Zoom Office hours: Thursdays 6:30-7:30pm, from Week 2-Week 7.
You may also make an appointment at other times.
If you have a disability (learning, mental, physical) that affects your ability to participate effectively and have access to any program or service at Amarillo College please contact Disability Services at (806) 345-5639 . Our offices are located in the Student Service Center office 112. More information may be found at www.actx.edu/disability.
Disability Services facilitates access to all programs and services according to the ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, as well as other federal and state laws.
Amarillo College is committed to providing equal access to all programs and services, including all working, learning, and service environments that affect equal access for persons with disabilities. This commitment to provide equal access and opportunity for persons with disabilities is in compliance with federal and state law. Amarillo College also strives to provide Electronic and Information Resources (EIR) that are accessible to all authorized users.
If you find you are unable to access material in an accessible format please contact the Disability Services Office at (806) 345-5639 . This office will work in conjunction with other campus resources to address and accommodate your issue in a timely manner.
As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance or reduce a student's ability to participate in daily activities. Amarillo College offers services to assist you with addressing these and other concerns you may be experiencing. If you or someone you know are suffering from any of the aforementioned conditions, you can learn more about the broad range of confidential mental health services available on campus by calling the AC Counseling Center at 806-371-5900. The AC Counseling Center website is https://www.actx.edu/counseling/ . Also, if you are in need of social services (affordable housing, utilities, transportation, food, clothing, childcare, medical/dental/vision, legal), please call the AC Advocacy & Resource Center at 806-371-5439. The AC Advocacy & Resource Center website is https://www.actx.edu/arc
The Tutoring for Success policy applies to any student whose grade or performance in the course falls below a departmentally determined minimum threshold. In either of those cases, the instructor will direct the student to the appropriate tutoring service, which may be faculty-led, discipline-specific, and/or general. Under this policy, the instructor will follow specific departmental guidelines governing the use, duration, and grade component of the tutoring need.
Students who do not attend class on or prior to the census date will be administratively dropped. Effective Fall, 2016
Students who wish to withdraw from a course must complete all steps indicated on the Academic Withdrawal Request form by the course withdrawal deadline.
NOTE: Students who are attending Texas institutions of higher education, for the first time fall 2007 and later, may not withdraw from more than six courses during their academic career. This withdrawal limitation does not include dual credit or developmental classes (Senate Bill 1231 Rule 4.10.) For more information on Drop and Withdrawal Policies, please visit the Registrar's Office Web site.
The Amarillo College Privacy Policy is found at https://www.actx.edu/-amarillo-college-privacy-notice , and applies to all Amarillo College students. If you have questions about this privacy statement or you believe that your personal information has been released without your consent, send email to humanresources@actx.edu .
HIST-1301-013 United States History I
A survey of the social, political, economic, cultural and intellectual history of the United States from the pre-Columbian era to the Civil War/Reconstruction period. United States History I includes the study of pre-Columbian, colonial, revolutionary, early national, slavery and sectionalism, and the Civil War/Reconstruction eras. Themes that may be addressed in United States History I include: American settlement and diversity, American culture, religion, civil and human rights, technological change, economic change, immigration and migration, and creation of the federal government.
Student ResourcesStudent Resources Website
Notice to Students enrolled in an educational program for preparation of issuance of certain occupational licenses:
Students enrolled in an educational program in preparation for obtaining certain occupational licenses are potentially ineligible for such license if the student has been convicted of an offense. For further information, please contact:
Melodie Graves
Justice Involved Advocate
Student Service Center 117
mgraves24@actx.edu
806-371-5995
Make appointment at https://melodiegraves.youcanbook.me
You can also contact the Legal Clinic, or the faculty member in charge of the educational program that you seek to enroll in. The further information you will receive will include notification to you of your right to request a criminal history evaluation letter from the licensing authority in order to clarify your particular situation.
(3 sem hrs; 3 lec)
Online Course
Required: REVEL E-Book, The American Nation: A History of the United States Combined Volume. The link to join the REVEL course can be found through the textbook tab on Blackboard.
E-book and assignments can be accessed via a smart phone, tablet, or computer.
