History 368 / The Course of American Empire:
The United States in the West & in the Pacific, 1776-1919
"Mayou Volcano, and Old Glory, Philippines", stereopticon image [1996.0009.KU24389], n.d., from Keystone-Mast Collection, UCR/California Museum of Photography, University of California, Riverside
"As we came on deck we beheld rising before us on the edge of the water, the volcano Mayou, which is nearly 10,000 feet height. This volcano is very perfectly shaped, the cone culminating in a point, from which issues a large column of smoke; streams of lava wend their way downward. To the left is the city of Lagaspi, and there a regiment was landed. The gunboats shelled the shore, driving the Filipinos back."
–Herbert Kohr, Around the World with Uncle Sam (1907), p. 112.
Westward the course of empire takes its way;
The four first Acts already past,
A fifth shall close the Drama with the day;
Time's noblest offspring is the last.
—Bishop Berkeley, "America: A Prophecy," 1726
"[Imperialism is a] determination to expand geographically and economically, imposing an alien will upon subject peoples and commandeering their resources".
––Daniel Walker Howe, What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848 (Oxford 2007).
General Info
Instructor: Doug Sackman • Office: Wyatt 138 email:
phone: x3913 • Office Hours: Tuesdays: 10-11.30; Fridays 11-11.50am (I am also available to meet with you at other times; just email me for an appointment)
Introduction
In recent decades, American historians have reconsidered the relationship of the United States to imperialism, and in the process questioned the long-standing belief that American national policy has normally been isolationist until after World War II, interrupted only by brief departures during the Spanish American War and World War I. Westward expansion has been reconsidered as continental conquest, in which both Indian peoples and Mexicans were conquered and colonized. U.S. foreign relations with Japan and China in the 19th and early twentieth centuries, and its colonial policies in Hawai’i and the Philippines, certainly undermine the notion that the United States has historically been an exceptionally isolationist national power.
In this course, we will explore the politics and culture of United States imperialism from the nation's founding until the 1910s. Focusing on westward expansion and the projection of U.S. power into the Pacific, we will consider how the ideas and policies supporting expansion and military conquest were developed, expressed, manifested, and contested. We will also explore how various peoples have confronted U.S. colonialism, including Indians, Mexicans, Chinese, Hawaiians and Filipinos. Reading documents from the period as well as differing interpretations by historians, we will also examine the economic underpinnings of expansion, its environmental impact, and the racial ideas that were paradoxically used both to justify and to criticize imperialism.
While the course considers anti-imperialist ideas that were expressed at various times by leaders and citizens, it is not meant to be a primer in anti-imperialism. Rather, students should learn to situate expansionistic policies and practices within their intellectual, political, cultural, military, and economic contexts. The course will also allow for a close examination of the different ways through which colonized peoples have resisted or accommodated U.S. imperialism.
Major themes of the course include:
1. Empire and National Identity: We will explore the idea of empire as it has been debated politically beginning with the nation's founding, looking at the ways in which imperialism and democracy have been seen as opposing or potentially complementary ideals.
2. Race: Changing ideas of race have undoubtedly played a key role in shaping US encounters with foreign peoples. But while many historians have argued that racism aided and abetted imperialism, others have posited that racial ideas formed a strong basis of opposition to expansionism.
3. Gender: How has imperialism been represented in gendered terms? In what ways have ideas of masculinity and femininity been used to explain and justify conquest?
4. Confronting American Colonialism: How have the people who have stood in the path of US expansionism reacted? What are the particular dynamics under which US power has been resisted or accommodated? What have been the particular colonial policies designed to incorporate conquered peoples into the nation, as either equals or subordinate members?
Readings:
1. Walter Nugent, Habits of Empire: A History of American Expansion,
2. Miller and Patterson, eds. Major Problems in American Foreign Relations, Vol. 1, 6th edition.
3. Paul VanDevelder, Savages and Scoundrels: The Untold Story of America’s Road to Empire through Indian Territory
4. Mathew Frye Jacobson, Barbarian Virtues: The United States Encounters Foreign Peoples at Home and Abroad, 1876-1917
5. Noenoe Silva, Aloha Betrayed: Hawaiian Resistance to American Colonialism
6. History 368 Course Reader
Format and Objectives
In the above description, I have emphasized what “we” will do. I mean that: the course is meant to be a collaborative investigation. Class time will be devoted largely to discussions of the readings and the issues they touch upon. I’ve designed the course to give you a range of opportunities to participate in the class and contribute to its course. Of course, you are encouraged to actively engage with discussions, raising questions, making points and otherwise contributing to the flow of the conversation. Note that the reading load for this course is heavy and in some cases involves material that is quite dense. The readings for the course are extensive, and essential. Your reactions to the content, ideas and evidence presented in the reading will be crucial to what we do in class. Doing the reading in time for class is thus critical to the success of the course.
In reading selections, you will find it useful to take notes and write down particular questions you might have or topics you would like to discuss. As a student, I found that underlining or highlighting passages, while helpful, was not the best way to prepare me to participate in class discussions. I started to take notes on a separate sheet of paper (or on my computer), listing the relevant page number on the left and then some idea or quote that I found interesting next to it. In class, then, I could use this as an index of my ideas, and then point to a particular passage as a basis for a question or to present my perspective on a particular issue. You may find that developing a note-taking system will work for you. Please bring the readings to class on the day for which they are assigned. If you do not do the readings, you will get little out of the class. If you do the readings, but have nothing to say about them, then the class as a whole will suffer. The more you get involved, the more you will get out of the class, and the more exciting, engaging, and successful the class will be as whole.
