Well, this is REALLY late, because I didn't see that we had to post our "final reflections," but better late than never I suppose.

I think the biggest way that this class has changed my perspective on all of history, not simply American history, is that I now have a much deeper understanding of the need for historiographical analysis. Understanding the sources of our historical narrative is one of the most important jobs of historians and of educated people in general. This is why I chose to write my research paper on a historiographical topic, and that exercise in particular furthered my understanding of how historians' biased opinions and attempts at objectivity can lead us to see things in our past that were not actually there or neglect to observe things from our past that were in fact there.
Gaddis's book really drove this point home for me (although I was, of course, insulted by his sometimes unmerited attacks on the social sciences), because it appropriately showed the need for history as a guidebook for the future as well as proving that history can be misleading and misused, as it is something that "we can only represent" rather than recreate.

I know this entry for a course reflection is long overdue, but as they say better late than never. Also I just wanted to say that this course has shown me specific events and people that I hadn't studied before in a U.S. History course. But more importantly, it has opened my eyes to broader ideas and ways of thinking that both are incorporated in, and go beyond, the topics covered in this course.

Before this class, I had never before put any considerable thought into basic types of human interactions that this class has highlighted. This discussion board has been both a medium and a source of inspiration for my broader thinking- which has allowed me to ponder things such as the reasons for the countless differences that lead to disagreement and conflict, as well as diversity and individuality. It has given me new insight into the origins of humanity, basic characteristics of humans, how humans interact with other humans, and how man perceives and interprets their environment.

And it's how this period of history are presented and emphasized that really make you think more into how and why these events occurred, as opposed to the typical grade schools courses that only seemed to focus on names and dates. Guarneri's book that this class focused on most also lets you know that American history, just like that of any other country, isn't independent of the global history and that every event in American history has influenced another country's history or occurred by the influence another country had on America. So I must say I have learned a lot from this American History course- both objective and subjective in nature.

This class has taught me a lot about the shortcomings of the discipline of history and also about the continued need for it. It has caused me to think a good deal about our time in history and what it will look like to future generations. What are our cultural blind spots that historians 100 years from now will censure us for? Gaddis was a refreshing read because he talked about the difficulties of moral judgments, and yet he emphasized their importance. Historians should censure us for our misdeeds as a country. We should look back in our history and recognize the good and bad deeds - not with an air of superiority, but with a recognition of the possibility that we could fall into those same errors if we do not learn from those before us.
This course has reminded me that our country's history is not a simple subject to study. Too often I just think of the stories I learned when I was in elementary school. It has shown me how deep our cultural myths (the Jeremiad, especially) run. It has been helpful to learn about the different schools of historians since they influence our ideas about America so much. One thing I haven't liked is that as soon as you get into a topic you're interested in, you have to move along to the next thing. But I guess that's just the nature of the class.

Dr. Benson, I have a question.
How should we study the conservation part of our notes?
What and who is important to know? Because my notes are all over the place
for that section.

Q: How should we study the conservation part of our notes?
What and who is important to know? Because my notes are all over the place
for that section.

------------

A: A good question for the study session. Think of this as involving three phases, each of which carries within it several different dimensions or viewpoints.

Phase one involves the different and competing ideas about the relationship between humans and nature in the abstract, including (a) dominion over nature (2) Enlightenment "gardening" of nature (3) Romanticism's belief in a wild, rugged, "authentic" nature untouched and distinct from humans, and (4) The ordinary experience of farmers and city dwellers of nature as a dangerous and capricious force.

Phase two involves the first formal discussions of environmentalism and the mid-to-late 19th century efforts to formulate state environmental policy and regulation. This is where our discussions of the Marsh report on deforestation, the Timber and Stone Act, Water policy and the Army Corps, etc, come in.

Phase three involves Progressive Era legislation to create the national park system and the national forest system. Here the contrast between Muir's "nature as God's temple" ideal competes against Roosevelt's pragmatic "manage nature to assure its bounty of human uses."

Fill these in with dates and policies, and connect them to other developments (urbanization, industrialization, transportation, nationalization, rationalization and managerial regulation) and you'll be well on your way.

Edited by author 12-11-2007 03:22 PM
It appears as though I'm one of the last to post on this but here's my course reflections:
I've never had a course that dealt with historiography until this term, when in fact I had two, but it was a nice respite from the high school courses that were merely repetitive dates. It was interesting to look at the different interpretations and schools of history, each that offer differing ways of perspectives on writing about events and history.
The Gaddis book drew many points together and supplements many points well. It paints an interesting picture of the sometime difficult job of the historian to attempt to explain history for us, the reader. I especially enjoyed the sometimes almost derogatory address of the social sciences considering that's what I switched my major from...Also it came in handy for an essay that I wrote on historiography for my exam this morning.

