HIS203 Syllabus For 2022

HIS203 History of the United States I
Section 1
Fall 2022
Red Hill, Town Hall
MWF 9:10–10:10
Instructor Name: Dr. Robert Spinney

Office Location: Hodel Center, 2nd Floor
PHC Email Address: rgspinney@phc.edu
Office Phone: 540-441-8171 (but emailing me is more reliable)
Office Hours: MWF 7:45–8:45 am; MW 5:30–7:00 pm; F 3:15–7:00 pm; often Thur 10:40–12:00 noon (but phone
or email first); any time Tuesday or Thursday via Zoom because I usually work from home those days and do not
come to campus
Sections 1, 2, and 3 of HIS203 all use this same syllabus.

Section 1 meets in Town Hall, and Section 2 and Section 3 meet in Nash Auditorium.
I. CATALOG COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course deals with the recurring political, economic, intellectual, diplomatic, and social themes in the
history of the United States, from colonial times through the Civil War, with an emphasis on the origins
of American liberty.
II. ASSUMPTIONS
This is an introductory survey course with no prerequisites. Like all Patrick Henry College 200-level
courses, this course’s content, rigor, and grading standards are calibrated to the college sophomore level.
III. COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
A. Demonstrate mastery of important people, events, institutions, and ideas from the historical past in
America from colonial times until the Civil War. This will be measured by three in-class exams and one
comprehensive final exam. I1, I2, I3, I4, I5, C1, C2b, C3a, C3b, C4a, C4b, C4c, CLA1,
CLA2, CLA3, CLA4, H1, H2, H3, H4, H5
B. Express ideas clearly and persuasively, yet also with humility and graciousness. This will be measured
by two analytical book essays. I1, I2, I3, I4, I5, C1, C2b, C3a, C4a, C4c, CLA1, CLA2, CLA5, H1, H3,
H4, H5
C. Analyze primary sources and understand them within their historical context. This will be measured by
group discussion in class using a primary documents anthology and two analytical book essays. I1, I2, I3,
I4, I5, C1, C2b, C3a, C3b, C3c, C4a, CLA1, CLA2, H1, H2, H3, H4, H5
D. Integrate a biblical worldview with the major themes of American history (such as religion, law,
individualism, and government) while avoiding simplistic value judgments. This will be measured by
class discussions, two analytical book essays, and one comprehensive final exam. I1, I2, I3, I4, I5, C1,
C2b, C2c, C3a, C4a, C4b, C4c, CLA3, CLA4, CLA5, H3, H4, H5
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2018©PHC NonVariable Syllabus
IV. REQUIRED TEXT / MATERIALS
Robert Spinney, The History of the United States: A Christian Perspective, Fourth Edition. Among the
updates in the Fourth Edition are clarifications that address specific questions on the course’s exams. Do
not use the First, Second, or Third Editions of the textbook.
David Shi and Holly Mayer, For the Record: A Documentary History of America, Volume I (Sixth
Edition)
Leland Ryken, Worldly Saints: The Puritans as They Really Were (any edition) *we are reading only
portions of this book; see Section XVII below
Jack Larkin, The Reshaping of Everyday Life: 1790-1840 (any edition) *we are reading only portions of
this book; see Section XVII below
an optional extra-credit assignment will use the following book: Sheila L. Skemp, Benjamin and William
Franklin: Father and Son, Patriot and Loyalist (any edition); it is available in the PHC bookstore
V. FORMAT & PROCEDURES

Every academic subject can be said to have its own grammar (i.e., that subject’s foundational
facts, rules, and information), its own logic (i.e., the analytical thinking required for understanding the
facts, rules, and information and not merely memorizing them), and its own rhetoric (i.e., the mature
student’s original and creative application of the subject’s facts, rules, and information). This introductory
course focuses on the grammar and logic of American history.
Essential factual information will be communicated through the assigned reading in the textbook,
numerous primary documents, and three short books. Class meeting times will be devoted to discussing
and analyzing this information. Both the written essay assignments and the three examinations likewise
engage the student in analytical thinking.
The course’s professor wrote the course’s textbook, and the textbook is a unique feature of this
class. Rather than spend class time dispensing facts and basic information with a traditional oral lecture,
the professor has included these items in the textbook. Most of what the textbook contains will not be
discussed in class. Accordingly, it is imperative that students read the textbook assignment before
attending the corresponding class meeting. This will free both professor and students to use class time for
discussion rather than a transmitting of names, places, and dates.
VI. COURSE REQUIREMENTS

1. Exam #1 worth 20 percent of the final grade; Exam #2 worth 18 percent of the final grade; Exam #3
worth 22 percent of the final grade; the Final Exam during final exam week is worth 10 percent of the
final grade; note that only the Final Exam is cumulative; Exams #1 and #3 consist of multiple-choice
questions and an essay question, while Exam #2 and the Final Exam consist only of multiple-choice
questions
2. reading two assigned monographs (Ryken and Larkin) and submitting reading reports for each book;
completion of the entire reading assignment is a factor in the class participation grade; failure to read the
assigned portions of these books will result in grade deductions
3. writing one (and perhaps two) analytical book essays worth 20 percent of the final grade; the essay
grade will be based on how well the assigned question is answered and the quality of writing (see the
essay grading rubric for more information); essay due dates must be met, and a penalty of one-letter grade
per forty-eight-hours will be applied to essays submitted late
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4. regular and thoughtful participation in class discussions; satisfactory class participation includes
listening attentively, taking notes, asking and responding to questions, interacting with classmates’
comments, and otherwise demonstrating engagement with the course material; at semester’s end, class
participation will be assessed as 10 percent of the final grade; note that a student cannot engage in
thoughtful class participation when he is absent, so absences indirectly affect the class participation grade;
students lose class participation points when they daydream, fall asleep, and/or do work for other classes
while attending in this class. (note: My policy is to not publicly reprimand students for sleeping or doing
work for another class. Rather, I note the virtual absence silently and consider it when assessing the
student’s class participation grade at semester’s end. I sometimes mint the inattentive student, which is a
humiliating experience.)
5. all required work must be completed for the student to receive a passing grade at the end of the
semester; for example, failing to submit one of the essays or reading less than 70 percent of the
Ryken/Morgan assignment or Larkin assignment will result in failing the course
6. students must check their PHC email accounts daily; students are responsible for all information
transmitted by the professor via email
VII. GRADING
Patrick Henry College's mission is to join uncompromising fidelity to the Lord Jesus Christ to a
second-to-none academic experience. This course's grading standards reflect PHC's commitment to
rigorous academics. The course is deliberately designed as a high-standards survey course, which means
it is comparable (in terms of content and rigor) to sophomore-level courses at other colleges.
Making a good effort and meeting all course requirements does not necessarily result in a grade
of A. The default grade in this course (i.e., the grade earned when requirements are met and competence
is demonstrated) is C+.
It is common for students to work hard in this course in order to perform at good (“B grade”) or
satisfactory (“C grade”) levels. A grade of C is neither a punishment grade nor a grade that indicates the
student has done bad work. If needed, I will explain to advisors, parents, or employers that a C grade
means the student has done satisfactory work in a rigorous sophomore-level history class.
The grade of A is a performance grade, not an effort grade. That means that a student who
demonstrates superior effort will not necessarily earn an A. Many students in this class complete all the
assigned work, study diligently for exams, and yet do not earn an A. Exams and essays must demonstrate
true mastery to warrant an “A grade.” The grade of A is reserved for work that is spectacular in its
quality. By definition, academic brilliance is somewhat rare.
In past U.S. History courses at PHC, about 20 percent of student work has been of “A level”
quality, 35 percent has been of “B level” quality, 30 percent has been of “C level” quality, and 15 percent
has been of “D level” or “F level” quality. The average grade on exams and essays in this class (as well as
the average final grade for the course) has been between 81.5, which is a B-.
The following system is used College-wide and can be found in the College Catalog:
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Letter Grade Quality Percent Grade Quality Points
A Superior 93-100 4.00
A- 90-92 3.67
B+ 87-89 3.33
B Above Average 83-86 3.00
B- 80-82 2.67
C+ 77-79 2.33
C Average 73-76 2.00
C- 70-72 1.67
D+ 67-69 1.33
D Below Average 63-66 1.00
D- 60-62 .67
F Failure Less than 60 0.00
WF Withdrawal While Failing 0.00
XF Academic Disciplinary Failure 0.00
Not Included in GPA Calculation:

P: Pass
I: Incomplete
W: Withdrawal
WP: Withdrawal while Passing
X: Audit
N: Non-credit course
T: Transfer
VIII. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY (PLAGIARISM AND CHEATING)