Ideally, students in this course:
• Will gain a basic knowledge of the major forces and events shaping US expansion from 1776-1910s
• Will deepen their understandings of the course themes through critical analysis of the different phases of US expansion and the different peoples and places conquered or occupied by the US.
• Will develop their skills of written and oral expression
• Will gain experience doing historical research and in reading and interpreting primary and secondary sources
• Will draw connections among the political, economic, cultural, and social dimensions of expansionism
Course Requirements
1. Participation, Attendance and short papers. This category includes reading, attendance & participation in discussions. Students can participate in class by making points and connections, raising questions, listening and responding to the comments of other students, and otherwise engaging with the flow of the discussion. Informal writing assignments, which will not be given a letter grade but will be assigned a number from 0-4 that assesses their general quality, include 5 1-2-page Discussion Papers and 2 historical news reports (which will be explained in class). You may skip one of those 7 assignments, at your choosing (i.e. one of the discussion papers or one of the historical news reports). A variety of other short assignments for class preparation may also be required. Active listening and asking questions and making comments are integral parts of class participation. Regular attendance is expected (more than three unexcused absences will begin to severely impact your participation grade, and further absences will eventually lead to a withdrawal from class). (25%)
2. A short (@10 minute) in-class presentation, on a topic related to US Expansion and Empire Building, to be selected by the student. Ideas for topic include a president of your own choosing and his policies related to imperial expansion; a particular Indian Nation and how it confronted US expansion or how it built its own empire (e.g. Comanche or Sioux); an aspect of one of the US Wars in the period; the views of particular anti- or pro-imperialist Americans or non-American viewers of America; how some nation confronted US imperialism or invasion; or some other topic in US history that relates to empire building. Topics should fit somewhere within the central chronological range of the course, from 1776-1919 (though I am willing to consider topics outside of these parameters; just talk with me). Guidelines for the presentation will be distributed, and students should select a topic by the end of the second week of classes. (5%)
3. An interpretive essay: a 5-6 page paper due in Week 7; guidelines will be distributed in class. (22%)
4. A second interpretive essay, due in Week 12. (22%)
5. Final Project: research essay. A 7-10 page paper on a topic relevant to the course, making use of both primary and secondary sources. A prospectus for your final project is due in week 13 and the final project is due Wednesday of Finals Week. Guidelines will be distributed in class after week 9. (26%)
Note on Quiz Possibilities: depending on the quality of class discussions and the collective sense of how thoroughly and completely the reading is being done, we may need to add quizzes or other assignments to the course itinerary (in which case, the percentage weight of some of the above categories will be reduced to make room for the quizzes, etc).
Grading Policies
The work in all of the above categories will be taken into account to determine your final grade. In general, the writing asks you to go far beyond the recitation of facts and information. You will be formulating your own ideas and arguments, gathering and organizing evidence to support your positions, and putting it all together in finished essays that are at their best polished, engaging, original, creative, and/or provocative. I will distribute more specific criteria that I use in evaluating your longer papers. The Discussion Papers are more informal in orientation, and one of their purposes is to allow you to pursue your ideas and hone your writing talents without the pressure of grades. The following statements will give you some idea what level of work and participation constitutes what kind of grade in this course:
Work that is of D-level or below does not rise to the standards of expectations in the class, which are reflected in the description of C-level work.
C-level work is considered both average and respectable in this course. Work that merits a C represents a serious engagement with the class and the course materials by the student. For papers, this means that the paper deals with its topic, makes use of the proper number and type of sources, shows that the student has grappled with the readings and issues, and advances a central idea or thesis. Yet, the thesis may be vague and there may be problems with the mechanics, organization or clarity of the paper. In terms of participation, the C-level student regularly attends, is attentive to what is going on in the classroom, occasionally offers ideas and perspectives in class, completes the Prep Papers in satisfactory fashion, and willingly contributes to small group discussions.
B-level work is very good. It represents both serious engagement with and reasonable mastery of the course material. The B-level student maintains their degree of engagement throughout the course, and usually their work shows improvement. Papers that merit a B are well-crafted and organized, advance a central thesis that addresses the paper’s topic in an interesting or illuminating fashion, are mostly free from mechanical and grammatical errors, draw effectively on a range of materials, and are generally persuasive and cogent in their argument. B-level participation involves regular attendance and participation in class discussions. Comments and contributions are often based on a careful consideration of the readings. For example, such a student may sometimes point to a specific passage in the text to back up or develop their comment or question.
A-level work is exceptional. Not only do A-level papers display all of the good qualities of a B-paper, their central argument is advanced with an exceptionally impressive degree of sophistication, originality or insight. The paper’s organization, craft and use of evidence are all excellent. In terms of participation, contributions to class discussions are both frequent and particularly insightful.
Late Policy: Assignments that are up to 24 hours late will receive a 1/3 grade reduction (e.g. a B would become a B-); assignments turned in more than one but less than two days late will be lowered 2/3 of a grade; work turned in three days late will be lowered a full grade; work turned in beyond three-days late will be lowered a 1 and 1/3rd grade.
Academic Honesty
Faith in your academic integrity is vital to all we do at UPS. It should go without saying that the college expects that all work submitted for evaluation in courses will be the product of the student’s own labor and imagination. Of course, you are free to speak with others about your work and share ideas and perspectives. In writing your papers, though, you are developing your own ideas and arguments. You can incorporate the ideas or words of others in your own paper, but to do so you must properly cite your sources. Turning in a paper that attempts to pass off the words or ideas of others as your own constitutes plagiarism (see The Logger for more information). Like other forms of cheating, plagiarism is a contamination that pollutes our environment. Students who knowingly turn in work that involves plagiarism or is marred by other forms of cheating will not pass the course, though more severe penalties may be recommended for egregious cases.