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HIST270: The History of the United States, 1789–1865

This module combines a lecture series that offers an overview of the history of the United States in the nineteenth century, with a closely linked set of seminars that focus on the construction of race, class and gender difference over the same period. This combination allows students to explore an important thematic aspect of world history (the construction of race, class and gender difference) while simultaneously providing grounding for further study and research into the history of the United States in the 19th and/or 20th centuries. The module builds upon skills that we gained in Part I and, in particular, will explore the history of the United States, from the passage and implementation of the US Constitution (1789) to the conclusion of the Civil War (1865). The module is particularly focussed on the culture and politics of race, class and gender in the rapidly industrialising and expanding nation.
Indicative content will include:

• The theory of ‘Republicanism’ in its US context
• Industrialisation and technological change
• The rise of Evangelical Protestantism
• The construction and contestation of racialised and gendered identities
• Westward expansion and conflict with indigenous peoples
• The politics, culture and experience of slavery

Seminars meet fortnightly and are structured around primary readings and recommended secondary texts that offer critical and historical insight into the topics under consideration.

For further information on HIST270 visit the Lancaster University Online Courses Handbook.

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