As found in the Patrick Henry College Catalog
Integrity of Scholarship
The principles of truth and honesty are recognized as absolutely essential in every community of
learning. It is expected that these principles will be scrupulously followed in all academic endeavors at
Patrick Henry College, including, but not limited to, the preparation of all papers and reports and the
taking of examinations. All academic work must be done by the student without unauthorized aid. Any
compromise of truth or honesty, including, but not limited to, plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration,
violation of guidelines under which the work is to be done, fabrication of data, unauthorized use of
computer data, submission of a paper twice for the same course, submission of the same paper for
multiple courses, and excessive revision by someone other than the student, may be considered sufficient
grounds for suspension or expulsion from the College. Students may be given a grade of "XF" if it is
determined that they have plagiarized or cheated in a course. The "XF" on a transcript indicates that a
student violated integrity of scholarship policies. Students who successfully retake a course for which
they have received an "XF" will have the "X" removed from their transcripts although the "F" will
remain. The "XF" (or "F") and the grade earned in the retaken course will be used to calculate the grade
point average.
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IX. ATTENDANCE POLICY
As found in the Patrick Henry College Catalog
Attendance
Students are STRONGLY encouraged to attend each and every class scheduled during the
semester. There is no better way to perform well in any class than by attending the regularly scheduled
lectures. However, there may be times when students cannot make a lecture, due to illness,
participation in a sanctioned college event, or other conflicting commitments. While students should
strive to avoid such conflicts, college is a very busy time and conflicts may occur Patrick Henry
College does not mandate an academic penalty for a student who misses a class, although a zero may
be received for any unfulfilled class requirements. Students participating in college sanctioned events
will know about any conflicts well in advance and are expected to discuss these with their professors to
arrange for dealing with affected assignments prior to the absence.
Freshmen and Sophomores who log two absences not attributed to being involved in a college
sanctioned event will be subject to an interview with any professor teaching a core course. It is the
expectation of the College that students will grow more mature in managing their schedules as they
progress through their time at Patrick Henry College. After graduation, this kind of time management
will be an indispensable skill, and the College seeks to train students in this skill while they are enrolled.
X. ADDITIONAL RESOURCE READINGS

Students will be notified of supplementary readings.
XI. TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE
Dates Subject Assignment
8/22, 8/24, The European Encounter With Textbook Chapter 1; FTR, Chap. 1 (Las Casas, Harriot/White,
8/26 the Americas Smith/Powhatan, Jeune/Lalemant)
8/29, 8/31, European Colonies in Textbook Chapter 2; FTR, Chap. 2 (Smith, Frethorne, Bacon,
9/2 North America both Winthrop selections)
Colonial Slavery, the Textbook Chapter 3; FTR, Chap. 3 (Rowlandson, Franklin (both), Edwards,
9/7, 9/9 Enlightenment, and the Hamilton, Newspaper Ads) Ryken/Morgan reading report due Sept 6
Great Awakening 12:00 noon/essay due Sept 9 6:00 pm
The Imperial Relationship and Textbook Chapter 4; FTR, Chap. 4 (Govt of Charles II/Navigation Act of
9/12, 9/14
the Great War for Empire 1660, Locke, Albany Congress)
September 16 – Exam #1 – about fifty multiple-choice questions and one essay question
no class
Colonial Mutiny and the Textbook Chapter 5; FTR, Chap. 4 (Stamp Act Congress, Dickinson, Adams,
on 9/19
Declaration of Independence Paine, Jefferson–note the alterations & revisions to the Dec of Ind)
9/21, 9/23
Textbook Chapter 6; FTR, Chap. 5 (Paine, Mass. Bill of Rights,

9/26, 9/28 The War for Independence
Va. Statute of Religious Liberty, Abigail and John Adams)
The Articles of Confederation Textbook Chapter 7; FTR, Chap. 6 (Gray, Washington, Constitutional
9/30, 10/3
and the Constitution Convention, Henry/Mason, Madison)
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The Federalist Era:
10/5, Textbook Chapter 8; FTR, Chap. 6 (Jefferson, Washington, Alien and
Washington
10/10 Sedition Acts, Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions)
and Adams
10/12, The Republican Era: Jefferson, Textbook Chapter 9; FTR, Chap. 7 (Jefferson, Reflections on the
10/14 Madison, and the War of 1812 Cession, Lewis/Clark, Durand)
October 17 – Exam #2 – fifty to sixty multiple-choice questions only (no essay question)
10/19,
Religious and Cultural Trends Textbook Chapter 10; FTR, Chap. 9 (Adams’ Reflections on Missouri
10/21,
in Jacksonian America Question, Monroe, Clay) and Chap. 12 (Finney, Thoreau, Mann, Fuller)
10/24
Textbook Chapter 11; FTR, Chap. 8 (Schauler) Chap. 10 (SC’s Ordinance,
10/26, The Presidency of Andrew
Jackson, Trollope, Ross, Worcester v. Georgia) Larkin reading report due
10/28 Jackson
Oct 28 6:00 pm/essay due Nov 2 6:00 pm
10/31, Manifest Destiny and Textbook Chapter 12; FTR, Chap. 8 (Klinger, Maguire, Morse) and
11/2 the Mexican War Chap. 13 (NY Morning Herald, Haun, Polk, Clay)
11/9, Textbook Chapter 13; FTR, Chap. 11 (Douglass, Jacobs, Manly) and
The Antebellum South
11/11 Olmstead, Chestnut, Barrow, and Cartwright (provided by Spinney)
Textbook Chapter 14; FTR, Chap. 9 (Walker’s Appeal), Chap. 10

11/14 Abolitionism
(Ennals/Bell), and Chap. 11 (Garrison, Child’s Prejudices Against)
11/16, Textbook Chapter 15; FTR, Chap. 14 (Emerson, Dred Scott v.

Politicizing Slavery and the
11/18, Sandford, Lincoln-Douglas Debates, SC’s Ordinance of Secession – how
Political Crisis of the 1850s
11/21 many times does it mention slavery?, Davis)
11/28,
The Civil War Textbook Chapter 16; FTR, Chap. 15 (Rhodes, Dodge, Lincoln, Early)
11/30
Final Exam Week

Exam #3 (non-cumulative; about fifty multiple-choice questions and one essay question) and Final Exam
(cumulative; about thirty-five multiple-choice questions only and no essay question); Exam #3 and the Final Exam
are really just two parts of a standard end-of-semester test, but we separate those parts into two different tests;
the two tests that may be completed on the same day or different days during Final Exam week
extra-credit analytical essay on the Skemp book due December 5 at 5:00 pm; see Section XXV
XII. STUDENT COMPUTER USE IN THE CLASSROOM

Students may not use laptop computers, tablets, smartphones, or other electronic devices in class.
Handheld electronic devices must be stored inside backpacks, cases, or pockets; they may not be on
tabletops. No phones hiding in laps or on the seat!
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XIII. EXTENSIONS ON ASSIGNMENT DUE DATES
Due dates must be met. Essays submitted late will be penalized one letter grade per forty-eight-
hours. (This does not mean one-half letter grade per twenty-four hours. An essay submitted four hours
late is penalized one letter grade.) Extensions are only granted for true emergencies such as illnesses and
deaths in the immediate family. Extensions are almost never granted for athletic contests, dramatic
productions (i.e., Eden Troupe), computer or printer malfunctions, homecoming festivities, student travel,
a student’s desire to complete work for another class, or a student’s overly busy schedule near the due
date.
Of course, an essay due-date of November 9 does not mean students are expected to begin writing
the essay on November 7. Students should begin writing such an essay on November 2. Most student
requests for extensions are denied because students should begin essays long before the due date. A crisis
on November 8 would not have been a crisis if the student had begun writing the essay on November 2.
No essay may be submitted more than two weeks (fourteen days) after the due date. Speak with
the professor if catastrophic health problems or family emergencies require special consideration.
XIV. FURTHER EXPLANATION OF THE CLASS ATTENDANCE