I would also like to make a post that I was out of town and didn't post for the week. The week of 11/5, we read articles by Roosevelt and Muir, both on conservation issues. Both pieces address conservation of American materials and resources but in very different ways. Roosevelt addresses natural resource conservation from an economic point of view. Issues such as the nation's waterways are addressed, not for environmental issues but rather for economic purposes. Muir addresses forests and trees. He does not address the economic issues but rather sticks to more of a moral argument.
Interestingly enough, Roosevelt argues that it is the responsibility of the current generation to conserve resources in order to not deprive and degrade the future generations. After reading Emperors in the Jungle, I wonder how Roosevelt would argue the issue of environmental conservation with all of the environmental issues that as stated in the book took place druing the building of the Canal in Panama.

I thought it was interesting to read about democratization and the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989. This was interesting to me because I could relate this to things that were happening in China at the same time. In 1989, the Chinese leader, Deng Xiaoping, had hundreds of protesters for democracy killed. He tightened social policies because he did not want the Glasnost and Perestroika that Nikita Kruschev implemented in the USSR. It is interesting to see how much communism around the world died at this time, but China still remained a communist state. One of my favorite things during this class was relating the material to things I had learned in US Government and World Politics.

Course reflection:
I came into this course expecting to learn approximately the same things I did in HST-24, US Social and Intellectual. This however, was pleasantly not the case. In addition, i was happy to find that it didn't exactly bear resemblance to the other US history courses I have taken, either. The study of schools, specifically, is what made this class unique. I had heard of them and read from most, but the discussion on their differences and how they were brought about made them more real. The differing interpretations of historical events should be something obvious, but the extent to which these interpretations can change over time is sometimes stunning. It highlights the extent to which not just historians, but people in general are shaped by their current surroundings.

Edited by author 12-11-2007 07:12 PM
sorry if there are any spelling problems, especially with names. i spell phonetically. or close to it.

review notes:
Periodization (dividing up)
 -precontact
 -early colonial (jamestown 1607, eurpeanization 1689 - 92)
 -late colonial (-1763, proclamation line,natives lose ability to play european powers against each other, as GB has all)
 -revolutionary period 1763 - 1776 - 87-1789
 -early national 1789ish - 1845ish
 -civil war era 1845-1877
 -"gilded age" 1877-1896, mckinley presidency, realignment, international thinking.... dated variously
 -progressive era 1896-1918 dated variously
 -20s
 -depression/new deal 1932 - 1940
 -ww2 1939-45
 -sixties 60-73
 -cold war 1945-1989

have professional historians from progressive era onward.

essay might have relationship between periods and historians interpretive schools. be aware of overlap of schools.
banning rev and earl national
calloway gilded
bowley twenties--60s
poland ww2 on


new left includes, given agency, voice, etc: african americans, women, labor, immigrants

 
exam, people to look at:
will not include "the recent trends"
heroic patrician: irving, weams (where did they come from, where did they get ideas, etc)
scientific nationalist: baxter adams, heart, wilson
progressives: becker, beard, mary beard (one of the first to say women matter), turner (one of most important ever, somewhat transitional btw SN)
anti-progressive: hoffstadr, hartz, boorstin
"new" historians: bailyn, wood

hoffstadr denies that class issues are a causal issue in anything... all leaders, jefferson + hamilton, are wealthy elites, just with some different values. arguing about details, not basic structure. small town elites control the conversation, meaning immigrants, poor, and big town elites. anything that doesn't support that viewpoint gets supressed, sometimes violently. winner take all system prevents anyone outside never gets a serious place.

gattis - others say that movement occurs slowly... shifting the concensus. workers rights, 8 hr day wouldn't happen in the gilded age.. but eventually caught on.

cooley vs board of wardens 1851 -1890s - statement about balance between state and federal regulatory power, state rights case. decided by taney court. strict constructionist... decided dred scott. in cooley, court balances: interstate commerce is province of fed gov't, but there is a certain point where state and local gov't have an interest and can control reg... ie board of wardens and having a philly pilot. where fed chooses not to regulate, state and local can take over. -> anti-dumping statutes, etc. makes fed take over more, as states aren't very good.

no more than 20/45 of short answers from before midterm, some guarnari, books, assigned biographies


look at guanari and historians lead to depression arguments, all play some sort of role, but all fairly different.

