HIST219Q

There are more than two million Americans behind bars. The United States, which is home to just 5% of the world s population, incarcerates 25% of the global prison population, vastly more than any other country in the world. How did it come to this? When did the land of the free become the land of the unfree? This course, which includes a field trip to Philadelphia to visit Eastern State Penitentiary historical site, tries to understand how, when, and why America became the world's jailorand whatwe can do to build a brighter, freer future for everyone.