POLICY
What follows is Dr. Spinney’s comment on the PHC Attendance Policy, which applies to this
U.S. History class.
There is no grade penalty for missing class. However, satisfactory class participation requires that
a student actually attend class meetings. Why? Because absent students cannot participate in class
discussions. Students with numerous absences (i.e., six or more) for whatever reason rarely participate in
class at a level that could be deemed excellent or above average. Students with nine or more absences for
whatever reason cannot participate in class satisfactorily.1 By the same token, students with zero or one
absence over the course of the semester have learned much by virtue of attending class regularly;
accordingly, such students usually receive good class participation grades (provided they have displayed
attentiveness in class).
There is no such thing as an excused absence and unexcused absence in this course. All absences
are simply recorded absences. Of course, students who cannot take an exam or submit a paper due to a
legitimate absence will be accommodated. The instructor will deal with such events on a case-by-case
basis. Students are never penalized for rescheduling an exam or essay submission because of a legitimate
reason.
Students often ask me questions like, “I’ll be missing class for a soccer game. Is that okay?” or “I
won’t be in class tomorrow because I will be attending a school-sanctioned activity. Is that okay?” My
answer: Missing class is okay in the sense that I will not require you to attend every class. I appreciate
students informing me of anticipated absences from class. This is a courteous thing for students to do.
And again, there is no grade penalty for missing any classes. At the end of the semester, however,
students earn a class participation grade based on their active learning inside the classroom.
I expect even my most conscientious students to miss one or two classes each semester. That
never hurts a student’s grade. My class is not the most important thing in your life.
This attendance policy is an attempt to do justice to the untestable learning that takes place inside
my classroom. Students who are in class and pay attention do learn, and students who are absent from
class do miss something that their peers receive. An absent student can reschedule a missed test, but he
cannot “make up” the classroom interaction that he missed. I believe that students who are present and
attentive at class meetings learn a great deal, regardless of whether or not this learning is demonstrated on
a test. Accordingly, the class participation grade is a means by which I can reward interested and engaged
students in my classroom.
A student might ask, “Why is my grade penalized when I missed five classes?” I do not think the
word penalized is appropriate here. I never penalize students for missing classes. However, missing five
1
This course typically features thirty-three in-class meetings. Missing six classes means a student missed
18 percent of the semester’s total classroom instruction. Missing nine classes is missing over one-fourth of the
semester’s face-to-face instruction.
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classes means the student has missed five hours of classroom instruction. What we do in class cannot be
learned from the textbook; my classes do not merely repeat things already explained in the assigned
reading. Lowering this student’s class participation grade is my attempt to be fair; I try to assess how
much history learning this student did not get and reflect that loss of knowledge in a lower class
participation grade. This is why students with perfect attendance always receive “A-level” class
participation grades: they have learned five hours’ worth of history that the previous student did not learn.
Do not think of the class participation grade this way: you start with a grade of A+ and lose points
by being absent, not contributing to classroom discussions, not asking questions, not paying attention,
falling asleep, etc. Think of it this way, which is how I think about it: you start with a grade of 0 and earn
points by being present, contributing to classroom discussions, asking questions, paying attention, not
falling asleep, etc.
Here is the baseline for how the class participation grade is awarded:
• Students who are consistently attentive in class, record only a few absences, but rarely contribute
to class discussions (via questions or comments) typically earn a grade of B or B-.
• Students who are especially attentive in class, record few absences, but rarely contribute to class
discussions typically earn a B or B+.
• Students who are consistently attentive in class, record few absences, and contribute to class
discussions regularly usually earn an A.
• Students who have perfect attendance or only one or two absences, are always alert in class, but
are naturally quiet and thus do not often speak aloud in class typically earn a B+.
• Students who record a half dozen absences typically earn a C, C-, or D+.
• Students who are not consistently alert in class due to daydreaming, passivity, or inattentiveness
(regardless of attendance) typically earn a C-, D+, D, or D-.
• Students who often fall asleep in class typically earn D or F grades.
• Students who record ten or more absences for whatever reason typically earn an F.
In previous years, the average class participation grade has been a B. A few students earn class
participation grades of F; a handful earn A+. Some students have earned a zero for their class
participation grade.
The formula for a high class participation grade: do not be absent, stay alert, and contribute to
class discussions occasionally. If you get drowsy or bored in class, consume mints, gum, coffee, or
jalapeno peppers.
XV. CLASSROOM DECORUM AND ETIQUETTE

Some behaviors are appropriate in casual environments but inappropriate in professional
environments.
For example, wearing pajamas, eating meals, sleeping, monitoring your Facebook account,
reading while someone is talking, and text-messaging are all acceptable when you are in your dorm room.
However, the classroom is a professional environment. Accordingly, the previously mentioned behaviors
should not be displayed in classrooms. (Many deem such behaviors not only inappropriate but
disrespectful when they are seen in college classrooms.)
In the interest of professionalism and etiquette, students shall not eat full meals in this classroom.
(A small snack? Okay. Meals? No.)
Students shall not do work for other classes in this classroom. Do not come to class if you must
do work for another course. You will be counted as absent if you do work for another class in my class.
Being late for class is also a display of poor etiquette: it is not okay for students to arrive late to
class. (Late once or twice? That happens to the best of us. Late more than that? Grade penalty.)
Likewise, falling asleep in class is rude.
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XVI. EXTRA-CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES
This course might include an extra-credit opportunity. If indeed the course features an extra-credit
opportunity, students are reminded that Patrick Henry College endorses a conservative political ethos. As
a matter of principle, conservatives disapprove of entitlement mentalities. Accordingly, students should
not regard extra-credit opportunities as entitlements. No student is entitled to extra-credit points; however,
all students enjoy an equal opportunity to take advantage of these bonuses. For example, no injustice has
occurred if a student is unable to attend a scheduled extra-credit movie. I will recast this concept in
theological rather than political terms: extra-credit movies are something like grace. No one deserves
grace and yet all may avail themselves of it. Likewise, no one can say he is guaranteed either extra-credit
points or grace. The man who does not get God’s grace instead gets exactly what he deserves (namely
justice), and that is fair; the student who cannot attend any extra-credit movies due to scheduling conflicts
instead gets exactly the grade that he earns on exams and essays, and that is fair.
THE POTENTIAL EXAM ESSAY QUESTIONS

