HIS
2055/AMS 2055
Reid 412 (x5144)
morrisc@mville.edu
This course examines the origins, creation and
subsequent history of the Constitution of the United States of America.
Topics
covered will include:
Constitutional
Government before the Constitution
The
Rise of Republican Constitutionalism
Creating
the American Republic: The Constitutional Convention of 1787
Ratification
and the Bill of Rights
Slavery,
Rights and Sovereignty
Freedom
of Expression in the Early U.S.
The
Supreme Court and Judicial Review
Nullification
and States’ Right
Secession
The
following readings must be purchased from the campus bookstore:
Kermit
L. Hall, ed., Major Problems in American Constitutional History, Volume 1:
The Colonial Era Through Reconstruction
Joseph
J. Ellis, What Did the Declaration Declare?
James
Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, The Federalist Papers
Don
E. Fehrenbacher, Slavery, Law and Politics: The Dred Scott Case in Historical
Perspective
Course
Requirements:
In-class
participation (discussion, reports): 25%
Mid-term
Exam: 25%
Final
Exam: 25%
Short
Writing Assignments (2): 25%