"U.S. History to 1877: Focus on People and Places" is a high-quality course about American history that teaches you important historical content, while also helping you to hone your critical-thinking skills and develop an appreciation for the historian’s craft. More than an unchanging series of important facts, or a commemoration of heroic people and events, history is an art and a science that can shed light on how the world works in a lot of different ways. Early American history is particularly important because it marks a time when American, African, and European peoples first came together. Early Americans developed new forms of government that remain a key framework for us today. 

History also happened in particular places, some of which continue to be commemorated as historical parks and museums. This class will focus on this idea of places in history, and we will explore actual historic sites where important events happened.