Student-prepared study guides for my exam essay questions have existed for years. Some of these
study guides were created over a decade ago and are reprinted annually. Students have routinely used
these documents to prepare for my exams.
a. I do not object to students using these study aids. However, I have never pre-read or pre-
evaluated study guides for accuracy. No study guide has been verified by me as accurate.
b. Use study guides at your own peril. Many have inaccuracies and oversights. I know this
because I frequently see all the students who answer a certain essay question make the exact same
mistake. In such instances, it is obvious that the study guide they used was weak and yet students studied
from it nonetheless. What’s worse is that I see the same exam mistakes year after year, which indicates
that the old study guides are rarely (if ever) upgraded. Study guides are not inerrant documents sent from
Heaven by trumpet-blowing History Angels.
c. I revise my textbook and classroom discussions every year. Textbook revisions often consist of
entirely new paragraphs and sometimes new pages that present information not contained in previous
editions. I frequently add paragraphs to the textbook to clarify issues that students misunderstand on
exams. Old study guides do not include this new information. One popular study guide that my students
use was created when the textbook was almost half of its current length! I have had students fail exams
because they used old study guides that did not correspond to current essay questions.
***potential essay questions for Examination #1
A. Compare early Spanish activity in the New World with early British activity and early French activity.
(“Early” means 1500-1750.) What territory did each state control and when? How were their New World
imperial policies different? Who had the more successful policy and why? [hint: A satisfactory answer
must extend the discussion to 1750, not 1650. Be sure to explain mercantilism and how it informed
imperial strategies. Be sure to explain imperial overstretch. It is not necessary to write detailed mini-
biographies of each colony.]
B. Compare and contrast the Virginia colony, the Massachusetts colony, and the Pennsylvania colony in
the 1600s and early 1700s. Stop your answer at 1715. Note similarities and differences. Discuss such
things as motives for establishing the colony, why colonists populated the colony, relationships with local
Native American Indians, overall health of the colony, population growth, the labor supply, government,
extent of class stratification, role of religion, the economy, and any revolts/rebellions/major political
interventions. (Hint that won’t be on the exam: Note that this question extends to 1715. Don’t restrict
your answer to the early 1600s! Don’t lump together the Pennsylvania and Massachusetts colony and
inaccurately speak of “Northern colonies” because Pennsylvania and Massachusetts were quite different.)
(Another hint: Many students answer this question by writing three separate blow-by-blow narratives of
each colonies’ early history. That’s okay but it strikes me as inefficient; you’ll end of writing a lot of
things that don’t answer the question. I suggest that you stick to analytical statements, not narrative.)
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C. Describe the character of slavery in the pre-1776 American colonies. Why was it introduced into the
New World? Where was it practiced? How was North American slavery different from Caribbean/South
American slavery? [Hint that won’t be on the exam: Contrast slavery with indentured servitude. Be sure
to discuss the significance of Bacon’s Rebellion and the transition from indentured servants to slaves.
Note that an answer to this question should say something about Latin American slavery, although the
focus should be on North America.]
D. Discuss the Great War for Empire. What are the other names for this war? Why did it start? How did it
end? What were its chief consequences? Why is this such a critical event in American history? [Hint that
won’t be on exam: Be sure to explain the wars that preceded the GWE, salutary neglect, how this war
changed the salutary neglect policy, and what this change meant.]
E. Describe the colonial political arrangement. To what extent did the colonists enjoy self-government?
To what extent did they submit to royal authority? What was mercantilism and how did it affect colonial
politics? What was the status of the colonies’ relationship with England in 1760? [Hint that won’t be on
the exam: Be sure to explain the concept of salutary neglect and trace its history during the colonial era.
Note the Dominion of New England interruption.]
F. What was the Great Awakening? When was this? What does the GA say about the colonial religious
environment? Whom (and what means) did God use most prominently in this revival? How/why did some
prominent theologians criticize the Great Awakening and how did others defend it? How have some non-
Christian historians attempted to explain the revival? How did this religious event connect to future
political events?
***Examination #2 consists of multiple-choice questions only; no essay questions
***potential essay questions for Examination #3
A. “The religious and intellectual ferment of the 1810-1850 years is a curious but insignificant chapter of
American history. These events fade into the background when we consider the important post-1850
issues in American history.” To what extent is this statement accurate? [Hint that won’t be on exam: This
question is asking you to explain and assess the significance of the Second Great Awakening,
transcendentalism, and the reform movements they spawned. Were these important? Is there any
connection between these events and the slavery/secession/Civil War issue? Or between these events and
modern American Christianity? Or between these events and the prevailing worldview in present-day
America?]
B. What caused the Civil War? What did the Civil War actually accomplish, i.e., what did the Civil War
actually change in America?
C. Characterize and assess the Andrew Jackson presidency. What were its major issues? In what ways did
Jackson transform America? In what ways did the Jackson years demonstrate that some in the United
States were "nationalizing" while others were becoming more "sectional"? (Hint that won't be on exam:
This answer should identify and discuss Jacksonian Democracy, Jackson's revolutionary understanding of
the office of the presidency, the bank fight, Indian removal, the nullification crisis, and Jackson's
popularity/unpopularity.)
D. Ralph Waldo Emerson called the Mexican War poison to the American political body, while John C.
Calhoun called Mexico’s northern territories “the forbidden fruit” which – when eaten – would result in
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death. Why did these men say this? Were they accurate? Why and how did the Mexican War change
things dramatically? What was the link between the Mexican War and the Civil War? [Hint that won’t be
on exam: This question is NOT asking for a discussion of how/why the Mexican War was fought. Don’t
write about events leading up to the war or the conduct of the war. Rather, the question is asking about the
consequences (many of them unintended) of the Mexican War.]
E. Describe life in the antebellum South. Devote equal time to the experience of white and black
Southerners. When discussing whites, consider things like different social classes, the extent of
slaveholding, the South’s economy, Southern politics, and Southern life and culture. When discussing
blacks, consider issues like demography, health, slave codes, abuse/punishment, revolts, religion, and
families. Your answer should focus upon specific issues like these (and communicate specific facts.).
[Hint that won’t be on the exam: Avoid writing obvious things like “white Southerners had slaves.”
Instead, write something more informative like “only about 25 percent of all white Southerners owned
slaves in 1850.” Similarly, don’t write “Slavery was bad.” Write something like “Even if a slave was not
beaten, he/she lived in an oppressive and helpless environment where beatings were always possible.”]
F. Describe Northerners’ attitudes toward slavery between 1815 and 1860. Be sure to distinguish between
different groups of Northerners. [Hint that won't be on exam: This means you must identify and
characterize the [1] American Colonization Society, [2] abolitionists, [3] unionists, [4] Stephen Douglas
and Lewis Cass, [5] adherents to William Seward’s “free labor ideology,” and [6] Abraham Lincoln/the
Republican Party. Be sure to explain how/why 1830 was a critical turning point.] How did Southerners
defend slavery (i.e., what arguments did they make in defense of slavery)?
G. Discuss how Americans understood women’s roles between 1740 and 1860. Explain how Americans’
perceptions changed and why they changed. [hint: This answer should include (but not be limited to) the
early colonial idea that reflected the Protestant Reformation’s rejection of the Medieval view of women,
Republican Motherhood, the Cult of Domesticity, Catherine Beecher’s essay, the link between women
and the antebellum reforms, and the nascent women’s rights movement that was launched at the Seneca
Falls Convention.]
XVII. THE TWO ASSIGNED BOOKS AND ASSOCIATED ESSAY

ASSIGNMENT(S)
Every student will read each of these two books. Every student will also submit a READING REPORT
for each of the books. Every student will also submit one FORMAL ESSAY on the Ryken book and
Morgan reading. Some students will submit a second FORMAL essay on the Larkin book. Note that the
formal essay due dates are different for each of the books.
Submit both reading reports and formal essays to the cardboard box outside Dr. Spinney’s office.
Every student will write a formal essay on the Ryken book (which is to be supplemented by the brief
Morgan chapter).
Students who earn a raw grade below 82 on the Ryken/Morgan essay are required to write a second essay
on the Larkin book. (“Raw grade” means the grade before extra-credit points are added.) Your raw grades
on the first and second essay will be averaged to determine the essay grade that goes into my gradebook.
Please note that writing a second essay is not an act of punishment. Rather, such students need help
improving their writing, and the second essay is a way to make them stronger academically.
Students who earn a raw grade of 82 or above on the Ryken/Morgan essay may not write a second essay
on the Larkin book. Such students can complete the Sheila Skemp/Franklin assignment if they wish to
earn extra points. (See Section XXV.)
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See the course schedule for both reading report and essay due dates.
Your essay should be 1200 to 1600 words in length. Do not exceed 1600 words; the essay will be
penalized if it does so.
Your essay must conform to Turabian parameters.
These are not research papers; rather, they are analytical essays based upon the books assigned in this
course. Nor are they opinion essays. It is important that you read Section XXIII in this syllabus.
Do not do additional research for this essay. Do not use other sources. Do not use the internet for
assistance in writing this essay. Do not speak with other students—either in your class or previous ones—
about this assignment. Your essay must be based only upon the assigned book (and contextual
information you might glean from our class’s lectures). This assignment is testing your ability to work
directly with the text of the assigned book. The only exceptions: you may access an online Bible and
online dictionaries. If you want additional information about the topic, consult the textbook or the For the
Record reader. If you think you need to access any other resource, ask me first.
Do not consult essays that were submitted in this course in previous years. Do not consult essay answer
keys from previous years.
*The rules for completing this assignment are almost identical to the rules for completing an in-class
exam. Discussing the matter with others (with the exception of Dr. Spinney and tutors at the Student
Learning Center) or using outside sources (with the exception of our course textbook or the For the
Record book) constitutes cheating.
*No one may proofread your essay. That includes roommates, upperclassmen, RAs, and family members.
Proofread means to mark and perhaps correct specific writing problems in your essay. Someone who is
not enrolled in this course may read your essay and make general comments. Examples of permissible
non-specific comments: “you need more examples from the book,” “your logic in paragraphs 3 and 5 is
confused,” “this essay lacks true topic sentences,” “you seem to misunderstand the rules for commas (so I
will give you a quick tutorial),” “you don’t punctuate quotations correctly (so I will teach you how),” and
“this essay does not really answer the assignment question.” See Section XXI in this syllabus for a full
explanation of the kind of assistance that is legal.
It usually takes me two to two-and-a-half weeks to annotate and grade a stack of essays in this course. I
grade them as quickly as I can, and I will return essays to your PHC mailboxes as soon as I grade them.
However, it requires about 45 minutes to grade one essay. One hundred essays at 45 minutes per essay
comes out to 75 hours, and I must continue doing my normal teaching job while I find an extra 75 hours
for grading. This is why it takes a long time to grade essays.
Ryken/Morgan Essay Question: One historian has written, “Puritanism is a regrettable chapter in
American history because the Massachusetts Puritans created an intolerant community where people were
oppressed and not really free.”
[a] Read only the Foreword and Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, and 10 in the Ryken book. You are
also reading one chapter from Edmund Morgan’s book The Puritan Dilemma, which is uploaded to the
class’s Canvas page, because it discusses government in Massachusetts, whereas Ryken does not.
[b] Assess the accuracy of this statement in the first three-fourths of the essay.
[c] In the final 300 words of the essay, tell me who enjoyed/enjoys more autonomy (or freedom):
a 1640 Puritan living in the Massachusetts Bay Colony with its community rules or a 2022 PHC student
living on campus with PHC’s community rules. Explain your answer and use Ryken/Morgan as much as
possible. (Do not discuss facile things like items relating to your youthfulness as compared to the age of
an adult Puritan, how Stuff-Mart presents you with a myriad of consumer choices, or the fact that you
have the internet and access to a car. This question is asking about substantive and weighty matters
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related to personal liberty and natural rights. Writing something like “I can do whatever I want on Sunday
but the Puritans could not” will earn you a low grade.)
Note #1 Will you judge the Puritans by 2022 American standards? Or by 1640 standards that
were commonplace in England, France, and Spain at the time? Or by biblical standards? Or by a
combination of these standards?
Note #2 Students tend to overemphasize a book’s initial chapters. Why? Perhaps because they
read them carefully but run out of time, so they race through the second half of the book.
Note #3 It is not necessary to discuss legalism in your essay. Although almost all students think
they understand this thorny theological concept, many do not. If you choose to address this subject, be
sure to read pages 20-21 in Dr. Spinney’s textbook and the initial pages in Dr. Spinney’s brief pamphlet
Are You Legalistic? Grace, Obedience, and Antinomianism. (It is uploaded to the class Canvas page.)
Larkin Essay Question: This book is packed full of zillions of interesting facts, stories, and events. Taken
together, they are evidence that Americans lived lives in the early 1800s that were shockingly different
from the lives that we live today. Indeed, if we somehow stepped out of a time machine and into 1820s
America, we would feel like aliens and be regarded as aliens. How was American life different in the
1790–1840 years?
[a] Read only pages xiii–xvii, 121–231, and 258–303.
[b] It is easy to focus on only material or technological things when answering this question.
“They had small houses; we have big ones. They had limited diets; we have incredibly varied ones. Their
health care was poor; ours is great. They did lots of manual work, but we work via computers.” However,
focusing on these things will likely result in “C-range” or “D-range” grades. I want you to focus on ideas,
values, goals, fears, and worldviews. Did antebellum Americans define happiness and success differently
than we do? Did Americans in 1820 have a different relationship with their communities than we do?
Were personal relationships at this time different than they are today? Does it seem to you—from the
evidence in this book—that Americans in 1810 were more content than we are today? Do you think
depression, anxiety, and OCD was more or less common in 1835 (and why)? Do you think the
relationship between husband and wife was different before the Civil War than it is today? The book
nowhere answers these kinds of questions directly, but its myriad details permits you to make reasonable
evidence-based conjectures.
[c] The central question in this assignment is “how was American life different in the 1790–1840
years?” I recommend that you identify three or four broad thematic answers to that question. Organize
your paper as an explanation of these three/four answers. Use book evidence to convince me that your
answers are the correct ones. Successful arguments will blend your own explanations with supporting
data from the book.
[d] You will be graded on how well you work with the Larkin book’s information.
[e] Be sure to read Section XIX and Section XXIII below. In particular, do not merely report
information from the book. Make sure you answer the assignment question. Use facts from the book to
support your arguments and explanations.
*The grading rubric explains how these essays will be graded. Read it so you will know what is expected.
Staple a copy of the grading rubric to the FRONT of your submitted essay. Please format and print the
grading rubric so that it is contained on one sheet of paper. Do not attach a two-page-long grading rubric.
*Complete and staple a copy of the Declaration of Academic Honesty to the end of your submitted essay.
XVIII. GUIDELINES FOR WRITING THE ESSAYS

