History 355: The Age of Revolution, 1760-1840
Professor
Terry Bouton
Phone:
410-455-2056
E-MAIL:
bouton[at]umbc.edu
Office:
722 Administration Bldg.
Office Hours: Wed., 2:30-3:30pm, 6:00pm-7:00pm and Friday by appointment
(It is always
best to email before you plan to come to office hours so I can block out
time for you. I typically schedule meetings with students and advisees
during office hours, so it's best to contact me before you plan to arrive to
make certain I'm available.)
Course
Webpage: http://userpages.umbc.edu/~bouton/RebelsRev/Revolutions2013.htm
*I would advise bookmarking this page
since it has links to all the documents and assignments*
Course Meeting Place: Information Technology 231
Campus
Map: http://www.umbc.edu/aboutumbc/campusmap/map_flash.html
Course Meeting Time: Wed.
1:00PM – 2:15PM
Course
Description:
This course
will examine the revolutions that the spread across the Atlantic World from the
mid-18th to the mid-19th century, a period some have called the ÒAge of
Revolutions.Ó The primary focus will be exploring the ÒsuccessfulÓ revolutions
of the era: the rebellion of the thirteen British American colonies, the
internal revolution within France, the independence movement that wound up
ending slavery in the French island of Saint-Domingue
(Haiti), and the numerous wars of independence in Latin America. Given the
breadth of topics, the objective is not to gain an exhaustive understanding of
any one revolution, but rather to explore the connections between them
all. To do this we will scrutinize the revolutions using the same set of
analytical categories for each one: 1) the revolutionÕs causes; 2) the process
by which the revolution unfolded; 3) its internal conflicts; 4) the ideologies
guiding the revolution and how they found expression in it in the form of new
governments and laws; 5) the effect of warfare on the course of the revolution;
6) the emergence of counter-revolutions against the main revolution, either
those that openly opposed the revolution (Loyalists or Royalists) or those
within the revolutionary coalition who want to scale back the revolution; and
7) the revolutionÕs outcome: the changes it brought and an assessment of its
winners and losers. We will use these categories to explore a range of
questions: In what ways were the revolutions similar? Did they share common
causes, trajectories, ideals, and outcomes? How revolutionary was each
revolution in terms opening up rights and freedoms and shifting power to Òthe
peopleÓ? What changes did they bring politically, economically, socially, and
in terms of class, race, and gender? Whose position improved? Whose did not?
What made some revolutions more successful than others? Why did each revolution
seem to become increasingly revolutionary (and often more democratic) as they
progressed? Why did each revolution then end with rights and powers being
scaled back from what could be called their democratic high point? To what
extent were these diverse revolutions independent events? How much did they
inspire one another? To what extent are these revolutions similar enough to
merit the name ÒAge of RevolutionÓ? Or were these revolutions too dissimilar to
be considered part of a single revolutionary age?
Course Format:
The course will be lecture, classroom discussion, near-weekly Blackboard
assignments, and a 7-page paper. Lectures will form the core of the material on
which students will be tested. Discussions as well as the Blackboard postings
will be based on readings of books and documents posted online. The paper will
involve an investigation of an aspect of one of the revolutions we are
studying.
Learning Objectives:
Readings:
The
following books will be available for purchase at the campus bookstore:
1)
Ray
Raphael, Alfred F. Young, Gary Nash, eds., Revolutionary
Founders: Rebels, Radicals, and Reformers in the Making of the Nation
(Vintage) [Paperback] ISBN-10: 0307455998 | ISBN-13: 978-0307455994
2)
William
Doyle, The French Revolution: A Very Short Introduction [Paperback]
Oxford University Press,
ISBN-10: 0192853961 | ISBN-13: 978-0192853967
3)
Lynn
Hunt, ed., The French Revolution and Human Rights: A Brief
Documentary History, Bedford St. Martins, ISBN-13:
978-0-312-10802-1
4)
Laurent
Dubois, John D. Garrigus, eds., Slave
Revolution in the Caribbean, 1789-1804: A Brief History with Documents,
Bedford St. Martins, ISBN-13: 978-0-312-41501-3
5)
John
Lynch, Simon Bolivar: A Life (Paperback), Yale University Press, ISBN-13: 978-0300126044
All
of these books are (or will be) available at the campus bookstore (except
perhaps the Graham book, of which there are plenty of used copies available
through internet book sellers. When possible, I have
also put a copy of the books on 3-day reserve at the library.
