The Shaping of America: U.S. History to 1877

Abstract

The design of a survey course in United States history to 1877 always faces formidable challenges of thematic organization and content selection. A course delivered through film and limited to thirteen hours confronts a particularly difficult task. This ambitious video course successfully presents an accessible and cohesive historical narrative about the regions of North America that would be encompassed within the United States. Designed for distance learning, the course provides a sophisticated overview of American history and is well suited for the many students who will take no further courses in the subject. It not only offers a richly textured script, it demonstrates the kind of questions and analytical skills that historians are uniquely qualified to present to a broad student audience. Each of the twenty-six segments explores a topic in American history through a combination of narration, commentary by scholars, and readings from primary sources. The actors who read the historical documents are shown in profile and through overlapping images, effectively keeping the emphasis on the wellchosen texts. The commentaries by scholars, a large group including Joyce Appleby, Eric Foner, Linda Kerber, James McPherson, and Gordon Wood, make a substantive contribution to the narrative rather than interrupt the story. The three formats are coordinated to create a tightly organized and densely informative script.