1. Go beyond merely reporting what the book says. Summarizing a book’s contents rarely earns a grade
higher than C. Your essay should display application, analysis, synthesis, and/or evaluation. (Find an
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internet article on Bloom’s taxonomy if you need explanations of these terms.) Perhaps 75 percent of all
student essays indulge in excessive summarizing.
2. Especially pithy or appropriate quotations are welcome, but short papers like this one should contain
neither many nor long quotations. I am grading your thoughts, not your ability to lift quotations from your
books. Make quotations brief and use them sparingly. I prefer to read your paraphrase of statements found
in your book. (Some professors like to see lots of quotations, but I am not one of them. I prefer to see
your paraphrases.)
Always introduce a quotation with a phrase or sentence. Tell the reader why is about to read a
quotation.
Always follow a quotation with at least one sentence (and usually two or three) that tells the
reader exactly how the quotation pertains to the paragraph’s argument. Students often think their
quotations are self-interpreting. No explanation is necessary, they think, because it’s obvious how the
quotation relates to the paragraph’s argument. Wrong. You think no further explanation is needed because
you’ve been thinking about how the quotation serves your argument. Follow your quotation with an
explanation of what the quotation indicates or how it supports your argument. The longer the quotation,
the more a follow-up explanation is necessary.
3. Never use a quotation merely to establish a fact or communicate factual information. Never. Simply
state the fact in your own words; footnote it if it is controversial or counterintuitive. Quotations are
reserved for especially well-worded explanations and intriguing phrases. Avoid long block quotations in a
short essay like this. An extended block quotation can account for 10 percent of the essay’s word count!
That almost always hurts an essay grade; it doesn’t help it.
4. Include examples from the book. Please note that a quotation is often not an example. The ideal
paragraph consists of a topic sentence, two to five sentences of analysis or explanation, at least one
example from the book (and preferably two) that supports or illustrates the analysis/explanation, and one
to three concluding sentences that make explicit the paragraph’s claims. This means a healthy paragraph
will [a] consist of at least six sentences and [b] stay focused on one and only one subject.
Your paragraphs should constitute arguments. This is because your paragraphs should be answers
to the assignment question. Your paragraph should be answering the question and persuading the reader
that your answer is correct.
In some ways, your paragraph should resemble a courtroom lawyer in action. Courtroom lawyers
attempt to persuade a jury; your paragraph attempts to persuade its reader. Lawyers present evidence;
your paragraph should present evidence (i.e., examples) from the book. Lawyers do not simply introduce
multiple pieces of evidence to juries; instead, they use words to explain the evidence and weave the
evidence into an argument. Ditto for your paragraph. Lawyers fail if they do not lead the jury to a specific
conclusion; likewise, your paragraph should have a specific conclusion (i.e., an argument) to which the
reader is led. (Over half of all freshman and sophomore essays display weak argumentation.)
Quotations often are not examples. Here’s why. “President Haye wants all students to enjoy
attending chapel and regard it as an essential spiritual mini-vacation.” This is a piece of evidence that may
well be useful in an argumentative essay. However, is this quotation evidence that PHC students actually
enjoy attending chapel? No—it’s only evidence that President Haye hopes this will happen. What would I
need to prove to someone that PHC students do indeed enjoy chapels? I would need specific examples
taken from the PHC community, like very high attendance rates, students begging for longer chapels,
students expressing dismay when a chapel must be canceled, and students themselves saying that they
enjoy chapel. When using a quotation, ask yourself, “Is this quotationtelling us what was actually
happening at the time? Or is it telling us what someone hoped would happen?”
5. Use footnotes to document [a] unusual or controversial pieces of information; [b] interpretations (or
analytical insights) that you find in your books; and [c] quotations and selections that you paraphrase. Do
not use footnotes to document basic facts. When do you use a footnote? When your reader might think, “I
can’t believe the source said this” or “I want to see for myself where this appears in the source.”
Stringing together gobs of footnoted facts does not make for an impressive essay: such an essay
usually contains little analysis and only reports the book’s contents.
On this kind of essay assignment, I would expect to see between two and five footnotes per typed
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page. You are not thinking correctly about footnoting if (for this assignment) you have zero or eight
footnotes per page.
6. Eliminate fluff. That means your introductory and concluding paragraphs should be brief. In a short
paper like this, you must dive quickly into the essay’s substance. Do not permit the introduction to
become a long, vacuous, meandering wind-up, and don’t permit the concluding paragraph merely to re-
state what you said in the essay. Every paragraph in the essay (including the first and last ones) should
communicate something of value. It’s true that wordy introductions and conclusions help students satisfy
the word-count requirement, but they also result in lower grades. If your introductory and concluding
paragraphs are lacking in substance, it will be almost impossible to earn a grade of A.
A general rule: Both the introductory and concluding paragraph should consist of one (and only
one) paragraph. Neither an introductory paragraph nor a concluding paragraph should exceed half a page
in length. Another general rule: all introductory material should be expressed in the first paragraph. The
second paragraph should plunge the reader into the meat of the essay’s argument (which means it begins
discussing the assigned book itself). Another general rule: If you are having difficulty meeting the word
count, don’t add a “fluff paragraph” to the end of the essay and don’t write two concluding paragraphs.
You’ll meet the word count but hurt your essay grade. Instead, go back to the assigned book, find a
specific example inside the book, and write one additional paragraph that cites and explains that example.
7. Part of any college writing assignment is proving to your professor that you actually read and
understood the book. Keep that in mind as you write this (and other) college essays. The best way to do
this: include specific examples from the book. (A quotation often is not an example!) Don’t write obvious
things that most college students would know before reading the book. Obvious things don’t earn students
good grades.
8. Every quality history book contains a thesis. Be sure to identify and assess the thesis. Note that a
book’s subject is not the same as a book’s thesis. If you don’t know what a thesis is, ask for assistance. If
you read your book and couldn’t identify its thesis, you have missed the most important aspect of the
reading assignment.
9. Avoid long sentences. Clarity usually decreases as sentence length increases. The easiest way to make
your writing clearer is to convert long sentence into shorter ones. If your sentence occupies three lines of
text, it is probably too long. If your sentence has three or more commas, you should shorten it. Brisk
sentences make prose sparkle. Overly wordy and complex sentences, however, even ones that contain no
obvious grammatical errors and are punctuated correctly, make for tedious reading and bury your ideas in
a forest of words so that your professor often finds it difficult to understand your ideas without rereading
your sentences. (See what I mean?)
10. Freshmen and sophomores are often tempted to read an essay assignment and then say to their
professor, “I don’t know exactly what you want.” What that statement often means is, “You have not
given me a step-by-step recipe that I can follow so I can be sure my essay receives an A.” It is true that
there is no recipe here. In part, this assignment is testing your ability to craft an intelligent response to an
open-ended question. You have much freedom to respond to the essay question as you deem best. “A
level” grades are reserved for students who respond to assignments like this with spectacular insights. If
you must have an answer to the question, “What exactly do you want?”, then the answer is, “An essay
that displays brilliance.”
11. Why does writing matter in an essay like this? Some students think, “This is just a history class. Who
cares if the writing is good or bad? Just grade the quality of my ideas.”
a. Good essays make good arguments. Good arguments require good explanations. Good
explanations are impossible if the writing is weak. Clumsy writing is rarely able to communicate
impressive cause-and-effect arguments. A misplaced comma here and there is not a major problem. We
all make small mistakes like this. A bigger problem (and one that I often see in freshman and sophomore
essays) is the poorly worded sentence. The word order and/or word choice in a sentence is so garbled that
I can’t understand the sentence without rereading it. Perhaps you will one day find yourself in a
competition that rewards sentences that are flowery, complicated, excessively long, or packed full of
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academic jargon, but that’s not what is happening with these history essays. The premium here is on