IMPORTANT:
The campus bookstore usually only keeps books in stock for the first half of
the semester. Consequently, you need to purchase your books early in the
semester and, preferably, at the start of the course. I will not accept
Òthe bookstore ran outÓ as an excuse for missed reading assignments.
Requirements:
(I
reserve the right to make changes to the requirements or to the schedule.)
MIDTERM EXAM: |
100 pts. |
FINAL EXAM: |
100 pts. |
PAPER: |
100 pts. |
READING POSTINGS: |
100 pts. |
TOTAL GRADE: |
400 pts. |
At
the end of the semester:
360-400 points will be an A
320-359 points will be a B
280-319 points will be a C
240-279 points will be a D
Below 240 points will be an F
Examinations:
Both the
midterm and the final exams will be composed of an essay section and a series
of identifications (define and explain the significance of various names,
events, places, ideas, etc., drawn from lectures and readings). For the final
examination, the identification portion will NOT be cumulative; the essay
portion will be somewhat cumulative, but will emphasize material from the
second half of the course. Both exams are closed books, closed notes.
Paper:
Each
student will write a seven-page, double-spaced, normal-margined, normal-fonted, non-first draft, non-plagiarized paper comparing
and contrasting the French and Haitian revolutions using the documents in Hunt,
ed., The French Revolution and Human Rights and Dubois and Garrigus, eds., Slave
Revolution in the Caribbean, 1789-1804. The paper will present a THESIS and
work to develop and prove that thesis using specific examples and quotes from
the PRIMARY SOURCE DOCUMENTS contained in these two books. That thesis will be
an answer to the following question: Which
revolution---the French or the Haitian--was more revolutionary? Your paper
will make an argument for one or the other and build the case by COMPARING AND
CONTRASTING the two revolutions using specific EVIDENCE from the documents. You
do not need outside sources. I want you to build your case using only
evidence from the documents in these two books. Of course, you will need to
explain what you mean by ÒrevolutionaryÓ and how you are measuring each
revolution for revolutionary-ness (are you looking at the high points? Ideals?
Objectives? End results? Amount of overall change from start
to finish? Etc.). DonÕt just talk about the revolution you think is more
revolutionary; you need to discuss and present evidence from both revolutions
(and both books). You must support whatever points you make with specific
examples and quotes from the two books of documents. (Is it clear yet that I am
requiring you to provide specific evidence from both of the books to support
your points? If not, then let me tell you that you must attempt to prove your
points with quotes and specific examples from the primary source documents in
the two books). I will provide additional guidelines, suggestions, and advice
later in the semester. The paper is due
on the last day of class (Friday, May 10).
Blackboard
Reading Discussion:
The grade for
reading discussion will depend on the quality of your posts to the Blackboard
Discussion Board. There will be ELEVEN posting assignments throughout the
semester; at the end of the semester I will count your highest TEN postings
(meaning I will drop the lowest grade). Each posting will answer a specific
question based on the material being read for that particular assignment. I
have listed the questions below in the schedule and I will also post them on
Blackboard. For each posting, students will make an argument that they will support using SPECIFIC EXAMPLES and QUOTATIONS
from the reading. To receive a high grade, you must use quotations and
direct citations from the book (when appropriate) AND include the page number
where you got the example or quote (you can put the page numbers after the
quote or citation). I will be looking to make sure that you use
quotations and examples from THROUGHOUT the reading and not just from a few
pages at the beginning or end of the book. Think of the postings as
mini-papers of about a page of single-spaced text. Each posting will be worth
ten points.
Remember to ANSWER the QUESTION rather than just reporting what the reading
said. These are analytical essays designed to prove an argument; they are
NOT "book reports." If you simply recount what the chapters of the
book said or summarize the bookÕs narrative, you will not get a good grade. You
need to make an argument that answers the question. I do not care
what argument you make. There are numerous ways to answer the questions and
many different arguments that will earn you an A essay. But to earn that A (or
even a B), youÕll need to MAKE AN ARGUMENT that ANSWERS THE QUESTION.
