African American history has many beginnings all over the Atlantic World in Europe, North and South America, and Africa. This course begins with by blending and connecting the histories of many continents then moves on to focus on the lives of Africans, Atlantic Creoles, and African Americans in what became the Untied States of America. Students will learn about the social construction of race in early America, the development of America's system of chattel slavery, and the expansion of the "peculiar institution." Students will also learn about free people of color, resistance to slavery, and the contributions of African Americans to American politics and society. The course concludes with the American Civil War and the Reconstruction, an era when African Americans asserted their political presence in new ways and actively redefined American freedom. Students will be required to read and write critically by thinking about how race, class, and gender intersect. Students will also engage both primary and secondary sources to hone their analytical skills, to improve their academic writing, and to better understand the African American past.

African American history has many beginnings all over the Atlantic World in Europe, North and South America, and Africa. This course begins with by blending and connecting the histories of many continents then moves on to focus on the lives of Africans, Atlantic Creoles, and African Americans in what became the Untied States of America. Students will learn about the social construction of race in early America, the development of America's system of chattel slavery, and the expansion of the "peculiar institution." Students will also learn about free people of color, resistance to slavery, and the contributions of African Americans to American politics and society. The course concludes with the American Civil War and the Reconstruction, an era when African Americans asserted their political presence in new ways and actively redefined American freedom. Students will be required to read and write critically by thinking about how race, class, and gender intersect. Students will also engage both primary and secondary sources to hone their analytical skills, to improve their academic writing, and to better understand the African American past.