clarity. The straightforward sentence is better than the ornate one. Readable sentences are applauded;
opaque sentences elicit groans.
b. It is extremely difficult for a reader to comprehend good ideas when they are expressed in
weak writing. Writing problems almost always compromise the content of an essay. Students often have
A+ ideas inside their brains but express those ideas in C- writing. When this happens, the reader (namely
me) usually cannot “see” the A+ ideas in the prose. Weak writing hurts your content/quality grade as well
as your writing grade.
If I write NWW on your essay, I am indicating that the offending sentence is Not Worded Well. A
comma error is not a big deal; NWW is a big deal. It’s most important that writing be understandable;
NWW means the sentence fails at its most important task. These kinds of sentences often result when
students attempt to write with an unnatural “academic voice” that is different from the voice they use to
answer exam essay questions. I do not recommend that you try to “scholarize” or “intellectualize” your
writing.
12. Here is a technique for improving the writing in your essay. Read the completed essay aloud to
yourself. As you do so, listen for clumsy sentences. I find this difficult to do, but I also find it to be the
most profitable method of proofreading my own writing.
13. The essay’s one introductory paragraph and one concluding paragraph need not make arguments.
They may make assertions and express your opinions. The remainder of the paragraphs, however, must
persuade the reader that your answer to the question is correct. Each paragraph should make an argument.
Accordingly, paragraphs in an essay like this should usually be structured as follows:
a. topic sentence that expresses the one claim or assertion this paragraph makes
b. explanation of the paragraph’s argument; answer the assigned question or respond to the
assignment prompt directly; go beyond asserting and offer and explanations
c. offer evidence that substantiates your assertion
d. explain how your evidence applies to the argument you are making; evidence, examples, and
quotations are almost never self-interpreting and usually require some explanation from you
e. offer a second piece of evidence; repeat c and d above
f. you are trying to persuade the reader, so connect the dots for him; do not assume he will draw
the same conclusions that you do; tell him how he should process this evidence; point out the implications
of your argument; this is the place in the paragraph where you can offer informed assertions; this
can/should end with the paragraph’s concluding sentence (and the concluding sentence should not merely
repeat stuff already stated in the paragraph)
14. Please note that only truly outstanding essays receive grades of A. Essays that are good, solid,
competent, and better-than-average – but not spectacular – earn B’s. In a recent semester, about 20
percent of the student essays in this course earned grades of A. For the past few years, the average grade
on a U.S. History essay has been 80 (which is on the border between B- and C+).
15. Crafting true topic sentences is key to writing an impressive argumentative essay. Never write
pseudo-topic sentences that only announce the paragraph’s subject. Example of a pseudo-topic sentence:
The Puritans valued education. Unlike this example, a true topic sentence makes a claim or assertion that
supports the essay’s thesis. Hence a true topic sentence declares an argument that is one element of the
essay’s overall argument. (In our HIS203 and HIS213 essays, the argument should be a persuasive answer
to the assigned question.) Example of a true topic sentence: The Puritans’ classical liberal arts education
created independent thinkers who would never submit to authoritarian rulers. Having commenced with a
true topic sentence, the remainder of the paragraph then proves that the topic sentence is accurate. More
examples:
Not a True Topic Sentence (NATTS): The Puritans made rules to distinguish between legitimate and
illegitimate sports.
A Healthy Topic Sentence (AHTS): Rule-making becomes legalistic bondage when it subjects even
recreation to laws and punishments.
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NATTS: The Puritans enjoyed affectionate marriages.
AHTS: Affectionate marriages–like the ones the Puritans enjoyed–promote emotionally satisfying
societies, not grim and repressive ones.
NATTS: The Puritans generously cared for the poor in their community.
AHTS: Voluntary non-government aid to the poor indicates that Puritans societies were compassionate,
not stern and harsh.
16. In my years at PHC, I have discovered that many of my students write better in-class blue book essays
than formal typed book essays. This is counter-intuitive, isn’t it? Why would a rushed and handwritten
essay that is crafted in one sitting be better than a typed essay that a student can spend an entire week
crafting and re-crafting? The answer: my students have studied for the blue book essay and thus have
something to say but they often don’t have something to say when they write a formal essay. “Don’t have
something to say” means they are bored by the assigned book. They don’t see why the assigned book’s
ideas are important, controversial, or potential game-changers. If you slog through an assigned book,
dutifully pass eyeballs over black ink, but don’t become engaged with the book’s ideas, you will be bored.
And you will have nothing to say when you write the essay. And writing the essay will be laborious. And
it will be difficult to meet the minimum word count. The key to writing a good book essay is to come
away from your reading with something to say. Get passionate. Disagree with the book. Get angry with its
villains. See the explosiveness of the book’s ideas. Fight with the book’s author. Fight with Dr. Spinney
for assigning the book. Don’t permit yourself to be bored.
17. My first-year PHC students are usually too cautious in writing essays. They seemingly do not want to
make a mistake so they only write things that are incontrovertibly true. “Playing it safe” in an essay often
earns a grade of B, B-, or C+; it almost never earn a B+ or A. Students are encouraged to be bold.
Reasonable and informed speculation is often the hallmark of an “A-level” essay. Only write things that
you can write with verve. Avoid writing obvious things that [a] someone would have known without
reading the book and [b] are so basic that a high school student would have written it. “A-level” grades
are reserved for essays that display penetrating ideas and analysis that goes deeper than the surface.
18. Do not include dictionary definitions in short essays like these. Maybe this is useful in high school
essays, but you can assume that readers of college-level essays know key words’ definitions. However,
you should include definitions when you use words or phrases in atypical ways, or when you use
technical terms that many readers will not know.
19. A surprisingly large number of student essays exhibit one of two problems.
[a] The first half of the reading assignment is understood, and this portion of the book dominates
the essay. However, the second half of the book is only weakly mentioned in the essay, even when the
book’s major analytical insights appear in its final chapters. Such students usually dive into the reading
assignment with enthusiasm (which is why they master the book’s initial chapters), but their focus wanes
and they get bored. In some cases, this problem occurs because students begin the reading assignment too
close to the due date. They run out of time and do not read the second half of the book carefully. (In most
cases, the second half of a book is more important than the first half.)
[b] All the essay’s examples are located in only two or three portions of the book. This usually
means the student did not read the entirety of the book carefully. It results in the essay lacking the
strongest examples, which in turn leads to weaker arguments and lower grades.
XIX. PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism is presenting someone else’s work as your own. Here is what plagiarism would look like on
our U.S. History formal essays:
• using ideas (and not merely exact words) in your essay that come from a book, internet site, or
another student essay without footnoting the source
• paraphrasing content from a book, document, web site, or essay and using the paraphrase in your
essay without a footnote
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• inserting into your essay an idea or insight that you heard one of your friends talking about (it’s
best to not include other peoples’ ideas at all in a brief essay like this, as the work should be 100
percent your ideas; if you determine that you must include such material, not footnoting it is
plagiarism)
• permitting someone (friend? wingmate? RA? mom?) to edit your essay (by adding new things,
deleting old things, and revising other things) and then submitting the collaborative effort as your
own work; this applies to proofreading and grammar editing
Note that plagiarism goes beyond word-for-word copying. If you consult a book, get an idea from that
book, put the book away, and then use that idea in the writing of your essay, you plagiarize unless you
provide a footnote that acknowledges the idea’s source.
Is an idea or phrase planted in your brain so that you remember it? Did you know this fact a month before
starting this assignment? Do you not need to look back at a source for the information? Then the
idea/phrase doesn’t need to be footnoted.
The best way to avoid plagiarism in this course is to follow the assignment’s rules: never even look at a
website, book, review, essay, or any other outside material.
XX. DISCUSSING YOUR GRADED ESSAY OR EXAM, WANTING AN