I grade these postings based on the quality of your reading (as evidenced by
the examples and quotes you use) and your writing. One of my main goals in
these assignments is to improve your skill in writing analytical essays. I take
the postings VERY seriously, as should you. The best answers will be clearly
written and logically structured. They will begin with a brief introductory paragraph
that briefly reveals your answer to the question (i.e. spells out your thesis)
and lets me know what to expect from the subsequent paragraphs. I will grade
your essay based on the how well it succeeds in the elements of writing: making
a clear thesis statement; organizing ideas into coherent paragraphs that each
make a SINGLE argument; stating each paragraphÕs argument in a STRONG TOPIC
SENTENCE that BEGINS the paragraph; developing the paragraphÕs argument with
explanation and evidence; making effective use of evidence by ensuring that
specific examples and quotations work to prove the argument the paragraph is
trying to make—and, when the evidence is not entirely clear, explaining
how the quotes and examples make your point.
NOTE: To
receive full credit, you must make your posting by 12:00pm on the days listed
below (class begins at 1:00pm). If you do not finish your posting by
class time, do not cut class to submit a posting; simply submit it after
class. I will deduct DOUBLE the number of late points for any posting
submitted during the time that the class meets (all your submissions to
Blackboard are date and time stamped, so I will know when you wrote and
submitted them).
IMPORTANT:
I require everyone to save a personal copy of all of their discussion
postings (as well as the papers) on their home computer, thumb drive, cd, or
whatever storage device they choose.
IMPORTANT:
Blackboard is occasionally buggy. I HIGHLY suggest that you type out
your response with a word processing program and then cut and paste it into
Blackboard rather than the other way around. If you have a problem with
Blackboard, it is your responsibility to ensure that I receive a copy of your
posting by the deadline. DO NOT automatically email me a copy of every
posting. ONLY email postings in the event of a Blackboard emergency.
Students
enrolled in this course must have an active email account and access to the internet. HIST 355 uses Blackboard online software. This
means that you will have online access to course materials 24 hours a day, 7
days a week. Most assignments will be submitted online at the Blackboard
course website. As a UMBC student, you have a personal email account and access
to the internet and through the many on-campus computer
labs (locations, hours, etc.). You can also access Blackboard off
campus through a personal account or from the UMBC dial-up.
Getting started on Blackboard: Your registration with the UMBC
Registrar for HIST 355 will make you eligible to enroll in Blackboard. To gain
entrance to discussion boards and course material, you MUST enroll in the
online version of HIST 355 on the course Blackboard site in order to have full
access. BEFORE you do anything else, enroll in the course online at: http://blackboard.umbc.edu.
Academic
Integrity:
I expect
students enrolled in this course to abide by the UMBC Code of Student Conduct
for Academic Integrity (http://www.umbc.edu/sjp/articles/code.html).
If you are unclear about what plagiarism is, take a look at the Indiana
University website: Plagiarism:
What It Is and How to Recognize and Avoid It
(http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml).
By enrolling in this course, each student assumes the responsibilities
of an active participant in UMBC's scholarly community in which everyone's
academic work and behavior are held to the highest standards of honesty.
Cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, and helping others to commit these acts are
all forms of academic dishonesty, and they are wrong. Academic misconduct
could result in disciplinary action that may include, but is not limited to,
suspension or dismissal. To read the full Student Academic Conduct
Policy, consult the UMBC Student Handbook, the Faculty Handbook, or the UMBC
Policies section of the UMBC Directory.
I show no mercy toward cheaters.
If you are caught cheating on any test or assignment, you will receive a
zero for that grade and I will submit your name to the proper disciplinary
authority. Rest assured that I will do all I can to see that those disciplinary bodies take
the strongest possible action against anyone who cheats. At the very least, you will probably
fail the course. Egregious cases of
plagiarism will result in dismissal from the University. Potential cheaters: you have been
warned.
Schedule of Lectures, Exams, and Assignments
(You will be informed of changes to lecture topics, assignments, and due
dates)
Revolution #1: The
American Revolution
Week 1:
Wed., Jan. 30: Introduction: What was the Age of Revolutions? How
will we study these different revolutions?
Fri., Feb. 1: The
American Revolution (Causes): What were the causes of the American
Revolution?
Reading:
Raphael, et al. eds., Revolutionary Founders, Part 1, Revolutions, p. 1-113.
