AFRS 215 - African American History to 1865

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

(Same as HIST 215) This course traces the early history of African Americans in the United States, from their African origins to the end of the U.S. Civil War. We foreground the lives, labor, cultures and resistance of African-decended people, and examine how they forged community, navigated racial inequalities, and shaped the political and social foundations of the United States and the modern world. Course readings and materials emphasize analysis of gender, age, class, and regional identities within African American communities. Key historical topics and themes include the transatlantic slave trade, the Middle Passage, colonial slavery and race in early America, diasporic identities and cultures, traditions of resistance, antebellum slavery, narratives of enslavement, abolition and Black activism, the Civil War, and the legacies of early Black history. Using primary and secondary sources, students analyze how African Americans contested slavery and fought for freedom from the colonial period through the nineteenth century.

Two 75-minute periods.

Course Format: CLS