, World War I, the Harlem Renaissance, and the Great Migration from the
American South
- Exam #2 (Thursday, March 17)
Week 11: Mar. 29 -31
- From Slavery to Freedom. Chapter 17 & 18 The rise of the UNIA, Pan Africanism,
"The Harlem Renaissance" and "The “Red Summer” of 1919.
- The Atlas of African-American History and Politics. Unit 7 The Rise of Jim
Crow, World War I, the Harlem Renaissance, and the Great Migration from the
American South
Week 12: Apr. 5 - 7
-From Slavery to Freedom. Chapter 19 & 20 From Republican to Democrat: "Blacks,
the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal and Black life under Jim
Crow 1929 -1954"
- The Atlas of African-American History and Politics. Unit 8 The Growth of Black
Political Power in the North, the Great Depression, and Blacks During World War
II
Week 13: Apr. 12 – 14
- From Slavery to Freedom. Chapter 21 & 22 "Blacks soldiers in World War II" and
"The Origins of the Civil Rights Movement"
- The Atlas of African-American History and Politics. Unit 8 & 9 African
Americans during the Cold War and the Civil Rights Movement (1945-1965)
- Eyes On The Prize Film vol. 1
- Papers Due (Thursday April 14)
Week 14: Apr. 19 – 21
- From Slavery to Freedom. Chapter 23, 24 & 25 "The Civil Rights Movement, the
rise of Black Nationalism, and Black Power and a half Century of change and
America’s reaction to Black progress
- The Atlas of African-American History and Politics. Unit 10 and 11 Black
Power, Black Nationalism, and the Rise of the African American Counterculture
and African Americans and the Challenges of the 1990s and Beyond.
- Martin & Malcolm & America.
Week 15: Apr. 26
- April 26 Last day of class (review for final exam)