Assignment Breakdown
*30%: REVEL Assignments. There are 16 chapters in the REVEL e-book. Each chapter consists of activities- short quizzes over the reading material and a chapter quiz. There is also a journal or short answer section- but that does NOT count towards your grade. If you don't get the answer correct on the first attempt, it will allow you to choose another one without penalty, as these assignments are intended to be open-book. At the end of the semester, the overall average for REVEL counts as 30% of your course grade. Although self-paced, you will have assignments due every Monday at 11:45 pm, with the exception of the first week. Don't sweat losing a few points- 300+ points are usually available each week, but keep up with the assignments or your grade will be negatively effected by the end of the semester! Note: these grades are not automatically transferred. Generally, I manually transfer them every couple of weeks.
*35%: Blackboard Exams. Four Blackboard exams comprise 35% of your course grade. Each exam covers four chapters and consists of 50 multiple-choice questions, which you have 1 hr to complete. You can use your textbook/notes but the exam will automatically submit after 1 hr, so use your time wisely! You are required to use a special browser (Respondus Lockdown Browser) in order to take the exam. You can use an on-campus computer or download the software onto your computer. You MUST use the link that I have provided in Blackboard in order to put the program on your computer! Amarillo College has a license with Respondus for online classes and the link will provide the free version that we have. Because of the special browser, each exam has a generic password, which can be found under the test description. Note: The test description doesn't show up on a lot of mobile devices, so if you don't see the password, look on a computer or email a classmate! There is an optional 100 question comprehensive final that can be used to replace your lowest exam grade. You will have a minimum of four days to complete each exam- usually Saturday-Tuesday, with the exception of the optional final where you only have three days.
20%: Blackboard Discussions. There are a total of four Blackboard discussions throughout the course of the semester, which generally fall between the exams and are due every other Friday. The introductory discussion is graded on a complete/incomplete basis. Discussions #2-4 utilize primary sources in the REVEL e-book and are graded based on use of document(s) and coherent arguments. Responding to two classmates is a part of your grade for discussions 2-4.
15%:Course Paper. The state of Texas requires an ethics paper for this course. This is a research paper and you are required to use at least one academic source. This is a department-wide assignment. Be sure to read the FAQ that I created for this assignment and the department-wide rubric which can both be found on Blackboard!
In order to receive your AC Connect Email, you must log in through AC Connect at https://acconnect.actx.edu .
If you are an active staff or faculty member according to Human Resources, use "Exchange". All other students, use "AC Connect (Google) Email".
Although an online class, you are expected to be polite and respectful to your classmates in online discussions.
A: 90-100
B: 80-89
C: 70-79
D: 60-69
F: <60
This is a self-paced class, but assignments must be completed by the due date! I open assignments early to give you as much flexibility as possible. If you miss an exam, you have the option of replacing the 0 by taking the optional Comprehensive Final Exam. For the ethics paper, I will subtract one letter grade for each day the assignment is late.
REVEL assignments can only be submitted after the due date in extenuating circumstances. This is largely due to the fact that it only allows extensions in blocks of 24 hrs. Please note that REVEL will not give you credit for work that is submitted after 11:45 pm on the due date. For example, if you open the chapter quiz at 11:28, you will only get credit for the first couple of questions that are answered before 11:45. Do them as early as possible!
However, Blackboard tests only need to be started by the due date. For example, exams have to be started BY 11:30 pm on the due date. However, the Discussion Board will disappear after 11:30, so make sure to submit all of your responses before then!
Discussion Board Assignments:
- #1: Due Friday January 24th
- #2: Due Friday Feburary 7th
- #3: Due Friday Feburary 21st
- #4: Due Friday March 6th
Blackboard Exams:
- Test #1: Due Tuesday Feburary 4th
- Test #2: Due Tuesday Feburary 18th
- Test #3: Due Tuesday March 3rd
- Test #4: Due Tuesday March 10th
- OPTIONAL Comprehensive exam: Due Thursday March 12th @ 12pm.
Research Paper: Due Wednesday Feburary 26th @ Midnight.
