The World of Thomas Jefferson
 Dr. Adamiak

This syllabus is only for reference. The up-to-date syllabus can be obtained from the History Department.
 
 

 The purpose of this course is to explore the  Jeffersonian period of the early republic, roughly between 1789 and 1815. Students will gain a broad understanding of the period and improve their skills as historians through written assignments and oral presentations.

Required Texts:  Norman Risjord, Jefferson's America
                          Joseph Ellis, American Sphinx
                          Merrill Peterson (ed.), The Portable Thomas Jefferson

Office Hours: My office is 204E  LA. The office phone number is 974-5451.  My email is sadamiak@uco.edu.

Grading:
Attendance/ Participation  10%
Book reviews/Presentations     40%
Term Paper    50%

Incomplete will only be given in the extreme cases.

Book Reviews: Since historians never have the time to read everything in their field, they depend upon book reviews to discover which books are the best in their field.  Writing book reviews is an important skill. Each student will complete five book reviews throughout the course and make brief presentations to the class. Book reviews should comply with guidelines distributed in class.

Term papers: Each student will complete a scholarly paper of approximately 20 to 25 pages  on some aspect of "Jeffersonian America." During class, The student will make
a twenty minute presentation based upon her/his research. This is good practice for presenting a paper at a conference Approximately 1 week before the presentation, the student should turn in a draft to the reviewer and the instructor. The author is also encouraged to make a copy available for the class to review.

Critiques: Each student will also have the opportunity to critique another student's term paper. The reviewer  will make a brief oral presentation discussing its relative strengths and weaknesses. In addition,  a written commentary approximately 2-3 pages will be presented to the author and instructor.

Attendance: Each student is expected to attend class on a regular basis. In case of absence, the student remains responsible for any lecture material or announcements made during the missed class.

Academic Dishonesty: Under no circumstances will academic dishonesty be tolerated. Typical examples of academic dishonesty include (but are not necessarily restricted to) cheating on examinations and/or plagiarism. Plagiarism means representing someone else's work as your own. Some examples of plagiarism are:

    • Quoting, paraphrasing, or summarizing text or other works on an exam, term paper, or assignment without citing the source.

• Handing in a paper purchased from a term paper service, the Internet, or taking a paper from a "file."

• Retyping a friend's paper and handing it in as your own

Guidelines for avoiding plagiarism will be distributed in class. Academic dishonesty may result in the student failing the course.

Students with disabilities who believe they may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact Equity Officer Brad Morelli at ext. 2573, or see me after class as soon as possible to better ensure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.
 
 

Class Schedule:

     Jan. 21: Introduction
Jan. 28: Discussion- Jeffersonian America. Book review due.
Feb. 4: Discussion- American Sphinx.  Book Review Due
Feb. 11: Preliminary topic and bibliography due.
Feb. 18: The Revolutionary Legacy
 Bernard Bailyn, The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution
 Gordon S. Wood, The Radicalism of the American Revolution
  Forest McDonald, Novus Ordo Seclorum: The Intellectual Origins of the Constitution

Feb. 25: The First Party System
  David Hackett Fischer, The Revolution of American Conservatism: The Federalist
    Party in the Era of Jeffersonian Democracy
  Noble E. Cunningham, The Jeffersonian Republicans: The Formation of Party
    Organization, 1789-1801
  Thomas P. Slaughter, The Whiskey Rebellion: Frontier Epilogue to the American
    Revolution
 Stephen G. Kurtz, The Presidency of John Adams: The Collapse of Federalism
 Lance Banning, The Jeffersonian Persuasion: Evolution of a Party Ideology
  Richard Buel, Securing the Revolution: Ideology and American Politics, 1789- 1815

March 4: Europe and America
  Albert H. Bowman, The Struggle for Neutrality: Franco-American Diplomacy During the
    Federalist Era
  Alexander DeConde, Entangling Alliance: Politics and Diplomacy under George
    Washington
 Bradford Perkins, The First Rapproachment
 Alexander DeConde, The Quasi-War
 Michael Palmer, Stoddert's War: Naval Operations During the Quasi-War with France

March 11: Revolution of 1800
 Daniel Sisson, The American Revolution of 1800
 Noble E. Cunningham, The Process of Government under Jefferson
 Robert M. Johnstone, Jeffferson and the Presidency
 Richard Ellis, The Jeffersonian Crisis; Courts and Politics in the Young Republic
 Spencer Tucker, The Jeffersonian Gunboat Navy
 Theodore Crackel, Mr. Jefferson's Army: Political and Social Reform of the Military
    Establishment, 1801-1809*

March 18: Spring Break

March 25: The West
 Donald Jackson, Thomas Jefferson and the Stony Mountains
 Bernard Sheehan, Seeds of Extinction: Jeffersonian Philanthropy and the American Indian
 R. David Edmunds, Tecumseh and the Quest for Indian Leadership
 Stephen Ambrose, Undaunted Courage

April 1: The War of 1812
 Burton Spivak, Jefferson's English Crisis
 Bradford Perkins, Prologue to War
 Donald Hickey, The War of 1812: A Forgotten Conflict
 J.C.A. Stagg, Mr. Madison's War*
 Steven Watts, The Republic Reborn: War and the Making of Liberal America

April 8: Presentations

April 15: Presentations

April 22: Presentations

April 29: Presentations

May 6: Final papers due