I just realized that I missed the last posting of the semester as well as the first one. Not a good way to start or the end semester. Anyways, I thoroughly enjoyed partaking in a class that looked at history in a manner that I was not accustomed. Now, having completed my last history class in my major, it is interesting to reflect on the different ways that history is taught, and viewed. Some professors tend to focus on the dates, and major events, while others attempt to use their students implied understanding of significant historical events as a means to show its overall impact on the world's diverse societies. I thought this course was solid balance of both, while still adding its own unique flavor by giving students an understanding of "who" writes history. Some of histories most famous writers are names like Turner, Hofstadter, Weems; all of which were foreign to me until I enrolled in this class. I thought the peer-biographical portion of the class was an incredible method for students to truly understand. The difficult process that historians must go through in deciding what is important enough to be written about. I plan to carry with me a "more critical" view of American history textbooks, while at the same time a greater appreciation for those that shaped its pages. Thanks for everything.

So.. I just typed my final reflection, as well as an extra bonus post the Dr. Benson mention. However, when I went to submit it, I forgot to fill in my name and therefore, my post was deleted! In the midst of all of this stress and studying, I am going to try my best to recompose the messages that I wrote..

Following behind the rest of the late reflection posts that I completely forgot about in the middle of all of this studying, I still have yet to post my final reflection!

This course has been unlike any history class that I have taken throughout my academic career. Not only have I stretched my brain to the furthest limit possible, but I have also learned some incredible, and very valuable techniques and resources that will carry me through the rest of life. In stead of memorizing dates and facts and only focusing on key historical figures, we have been able to peek into the mind of some of the most prominent historical thinkers. One of my favorite parts of this course was being able to take extremely different historical issues, like Carried Away by Rachel Bowlby and Our Hearts Fell to the Ground by Colin Calloway, and having the opportunity to pieces together the links between the two that I would have normally never thought about. I also benefited greatly from listening to my classmates through discussions and questions. As I study for this exam now, I realize just how much material we have covered in such a short amount of time. Learning about the several historical eras and the historians that defined them allowed me to critically view history as something that was real and tangible, rather than just data and fact that I spit back out on a test. I just hope that I will be able to remember all of it!

My bonus post!!!

While studying for my exam, I took the time to review each biography that we have covered during this course. After browsing through the backgrounds, accomplishments, failures, and milestones of people like Margaret Sanger, Carl Becker, Charles Beard, and Washington Gladden, I found a whole new personal side to history. All of these people have made incredible an impact on history and democracy today. For example, Margret Sanger was the founder of the birth control movement and even originated the term. A feminist to the core, she persevered through times when women had little respect and came out with a bright, shiny gold star, as well as organizations such as the American Birth Control League in 1928 and Planned Parenthood Federation of America in 1942. Other major players, such as George Wallace, 1919-1998) had an impact in a different way. This Governor from Alabama was an unwavering segregationist that worked so hard to prevent change. He was so against the civil rights movements that he was actually titled the "fighting judge". I recently found out that one of my friend's friend's mother (sorry, that is a complicated chain) actually had play dates with Wallace's daughter in Alabama. This fact gave me a personal connection to history and made studying about him, as well as other segregationists and civil rights activists, more real and interesting.
After the class review tonight, I realized just how many historians we have covered. In the progressive school, Charles Beard and his wife Mary were definitely a power couple that impacted history. Charles, who emphasised socioeconomic conflicts and changes, was a major leader in the progressive movement. His Economic Interpretation of the Constitution in 1913 expressed his views on how the Constitution was formed by interest groups with personal finance motives. His outspoken and radical views pushed others to explore these different issues and topics.
Ok.. back to studying about these fascinating people!

After skimming back over the syllabus, I realized that I never posted anything for 11/5. So here are my thoughts on Conservationism. The president's report of the National Conservation Commission emphasizes conservation of resources for the public good. This also seemed to be a theme in the lecture on conservationism. There was special emphasis on preserving and managing of natural resources for their use to humans. John Muir's "The American Forests," on the other hand, seems to view the forest as good in their own right, not just because of their potential benefit to people.

My post for 10/24:

While reading through the Patent Medine website, I found it interesting the techniques taken to obtain a patented medicine. Peculiar "cures" were invented to such things as knowledge of Native Americans and patriotism. While browsing the gallery of medicines, I found the cure for nervousness to be interesting. Though this product may have been marketable to those unaware of its worthlessness in actually curing nervousness. However, the cure for the common headache may have attracted much attention to those in search for a remedy. The wide array of medicines is undoubtedly an interesting combination.