EXPLANATION FOR WHY YOUR WORK RECEIVED THE
GRADE THAT IT DID, APPEALING YOUR GRADE, OR
REQUESTING THAT YOUR WORK BE REGRADED
The professor will not discuss any graded work—essay or exam—until the student has had the graded
work in his hands for at least thirty-six hours.
The professor will not discuss any graded work—essay or exam—until the student has carefully read the
assignment’s answer key. Many discussions of exams and essays become comparisons of the student’s
work to the answer key.
A student who thinks his grade is too low should explain in writing why he thinks he deserves a higher
grade. Regard 100 words as a minimum length, but you are encouraged to write enough to persuade me
that you indeed deserve a higher grade.
Failure to display the fruit of the Spirit voids the right to appeal. Angry, abusive, sarcastic, or
disrespectful appeals will be dismissed without consideration.
XXI. GIVING AND RECEIVING HELP ON THE FORMAL ESSAYS,

INCLUDING PROOFREADING
No one may proofread an essay for one of my students. No one includes roommates, upperclassmen, peer
tutors, mentors, RAs, and family members.
Proofreading means identifying writing errors in someone else’s essay and either [a] marking or
annotating them in such a manner that the essay’s author can fix them without understanding why they
are problems or [b] correcting the errors so the essay’s author doesn’t need to correct them himself (or
need only copy/obey the proofreader’s words). This means a roommate, upperclassman, peer tutor,
mentor, RA, or family member may not simply mark writing problems on an essay and return the
annotated essay to the student. The last sentence is exactly what the Virginia Tech Writing Center tells its
students. The VTWC’s published policy: “As Writing Center coaches, we won’t proofread or ‘correct’
your papers, but we will offer one-on-one instruction in writing at all levels.”
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The student who writes the essay is the only one who may proofread it. This presents a special challenge,
especially when we attempt to proofread our document when the submission deadline is only hours or
minutes away. As that vaunted oracle of wisdom Wikipedia explains, “[F]inding any final errors often
occurs just when stress levels are highest and time shortest, [so] readers’ minds resist identifying them as
errors. Under these conditions, proofreaders tend to see only what they want to see.” The remedy? Don’t
proofread your essay at the last minute.
A roommate, upperclassman, peer tutor, mentor, RA, or family member may assist a student with his
essay. Permissible assistance is that which helps the student become a better writer. The VTWC helpfully
characterizes permissible assistance as one-on-one instruction in writing. Examples of assistance that
truly helps the student (and is permissible) include
• noticing the student often does not craft strong topic sentences, explaining to the student the
difference between good and bad topic sentences, leading the student to understand why his
topic sentences are weak, and teaching the student how to craft stronger ones
• seeing that the student overuses commas, explaining to the student basic rules for comma use,
helping the student understand why his use of commas is often incorrect, and then using the
student’s own comma errors to teach him correct usage
• realizing that the student includes too few book examples in the essay, showing the student
how the essay makes unsubstantiated assertions without book examples to support them, and
then teaching the student how pertinent book examples can be integrated into the essay
• encountering many awkwardly worded sentences that may contain no explicit grammatical
error and yet are difficult to read, pointing out a few of these mangled sentences to the
essay’s author, and helping the student to convert them into cogent, clear, and readable
sentences
Notice how writing tutors/mentors should teach writers, not correct essays. The tutor/mentor’s focuses on
the person, not the paper.
I recommend that you use the peer tutors at the Student Support Center (aka the Learning Lab, aka the
Learning Center.) They understand these guidelines.
The overriding principle regarding acceptable and unacceptable student assistance is simple: when I grade
a student essay, I should be grading the student’s work and not that of the tutor/mentor. The tutor/mentor
can be so invasive that his words and ideas appear in the essay. This should never happen. Tutors/mentors
train student writers; those writers then apply that training on their own and submit their own work.
The tutor/mentor’s task is often difficult because many students insist that the tutor/mentor proofread their
essays. Some students even assume proofreading is the tutor/mentor’s job and thus become angry when
they aren’t told exactly how to fix their essay so it will receive a high grade. Tutors/mentors are
encouraged to have the student read this statement. Explain to the student that it is Dr. Spinney who is
setting the parameters for legal and illegal assistance.
Why do I set these parameters? Because I want my students to improve their writing skills and thereby
become better writers. Their writing does not improve when someone else improves their essay for them.
Litmus test: Is someone correcting your essay? If yes, this is prohibited. Is someone giving you one-on-
one instruction that teaches you how to write better, usually by working with examples from your essay?
If yes, this is permissible.
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XXII. REVIEW OF OLD EXAM QUESTIONS
Examination questions must remain in the professor’s possession. I cannot permit exam questions to be
copied, archived, shared, or auctioned on eBay. To this end, students may examine the multiple choice
questions on already-completed exams (i.e., on Exam #1 and Exam #2) up to three weeks after the
respective exam date. By all means, please come to the instructor’s office and examine old exam
questions! I want you to review your answers to the exam questions. I am not trying to prevent you from
seeing your exam, but I am trying to let you see it in a way that maintains test security. No students may
review old exam questions during the last seven days of the semester or during Final Examination week.
After the semester has ended, students may review any and all examination questions. In no case,
however, may students retain a copy of any examination questions. I typically destroy all exams in my
possession once the semester ends.
XXIII. STUDENTS SAY THIS EXPLANATION HELPS THEM

