History of the Americas I

This course is a history of the Americas from 1500 through 1870. Emphasis is placed on a comparison of the cultural forms, political institutions, social relations, and economic structures that resulted from the interactions among people of different socially defined cultures, races, ethnicities, and social classes. Topics include the emergence of the independence movements in the Americas; political conflict and civil war in the newly independent countries; and the consolidation of stable nation states by 1870. The United States Constitution and subsequent political institutions in the United States are compared to the other newly independent countries in the Americas. This course is intended for students majoring in History and those interested in the history of the Americas.