Revised 3/2025

HIS 142 - African American History II (3 CR.)

Course Description

Surveys the history of black Americans from their African origins to the present. Part II of II. Lecture 3 hours per week.

General Course Purpose

Surveys the history of the African American experience since 1865 and allows students to reach a basic understanding of how the African American cultural experience has been influenced by major American historical events including Reconstruction, the rise of Jim Crow, the Great Migration, the World Wars, the Civil Rights and Black Power movements, and the rise of Modern Conservatism. Students will learn about the important figures and the political, economic, social, and cultural factors shaping the dynamics of the African American experience during the time period considered.

Course Prerequisites/Corequisites

None.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of the course, the student will be able to:

  • Establish a chronology of key events shaping the evolution of the African American experience since 1865.
  • Identify key African American socio-political leaders since 1865.
  • Explain the socio-political ideologies and strategies African Americans have used improve their circumstances within the United States since 1865.
  • Describe challenges African Americans have faced in the effort to gain social, economic, and political inclusion within the United States.
  • Identify African Americans’ cultural contributions to mainstream American culture since 1865.
  • Analyze complex historical sources and materials and reach conclusions based on interpretations of those materials.

Major Topics to Be Included

  • Reconstruction
  • The Rise of Jim Crow Segregation
  • African Americans in the West
  • The Great Migration
  • African Americans and the Progressive Era
  • The New Negro Movement
  • African American Participation in WWI and WWII
  • African Americans and the New Deal
  • The Double-V Campaign
  • The Civil Rights Movement
  • The Black Power and Black Arts Movements
  • African Americans and Modern Conservatism
  • African American Protests and Africa: Ethiopia, South Africa, Haiti, and Rwanda
  • Emergence of Hip-Hop Culture