Pol S 334 - Civil War Syllabus - Winter 2023.pdf
The American Civil War: Its Meanings and Legacies in U.S. Politics
The Civil War was the most pivotal event in U.S. history and its effects are still felt in American politics: we see these effects in the relationship between regional geography and party identity; debates over Confederate memorials and reparations for slavery; conflicts over voting rights; controversies over Presidential war powers; and the resurgence of secession talk in both the South and the West. By going back in time and studying the Civil War’s causes, conduct, and consequences, we empower ourselves to better understand contemporary events. This seminar does a deep dive into the Civil War and Reconstruction, their historical meanings, and their political afterlives. Specific subjects include slavery in the U.S. Constitution; sectional conflict; the political thought of Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and Abraham Lincoln; the secession crisis; emancipation as a political and social process; Reconstruction and the fight over suffrage; the endurance of white supremacy; the question of reparations; and the Civil War in American memory. Students will read a mix of historical narratives, primary sources documents, and interpretive essays.