HIST226

Explores American political history from Independence through the present day. Interrogates the roots of American political ideas, the dynamics of partisan competition, the interaction of class, ethnicity, race, and politics, the evolution of policy preferences, the growth of the state, and the transformation of grassroots expectations and ambitions, among other important themes. By exploring the writings of major figures as well as the preferences of anonymous voters--and everyone in between, this course will help students identify the overarching themes and the important forgotten moments in our nation's political development. Students will end the semester armed with a mastery of this history, an understanding of the methods of political historians and scholars in related fields, and a contextualization of our contemporary political world.