America has long defined itself as a country born out of a rebellion against tyranny with freedom and equality as its founding principles. But a closer examination of the historical record reveals problems with the standard American story – how can we be a country built on freedom and equality when our Founding Fathers embedded inequality in our founding documents?
Guided by the expertise of constitutional law scholar Kermit Roosevelt, this course invites students to critically examine the narratives that have shaped America, from the celebrated to the contentious. Through a deep exploration of foundational moments and overlooked histories, it lays bare the myths and realities that compose the American experience.
With a focus on the transformative periods of American history, such as the drafting of the Declaration of Independence, the Civil War, and the civil rights movement, the course scrutinizes the construction and impact of national stories. It questions how these narratives have served to unite or divide, to obscure truths, and to perpetuate injustices. By unearthing the diverse and often silenced voices from America’s past and present, Roosevelt encourages a more inclusive understanding of what it means to be American.
Overview
Syllabus
- National Stories
- This introductory module examines America's national narrative and the complex historical context from which our narrative was born. We will examine the "standard story" of America's founding and the complex contradictions between America's declared ideals and the reality of our historical practices of slavery and discrimination.
- The Philosophy of the Declaration
- This module examines the political philosophy of the Declaration of Independence, discussing the relationship between slavery and the Revolution, and describes the nature and purpose of the Founders’ Constitution.
- Retelling the Standard Story
- This module examines American history as the consistent search for unity and equality. It also covers the impact of the Declaration of Independence on American constitutional history.
- The Source of Our Ideals
- This module examines the modern reading of the Declaration to antislavery activists and why those ideals entered the Constitution.
- The War That Made America
- This module examines the nature of the conflict that precipitated the Civil War, and describes how the Civil War changed from a war for unity to a war for freedom. It also explores the connections, or lack thereof, between the ideologies of the two sides and the political theory of Founding America.
- Reconstruction and Redemption
- This module examines the changes made to the Constitution by the Reconstruction Amendments. It also covers Redemption, the coup against the Reconstruction governments, and how the history of Reconstruction and Redemption was framed to promote white unity.
- How the Struggle Continues
- This module examines why the standard story is counterproductive in terms of creating real unity among Americans and seeing the continuing struggle between the ideologies of the Founding and Reconstruction. Finally, it looks to explain how a better story can open a path forward.
Taught by
Professor Kermit Roosevelt, III
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5.0 rating, based on 1 Class Central review
5 rating at Coursera based on 10 ratings
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This is a deep dive into what the Founding Fathers meant when they were writing the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, and how Americans have come to expand the meanings of those documents. It helped me see how an enslaver such as Thomas Jefferson could, in good conscience, write "all men are created equal". The course takes you through the Civil War and how Lincoln brought new meaning to the founding documents and how later generations expanded them even further. Professor Roosevelt is a laid-back lecturer who presents his ideas clearly in lessons that last 7-15 minutes.