REVEL Assignments:
Week 2: Due Monday January 27th (11:45pm CST)
- CHAPTER: 1: Beginnings
- Introduction: Beginnings
- 1.1: The First Peoples (15 points)
- 1.2: The Maize Revolution (15 points)
- 1.3: The Collapse of Urban Centers (15 points)
- 1.4: Eurasia and Africa versus North America (15 points)
- Summary: Beginnings
- CHAPTER: 2: Alien Encounters: Europe in the Americas
- Introduction: Alien Encounters: Europe in the Americas
- 2.1: Spanish Colonization of the Americas (15 points)
- 2.2: Spain’s European Rivals (15 points)
- 2.3: Early English Colonization (15 points)
- 2.4: Puritan New England (15 points)
- 2.5: English “Proprietary” Colonies (15 points)
- 2.6: Indian and Colonist Intersections (15 points)
- Summary: Alien Encounters: Europe in the Americas
- Chapter 2 Quiz: Alien Encounters: Europe in the Americas (75 points)
Week 3: Due Monday Feburary 3rd
- CHAPTER: 3: The Making of Society in the Colonial Era
- Introduction: The Making of Society in the Colonial Era
- 3.1: French and Spanish Settlements Falter; English Settlements Flourish (15 points)
- 3.2: Life in the Southern Colonies (15 points)
- 3.3: Puritan New England (15 points)
- 3.4: The Middle Colonies (15 points)
- 3.5: Becoming Americans (15 points)
- Summary: The Making of Society in the Colonial Era
- Chapter 3 Quiz: The Making of Society in the Colonial Era (75 points)
- Chapter 4: America in the British Empire
- Introduction: America in the British Empire
- 4.1: The British Colonial System (15 points)
- 4.2: Colonial Religion and Thought (15 points)
- 4.3: The First Global War (15 points)
- 4.4: Making the Colonists Pay (15 points)
- 4.5: Violence Erupts (15 points)
- Summary: America in the British Empire
- Chapter 4 Quiz: America in the British Empire (75 points)
- CHAPTER: 5: The American Revolution
- Introduction: The American Revolution
- 5.1: Preliminary Hostilities (15 points)
- 5.2: The Question of Independence (15 points)
- 5.3: Towards Victory (15 points)
- 5.4: The United States under the Articles of Confederation (15 points)
- 5.5: American Nationalism (15 points)
- Summary: The American Revolution
- Chapter 5 Quiz: The American Revolution (75 points)
Week 4: Due Monday February 10th
- CHAPTER: 6: The Federalist Era: Nationalism Triumphant
- Introduction: The Federalist Era: Nationalism Triumphant
- 6.1: A Patchwork Nation (15 points)
- 6.2: The Constitution (15 points)
- 6.3: Washington and the First Congress (15 points)
- 6.4: Washington and Foreign Relations (15 points)
- 6.5: John Adams as President (15 points)
- Summary: The Federalist Era: Nationalism Triumphant
- Chapter 6 Quiz: The Federalist Era: Nationalism Triumphant (75 points)
- CHAPTER: 7: Jeffersonian Democracy
- Introduction: Jeffersonian Democracy
- 7.1: Jefferson and the Rise of the Republicans (15 points)
- 7.2: Jefferson’s First Term (15 points)
- 7.3: Jefferson’s Second Term (15 points)
- 7.4: The Looming Dangers of the Napoleonic Wars (15 points)
- 7.5: The Legacy of Jeffersonian Democracy (15 points)
- Summary: Jeffersonian Democracy
- Chapter 7 Quiz: Jeffersonian Democracy (75 points)
Week 5: Due Monday Feburary 17th
- CHAPTER: 8: National Growing Pains
- Introduction: National Growing Pains
- 8.1: Madison and the March to War (15 points)
- 8.2: The War of 1812 (15 points)
- 8.3: Monroe and American Aspirations (15 points)
- 8.4: Sectional Divisions Intensify (15 points)
- 8.5: John Quincy Adams as President (15 points)
- Summary: National Growing Pains
- Chapter 8 Quiz: National Growing Pains (75 points)
