TITLE: History 3331 History of United States Military Affairs to 1900
TIME/LOCATION: MWF, 9:00-9:50 a.m., 28 Holden Hall, Texas Tech University, Fall Semester 2003
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. David L. Snead
Visit my web site at www3.tltc.ttu.edu/snead
OFFICE/OFFICE HOURS: MW, 8-9:00 am and noon-1 p.m., and by appointment. Generally, I am in my office by 7:15 am and stay to 3:30 pm.
If I am in my office, feel free to stop by if you need to see me. If it is not a good time, I will let you know. You can
email me at david.snead@ttu.edu. You can also call me at 742-1004 (ext. 240).
Office: 49 Holden Hall
COURSE OBJECTIVES: To obtain a better understanding of the events, people, and ideas that helped shape the military affairs of the United States from the colonial period through the Spanish-American War. More specifically, the goals of this course include:
1) To discover the importance of studying U.S. military history. Why is a course on U.S. military history even taught at Texas Tech? How will this course influence your understanding of the overall history of the United States? Why study military history when there are so many other important historical fields? You should discover your own answers to these questions throughout the semester.
2) To gain an appreciation for the influence of the period under study in this course on the events of today. How did colonial military traditions and beliefs influence the formation and shape of the American government after the Revolutionary War? How did the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War, the Civil War, and the Spanish-American War change the United States? Why has the United States developed the military policies that it follows? You will find answers to these questions and more in this class.
3) To recognize the monumental changes in tactics, strategy, national policy, weaponry, and technology in the 18th and 19th centuries that influenced the evolution of American military. Why did the United States adopt a permanent or standing military despite a long history of relying on various forms of militia? How did the introduction of rifling in small arms and artillery change military tactics and strategy? How did advances in communication, transportation, and technology alter the battlefield and the world power structure?
COURSE MATERIALS:
1) Text Millett, Allan R., and Peter Maslowski. For the Common Defense: A Military History of the United States of America. New York: The Free Press, 1994.
2) Supplementary Reading
a) Babits, Lawrence E. A Devil of a Whipping: The Battle of Cowpens. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1998.
b) Winders, Richard Bruce. Mr. Polks Army: The American Military Experience in the Mexican War. College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1997.
c) Carlson, Paul H. The Buffalo Soldier Tragedy of 1877. College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 2003.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Members of this class will be responsible for all material addressed in this course, including lectures, readings, discussions, and films. The final course grade will be based on the following:
1) One Midterm the midterm will be worth 20% of your final grade. It will cover the introduction and chapters 1 through 4 in the text and any material covered in class.
2) 6 quizzes 7 quizzes will be given based on your readings from the text. Your lowest quiz grade will be dropped. There will be no make-ups, except for extreme circumstances (A missed quiz will be recorded as a zero). The quizzes will be worth 15% of your final grade.
3) Two short essays each student will be required to write two 3 to 5 page papers that focus on the supplementary readings. The essays will be worth 35% of your final grade.
4) A final exam the final exam will be cumulative in the sense that the study of history is based on what is already known. However, emphasis will be given to the material covered since the midterm, including chapters 5 through 9 in the text. There will also be an essay question addressing Carlsons The Buffalo Soldier Tragedy. The exam will be worth 30% of your final grade.
GRADE SCHEDULE: A+ (98-100), A (92-100), A- (90-91), B+ (88-89), B (82-87), B- (80-81), C+ (78-79), C (72-77), C- (70-71), D+ (68-69), D (62-67), D- (60-61), F (0-59).
