Moodle

In this module, we will examine the social, political and economic encounters between European settlers, Native Americans, and African-Americans that have shaped the social and political development of the United States. The first term will primarily deal with social and political relations between the United States government and Native Americans. We begin with the early English colonisation of North America, proceeding with Westward expansion, and federal policies including moving Native Americans to reservations and removing children from their parents. We finish the term by looking at contemporary issues such as the industrialization of Native American landscapes, ill health and alcohol abuse on reservations, and the new and exciting social movements associated with Native American cultural revitalization.

The Spring term focuses on Black-White Racial Politics. We will start our focus on the relationships between Euro-Americans and Afro-descended peoples by examining the contemporary relevance of enslavement as expressed in art and culture and on university campuses. We then rewind to look at the global slave trade, and significantly Britain’s large role in it, before looking at the figure of Thomas Jefferson, a president, author of the Declaration of Independence and slaveholder. We then move on to recent histories of racial segregation, the civil rights and anti-poverty reforms of the 1960s, racial justice, affirmative action and finish by examining the debate over reparations for African-Americans.