This course explores major themes in early American history through the lens of freedom and slavery (and the many shades in between). Topics include Native American slavery, enslaved Africans and Atlantic Creoles, the development of gender and racial hierarchies, popular protest, and the radicalism of the American Revolution. Course work and discussion will focus on the interpretation of primary source material (diaries, manifestos, petitions, paintings, newspaper articles, advertisements) and the frameworks offered by various historians. |