- CHAPTER: 9: Toward a National Economy
- Introduction: Toward a National Economy
- 9.1: The North Industrializes (15 points)
- 9.2: Cotton Revolutionizes the South (15 points)
- 9.3: The Revival of Slavery (15 points)
- 9.4: The Transportation Revolution (15 points)
- 9.5: Economic Development Under the Marshall Court (15 points)
- Summary: Toward a National Economy
- Chapter 9 Quiz: Toward a National Economy (75 points)
Week 6: Due Monday February 24th
- CHAPTER: 10: Jacksonian Democracy
- Introduction: Jacksonian Democracy
- 10.1: Jackson’s New Political System (15 points)
- 10.2: Jackson “Kills the Bank!” and Chills the Economy (15 points)
- 10.3: Jackson Expels the Indians (15 points)
- 10.4: States’ Rights versus the Federal Union (15 points)
- 10.5: The Twilight of Jacksonianism (15 points)
- Summary: Jacksonian Democracy
- Chapter 10 Quiz: Jacksonian Democracy (75 points)
- CHAPTER: 11: The Making of Middle-Class America
- Introduction: The Making of Middle-Class America
- 11.1: An Emerging Middle Class (15 points)
- 11.2: The Age of Reform (15 points)
- 11.3: The Romantic View of Life (15 points)
- 11.4: Education for Democracy (15 points)
- Summary: The Making of Middle-Class America
- Chapter 11 Quiz: The Making of Middle-Class America (75 points)
Week 7: Due Monday March 2nd
- CHAPTER: 12: Westward Expansion
- Introduction: Westward Expansion
- 12.1: Expansion by Manifest Destiny (15 points)
- 12.2: Expansion by Negotiation and War (15 points)
- 12.3: New Territories: Slave or Free? (15 points)
- 12.4: Clay’s Welcome Compromise of 1850 (15 points)
- Summary: Westward Expansion
- Chapter 12 Quiz: Westward Expansion (75 points)
- CHAPTER: 13: The Sections Go Their Own Ways
- Introduction: The Sections Go Their Own Ways
- 13.1: The South (15 points)
- 13.2: The Northern Industrial Juggernaut (15 points)
- 13.3: Building a Global Transportation Web (15 points)
- 13.4: The Economic Surge on the Eve of the Civil War (15 points)
- Summary: The Sections Go Their Own Ways
- Chapter 13 Quiz: The Sections Go Their Own Ways (75 points)
Week 8, due Monday March 9th
- CHAPTER: 14: The Coming of the Civil War
- Introduction: The Coming of the Civil War
- 14.1: Antislavery Sentiment Deepens (15 points)
- 14.2: Slavery Crisis Temporarily Evaded (15 points)
- 14.3: Political Parties Fracture over Slavery (15 points)
- 14.4: Hopes for Compromise Wane (15 points)
- 14.5: The Antislavery Lincoln Emerges (15 points)
- 14.6: On the Brink of Disunion (15 points)
- Summary: The Coming of the Civil War
- Chapter 14 Quiz: The Coming of the Civil War (75 points)
- CHAPTER: 15: The War to Save the Union
- Introduction: The War to Save the Union
- 15.1: War Commences (1861) (15 points)
- 15.2: Stalemate and Slaughter (1862) (15 points)
- 15.3: Lincoln Frees (Some) Slaves to Win the War (15 points)
- 15.4: Turning Point (1863) (15 points)
- 15.5: Strangling the South (1864) (15 points)
- 15.6: Final Reckoning (1865) (15 points)
- Summary: The War to Save the Union
- Chapter 15 Quiz: The War to Save the Union (75 points)
- CHAPTER: 16: Reconstruction and the South
- Introduction: Reconstruction and the South
- 16.1: Presidential Reconstruction (15 points)
- 16.2: Radical Republicanism (15 points)
- 16.3: The Southern Economy during Reconstruction (15 points)
- 16.4: The End of Reconstruction (15 points)
- Summary: Reconstruction and the South
Please thoroughly go through the Blackboard sections and send me an email with any questions that you might have!
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01/20/20 10:35 PM