Post
1: Question: What do the lives of these individuals tell us about
the role that ordinary Americans played in the origins of the American
Revolution and the hopes for change that they brought to the cause? Post your
response to the Discussion Board by 12:00pm.
Week 2:
Wed., Feb. 6: The American Revolution (Process of
Revolution): How did the American Revolution unfold? What was the
process that led to the break with Great Britain?
Fri., Feb. 8: The American Revolution (Internal
Conflicts): How did the process of revolution divide different
Americans? What were the sources of conflict? What did the different sides in
the conflict want?
Reading:
Raphael, et al. eds., Revolutionary Founders, Part 2, Wars, p. 115-211.
Post
2: Question: What do these essays reveal about how different groups
of Americans experienced the War of Independence? Post your response to the
Discussion Board by 12:00pm.
Week 3:
Wed., Feb. 13: The
American Revolution (Ideology): What ideals guided the American
Revolution? How did different groups define those ideals? How did those ideals
find expression during the Revolution? To what extent did the Revolutionary
governments embody those ideals?
Fri., Feb. 15:
The
American Revolution (War): How
did the experiences of the War of Independence shape the process of revolution?
Reading:
Raphael, et al. eds., Revolutionary Founders, Part 3, The Promise of the
Revolution, p. 213-303
Week 4:
Wed., Feb.
20: The
American Revolution (Counter-Revolutions): Why did counter-revolutions
develop against the revolutionary governments on the state and national level?
Why did some of these counter-revolutions fail? How did an internal
counter-revolution succeed?
Fri., Feb.
22: The
American Revolution (Outcome: Winners and Losers): What were the end
results of the American Revolution? Who were its winners and losers?
Reading:
Raphael, et al. eds., Revolutionary Founders, Part 3, The Promise of the
Revolution, p. 304-395.
Post
3: Question: What do these essay tell us about the role that
ordinary Americans played in the origins of the American Revolution and the
hopes for change that they brought to the cause? Post your response to the
Discussion Board by 12:00pm.
Revolution #2:
The French Revolution
Week 5:
Wed.,
Feb. 27:
The French Revolution (Causes): What were the causes of the
French Revolution?
Fri.,
Mar. 1: The
French Revolution (Process of Revolution): How did the French
Revolution unfold? Why did it move from an attempt to reform the monarchy to
the abolition of monarchy and the execution of the monarch and much of the
nobility and aristocracy and the ÒterrorÓ?
Reading:
Doyle, The
French Revolution, ALL
Post
4: Question: What broad comparisons can you make between the
American Revolution and the French Revolution (with most of your focus on the
French Revolution and the Doyle book)? Post your response to the Discussion
Board by 12:00pm.
Week 6:
Wed., Mar. 6: The
French Revolution (Internal Conflicts): How did the French Revolution divide the French citizenry? What were the sources of conflict?
What did the different sides in the conflict want?
Fri., Mar.
8: The
French Revolution (Ideology): What ideals guided the French Revolution?
How did those ideals find expression in FranceÕs revolutionary governments?
Reading:
Hunt,
ed., The French Revolution and Human Rights, 1-79
Post
5: Question: Using primarily the documents in sections 1 and 2,
assess the difference the early stages of the French Revolution made by
comparing the documents relating to the rights that the French enjoyed before
1789 (section 1) with the documents relating to the Declaration of the Rights
of Man and Citizen (section 2). Post your response to the Discussion Board by
12:00pm.
Week 7:
Wed.,
Mar. 13: The
French Revolution (War): How
did the outbreak of war, both external and civil shape the course of the French
Revolution?
Fri.,
Mar. 15: The
French Revolution (Counter-Revolutions): Why did counter-revolutions
develop in France? Why did the first set of counter-revolutions fail? How did
an internal counter-revolution led by Napoleon succeed?
Reading:
Hunt,
ed., The French Revolution and Human Rights, 80-139
Post
6: Question: Use the documents in sections 3 to assess how
revolutionary the French Revolution was regarding issues of citizenship and
rights. Post your response to the Discussion Board by 12:00pm.
Week 8:
Wed., Mar.
20: SPRING
BREAK
Fri., Mar. 22: SPRING
BREAK
Week 9:
Wed., Mar. 27: The
French Revolution (Outcome: Winners and Losers): What were the end results of the French
Revolution? Who were its winners and losers?