****All work done in this class must adhere to Texas Tech Universitys honor code.****
ATTENDANCE POLICY: Regular attendance is expected. Every absence, whether excused or unexcused, will be recorded. Any student missing between two and three weeks of classes (i.e. five or six class sessions) will have his/her final average automatically LOWERED ONE FULL LETTER GRADE. If a student misses more than three weeks of classes (i.e. seven or more class), he/she will automatically FAIL. A student arriving late or leaving early is subject to being counted absent. Texas House Bill 256 requires institutions of higher education to excuse a student from attending classes or other required activities, including examinations, for the observance of a religious holy day. The student shall also be excused for time necessary to travel. An institution may not penalize the student for the absence and allows for the student to take an exam or complete an assignment from which the student is excused. No prior notification of the instructor is required.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES (Americans with Disabilities Act): I will make every reasonable accommodation to assist students with disabilities. It is the responsibility of the student to let me know of the disability as soon as possible and to help develop the best program for accommodating his/her needs. Students should provide appropriate verification of need for assistance from the Office of Disabled Student Services in West Hall.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE:
9/3 Introduction Read Introduction and Ch. 1
9/5 U.S. Military History in a larger context
9/8 Traditions/Beliefs in the Colonial Period
9/10 Uneasy Relationships Colonists and the Indians Read Ch. 2
9/12
9/15 Role of Americans in British Colonial Wars
9/17 French and Indian War
9/19 TBA
9/22 French and Indian War Read Ch. 3
9/24 American Revolution Background
9/26 American Revolution
9/29
10/1
Paper # 1 Due (Babits)
10/6 Military/Civil Relations before the Constitution
10/8 The Military and the Constitution
10/10 Military Policies of Washington
10/13 British Impressment and the Quasi-War with France
Last day to drop a course and receive an automatic W
10/15 Jefferson and the Drift Towards War
10/17 War of 1812
10/20
10/22
10/24 Midterm Read Ch. 5
10/27 Beginnings of Professionalization and Technological Change
10/29 Peacetime Duties of the Military
10/31 Mexican-American War
11/3 Read Ch. 6
Paper #2 Due (Winters)
11/5 Descent towards Civil War
11/7 Civil War
11/10
11/12 Read Ch. 7
11/14
11/17
11/19 Read Ch. 8
11/21 Reconstruction, Occupation Duty, and the Indian Wars
11/24 Professionalization and Changes in the Military
11/26-11/30 No Class (Thanksgiving Holiday)
12/1 Professionalization and Changes in the Military Read Ch. 9
12/3 Spanish-American War
12/5
Last day to drop a course and still receive a W (you must see Dr. Snead)
12/8 U.S. as an Imperial Power The Philippines and China
12/12 (Fri..) Final Exam (1:30-4:00 pm)
Paper Assignments:
Paper 1: A Devil of a Whipping
Directions: In A Devil of a Whipping, Lawrence Babits argues, The engagement [The Battle of Cowpens] was the finest American tactical demonstration of the war. (xiii) In your paper, you need to describe this argument, evaluate the sources and methodology he uses to make it, and analyze how persuasive he is. You must include in your paper specific examples from his book, including quotes and citations to support your analysis. Cite specific examples using footnotes to support your arguments. The format for the footnotes can be found on Dr. Sneads website, www3.tltc.ttu.edu/snead, at the Reading and Writing Tips link.
Due Date, Rough Draft, and Format:
1) Your paper is due in class on Friday, October 3.
2) The paper must be typed, doubled-spaced with margins on each side of approximately one inch, and be between 3 and 5 pages in length. In addition, you must turn in a typed and hand-edited rough draft. Any final paper not containing a typed and hand-edited draft will be penalized 5 points. Any paper turned in after the due date will be assessed a ten point penalty for each day it is late, including weekends.
3) Please see Professor Sneads web site at www3.tltc.ttu.edu/snead for tips on writing your essay. With very few exceptions, the best essays in this class will be the ones that undergo several revisions. You will only have to turn in one rough draft, but I expect that you will make several. In your revisions, check for grammatical errors, organizational problems, and the persuasiveness of your arguments. Papers failing to meet the minimum standards presented on the website will be graded accordingly.
4) If you have any questions and/or problems at any stage of this assignment, it is your responsibility to seek assistance from me.
Paper 2: Mr. Polks Army
Directions: In Mr. Polks Army, Richard Bruce Winters argues the American soldiers who fought in the Mexican-American shared common experiences and were representative of the views of President James K. Polk. In your paper, you need to describe these arguments, evaluate the sources and methodology he uses to make them, and analyze how persuasive he is. You must include in your paper specific examples from his book, including quotes and citations to support your analysis. Cite specific examples using footnotes to support your arguments. The format for the footnotes can be found on Dr. Sneads website, www3.tltc.ttu.edu/snead, at the Reading and Writing Tips link.
Due Date, Rough Draft, and Format:
1) Your paper is due in class on Monday, November 3.
2) The paper must be typed, doubled-spaced with margins on each side of approximately one inch, and be between 3 and 5 pages in length. In addition, you must turn in a typed and hand-edited rough draft. Any final paper not containing a typed and hand-edited draft will be penalized 5 points. Any paper turned in after the due date will be assessed a ten point penalty for each day it is late, including weekends.
3) Please see Professor Sneads web site at www3.tltc.ttu.edu/snead for tips on writing your essay. With very few exceptions, the best essays in this class will be the ones that undergo several revisions. You will only have to turn in one rough draft, but I expect that you will make several. In your revisions, check for grammatical errors, organizational problems, and the persuasiveness of your arguments. Papers failing to meet the minimum standards presented on the website will be graded accordingly.
4) If you have any questions and/or problems at any stage of this assignment, it is your responsibility to seek assistance from me.