The United States in the World, 1776 to the Present

HTY 2043

From the first European settlements in America to the Trump Presidency, the United States has been a nexus of the worldwide movement of people, ideas, and goods that we call ""globalization."" A global perspective is therefore crucial to understanding myriad aspects of the country's history, from revolutionary warfare, to state-building, to the abolition of slavery, to U.S. contributions to universal human rights. Drawing on a variety of primary and secondary sources, including literature, films, and digital archives, this seminar traces the transformation of the United States from a settler-colonial society into a marginal Atlantic state and, following WWII, a global superpower. Its themes will include: American exceptionalism, empire, colonialism, slavery, Indigenous and Black resistance, Cold War politics and foreign relations, and the future of the United States in a globalizing world.