Fri., Mar.
29: MIDTERM
EXAM
Click here for the Midterm Exam Study Guide
Revolution #3:
The Haitian Revolution
Week 10:
Wed., Apr. 3: The Haitian Revolution (Causes
and Process of Revolution): What were the causes of the Haitian
Revolution? How did it transform from demands for free trade into a revolution
that ended slavery?
Fri., Apr.
5: The
Haitian Revolution (War and Internal Conflicts): How did existing divisions in Saint-Domingue shape its revolution? How did the revolution
create new divisions and conflicts?
Reading:
Dubois and Garrigus, eds., Slave
Revolution in the Caribbean, 1789-1804, 1-132
Post
7: Question: Use the documents in sections 1-3 (p. 49-132) to assess
the objectives of the insurgents in Saint-Domingue
and the strategies they used to obtain those objectives. Post your response to
the Discussion Board by 12:00pm.
Week 11:
Wed., Apr. 10: The
Haitian Revolution (Ideology): What ideals guided the Haitian
Revolution? How did those ideals find expression in the islandÕs revolutionary
governments?
Fri., Apr. 12: The Haitian Revolution
(Counter-Revolutions): Why did a series of counter-revolutions
emerge in Saint-Domingue? Why did some of these fail? How did an internal counter-revolution
succeed in scaling back the revolution?
Reading: Dubois
and Garrigus, eds., Slave
Revolution in the Caribbean, 1789-1804, 133-199
Post
8: Question: Use the documents in sections 4-5 (p. 133-199) to
assess the rights and position of slaves as a result of the Haitian Revolution.
In terms of rights and position, what was the high point of the Haitian
Revolution? How revolutionary was the Haitian Revolution at its conclusion?
Post your response to the Discussion Board by 12:00pm.
Week 12:
Wed.,
Apr. 17: The
Haitian Revolution (Outcome: Winners and Losers): What were the end
results of the Haitian Revolution? Who were its winners and losers?
Revolution #4:
Revolutions in Latin American
Fri., Apr. 19: Latin American
Revolutions (Causes and Process of Revolution): What were the
causes of the Latin American Revolutions? How did calls for free trade and rights
for Creoles turn into a series of independence movements?
Reading:
Lynch, Simon
Bolivar, 1-90
Post
9: Question: What caused the Latin American Revolutions? Why did
Simon Bolivar get involved? How did his views of the revolution change as the struggle
intensified? Post your response to the Discussion Board by 12:00pm.
Week 13:
Wed., Apr. 24: Latin American Revolutions (Internal Conflicts): How did existing divisions in Latin America influence the revolutions in Latin America? How did the revolutions create new divisions?
Fri., Apr. 26: Latin
American Revolutions (War): How
did the wars of independence in Latin America shape the course of the
revolutions?
Reading:
Lynch, Simon
Bolivar, 91-196
Post
10: Question: How did the long and brutal war of independence change
the nature of the Latin American revolutions? Post your response to the
Discussion Board by 12:00pm.
Week 14:
Wed.,
May 1: Latin
American Revolutions (Counter-Revolutions): Why did counter
revolutions emerge in Latin America? Why did some fail and others
succeed?
Fri., May 3: Latin
American Revolutions (Ideology)?: What ideologies guided
the Latin American Revolutions? How did those ideologies find expression?
Reading:
Lynch, Simon
Bolivar, 197-304
Post
11: Question: What were the possibilities and limits of the Latin
American Revolutions in terms of providing rights and freedoms for the various
peoples of Latin America? Post your response to the Discussion Board by
12:00pm.
Week 15:
Wed.,
May 8: Latin
American Revolutions (Outcome: Winners and Losers): What were the end
results of the Latin American Revolutions? Who were the winners and losers?
Fri., May 10: The Age of
Revolution (Reverberations and Other Revolutions that Failed): How far
did the wave of revolution spread across the Atlantic? Why did numerous other
revolutions and uprisings in the era fail?
PAPER DUE
SUBMIT
AN ELECTRONIC COPY OF YOUR PAPER TO SAFEASSIGN ON BLACKBOARD.
DO
NOT SUBMIT A PAPER COPY.
Click here for Final Exam Study Guide