Revised 8/2023

HIS 279 - Age of the American Revolution (3 CR.)

Course Description

Examines the factors that led to the separation of the American colonies from Great Britain. The course covers the events leading to the Revolutionary War, the problems faced by the revolutionary government in fighting the war, the war itself, and postwar events leading to the adoption the United States Constitution. Lecture 3 hours per week.

General Course Purpose

To provide students with a basic understanding of the period in which the United States was created and an appreciation of the significance of that period of United States history in understanding the American nation and people.

Course Prerequisites/Corequisites

An ability to read and write English correctly and effectively at the college-entry level is expected. It is preferable the student have a general knowledge of American history, especially early American history, before enrolling in History 279.

Course Objectives

  • To help students to understand the background and causes of the American Revolution, from early colonial times to 1775.
  • To help students understand the political and military challenges faced by the revolutionary colonists.
  • To examine the changes in American society wrought by the revolution.
  • To help students understand the postwar problems of the new nation that led to the writing and adoption of the Constitution.
  • To help students understand the challenges of making the new government under the Constitution function effectively.
  • To encourage students to consider the political, economic, and social heritage shared by all Americans that comes from the revolutionary era.

Major Topics to Be Included

  • The North American Colonies in the Eighteenth-Century British Empire
  • The Seven Years’ War and the Path to Independence
  • The Declaration of Independence: Defining America’s ideas and its “enemies”
  • The War for Independence: 1770 to 1783
  • The Confederation Period: 1781 to 1788
  • The U.S. Constitution
  • The Legacies of the American Revolution in the early U.S. and beyond