WRITE SUCCESSFUL COLLEGE-LEVEL ESSAYS
Many freshmen and sophomores at Patrick Henry College find college-level essay-writing to be more
difficult than they anticipated. Reasons abound for why this is the case, but here is one that if frequently
evident in my U.S. History course. Students typically write book reports and research papers in high
school, but then wrongly assume that all writing assignments fall into one of those two categories. The
then incorrectly write a book report or mini-research paper in U.S. History when the assignment calls for
a different kind of essay. In fact, most of the essays you will write in college will be neither book reports
nor research papers.
Different professors will ask you to write different kinds of essays. Sometimes they will not specify
exactly what they want you to do in an essay; if that happens, seek clarification. Permit me to clarify what
you will write in my course.
U.S. History I and II requires you to write persuasive essays. Students who incorrectly submit book
reports, response essays, opinion pieces, mini-reports, or research papers cannot earn higher than a B- on
the course’s essay assignment. Sadly, over one-third of my students consistently submit essays that do not
qualify as persuasive essays.
It will help if I define some terms:
book report This essay reports a book’s contents. It does this by summarizing the book, retelling the
story conveyed in the book, or both. It resembles a Wikipedia article in its factual accuracy and
comprehensiveness. The strong book report reads like a condensed version of the book. The book report
focuses on the book itself.
response essay or opinion essay This essay consists of a student’s reaction to or thoughts about an
assigned book. It often emphasizes the student’s opinions, especially his approval (or criticism) of the
book or his identification of the book’s strengths and weaknesses. It is sometimes called a reflective essay
because it asks a student to reflect upon (or interact with) the book. The strong response essay
demonstrates creativity, moral judgments, and exciting applications. The response essay focuses on the
book itself.
research paper This essay presents a detailed fact-based discussion of a subject. Research is
conducted in multiple sources. After collecting data germane to the subject at hand, the factual
information is synthesized. The student’s primary contribution is the gathering and organizing of facts
gleaned via research. The strong research paper displays significant and well-targeted research that is
summarized in a readable narrative. The research paper focuses on what several books say about the
subject.
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persuasive essay or argumentative essay This essay begins with a debatable or not-so-obvious
assertion—maybe even a controversial one—and proceeds to argue that the assertion is true. It blends
evidence and explanation to convince the reader of the assertion’s correctness. It resembles what a lawyer
does in a courtroom when he persuades the jury and leads it to the proper verdict. The strong persuasive
essay succeeds at making a compelling argument. This often includes refutations of the strongest
objections to the essay’s argument. The persuasive essay focuses on the debatable assertion (aka thesis)
and argument, not the book itself. The book only provides the data needed to build a winning argument.
Persuasive essays are the most difficult of the four essays above because they require original thought,
insights, and even a touch of brilliance. That is because persuasive essays must feature arguments, and
some arguments are better than others. Moreover, good arguments must be explained skillfully. Winning
arguments cannot be found in the assigned book and repeated, as they can only be found in your brain.
Unlike response essays, persuasive essays must be based upon evidence. That means unsupported
opinions and judgments are unwelcome.
Only the persuasive essay is driven by a thesis. Indeed, the thesis may be the most important aspect of a
superb persuasive essay. A good thesis is never obvious; it is never your first thought. Only careful
thought results in good thesis statements. This is one reason why it is possible to write good book reports
and research papers at the last minute, but it is less likely that rushed persuasive essays will be strong. I
can often read an essay’s thesis—which is located in the introductory paragraph—and determine whether
the essay will be “A level” in quality.
A strong persuasive essay will present evidence to support its arguments. The best evidence is an example
from the assigned book. Quotations are rarely good examples. Here is a weak example: President Ronald
Reagan said, “My policies will reduce income taxes.” Here is a good example: During the Reagan years,
the tax rate for the wealthiest Americans fell from 70 percent to 35 percent. The latter is an example of
what actually happened, not merely what someone said. “A level” essays feature numerous book
examples.
Factually accurate essays often do not receive grades of A or B. In a college History course, we assume
all essays will get the facts right. (Factual errors put the grade into the “low C level,” “D level,” and “F
level.”) Above average essays are distinguished by the quality of their argumentation. Just as courtroom
lawyers can make satisfactory arguments that are neither wrong nor strong, so students can present
average arguments that are okay but deserving of high grades. Essays only earn A’s and B’s when they
present impressive arguments.
Many essays earn grades in the “C range” because they only discuss what I call the low-hanging fruit. A
typical apple tree produces fruit that is distributed throughout the tree. Some hangs on the tree’s highest
branches while some hangs on the branches closest to the ground. Apples on the lowest branches are easy
to harvest: it requires little effort to pick this low-hanging fruit. Apples on the highest branches, however,
are reached only with much effort. In a college-level essay, the low-hanging fruit is the obvious material
that didn’t require much thought. The low-hanging fruit includes things many students know before
taking the class and things found in Dr. Spinney’s textbook. A student essay filled with low-hanging fruit
is not bad, but it is not above average. Thus it rarely earns a grade higher than C+. I suggest asking
yourself these questions when writing your essay: “Is this argument obvious? Is this insight already
mentioned in the textbook? Am I writing something that we said in class? Am I writing something I knew
before taking this class?” These questions will help you identify the low-hanging fruit that should be
eliminate from your essay.
Some students are confused by persuasive essays and say, “But I don’t know what you want in this essay,
Dr. Spinney.” That question indicates that the student is not thinking correctly about the nature of a
persuasive essay. “I don’t know what you want” means the student wants a recipe that he can follow
mechanically and thereby insure himself of an A. It means the student wants to know exactly what he
must regurgitate in his essay so he earns a high grade. “I don’t know what you want” really means “tell
me exactly what I must write in my essay so I can write it.” This kind of thinking does not apply to thesis-
Page 21 of 23
driven essays. If you must know exactly what I want in these essays, here is my answer: I want to see
shrewd and clever arguments supported by book examples, and I want to see those arguments explained
in a compelling manner.
XXIV. SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS FOR LEARNING

DISABILITIES AND HEALTH ISSUES
I am eager to help students succeed in this course. Accordingly, I will extend any and all accommodations
to students provided that they meet the following criteria:
a. the student has already discussed his health and/or learning issues with the Student Life office
and has submitted medical documentation with Student Life
b. in the unusual event that the student has not communicated his need for special
accommodations with Student Life, the student must explain to me the situation and need far in advance
of the event; for example, a student cannot request special accommodations on Exam #2 one day before
the test
c. the accommodation must be such that it is fair to other students and does not disservice them;
the accommodation cannot diminish the rigor and/or academic challenge of an assignment
d. the accommodation must be such that it also accommodates my work schedule; for example, I
must drive one hour to get to campus and I am teaching almost all day on Monday, Wednesday, and
Friday, so I am unable to schedule events on some days
XXV. THE EXTRA-CREDIT SKEMP/FRANKLIN OPPORTUNITY

This assignment consists of reading Sheila L. Skemp’s Benjamin and William Franklin: Father and Son,
Patriot and Loyalist and using it to write an analytical essay. It can raise your lowest exam grade up to
one full letter grade, i.e., raise a 77 to an 88.
the reading assignment: read the Introduction carefully; skim quickly Chapters 1 and 2; read carefully
Chapters 3 through 8 and the Epilogue; you are not required to read the documents in Part Two; submit a
typed statement with your essay pledging that you did indeed do the reading as assigned here
the writing assignment: The American Patriots are typically regarded as heroes who defended liberty,
justice, and honorable living. On the other hand, the American Loyalists are typically regarded as villains
who favored authoritarian rule, restrictions on liberty, and privileging wealthy elites. Why did William
Franklin choose to be a Tory—because he was of tyranny who despised liberty? Was Benjamin
Franklin’s patriotism always motivated by noble desires? What caused William to deviate so sharply from
his father’s beliefs? Do not respond to these queries as though they are four questions. Instead, regard this
assignment as asking you to do one thing, namely explain why one Franklin decided to be a Patriot and
the other a Loyalist. My separate questions above are designed to help you think about the subject.
Note #1 Students tend to overemphasize a book’s initial chapters when writing book-based
essays, especially when such books are biographies. The first two chapters of Part One constitute a useful
introduction to the Franklin story, but they do not answer the assigned question. Review them quickly so
the book will make sense when you begin reading in Chapter Three. (If you argue that something in
William Franklin’s childhood caused him to be a Loyalist, you are actually psychoanalyzing William
Franklin. Don’t do this.)
Note #2 Pay attention to both political and personal motivations. Like me and you, the Franklins
were sometimes motivated by principle, sometimes by circumstances, sometimes by practical
considerations, and sometimes by emotion. Do not assume that the Franklins were Colonial Era Vulcans.
This essay should conform to the same parameters as the Ryken and Larkin essays, which are explained
above.
The essay will be graded with the same essay grading rubric that is used for the Ryken and Larkin essays.
The essay can earn up to an additional 11 points on the student’s lowest exam grade. For example, if a
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student earns a grade of 90 on the extra-credit essay, he receives 90 percent of 11 points, which is 9.9
points. Those points will be added to the student’s lowest exam grade. If a student earns a grade of 75 on
the essay, 8.25 points will be added to his lowest exam grade.
*The extra-credit essay must earn a grade of at least 72.5 to qualify for extra points. Bad essays that are
not deserving of at least a grade of C will earn no extra-credit points.
Page 23 of 23

HIS203 Syllabus For 2022

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HIS203 Syllabus For 2022

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HIS203 History of the United States I

Instructor Name: Dr. Robert Spinney

Sections 1, 2, and 3 of HIS203 all use this same syllabus.

I. CATALOG COURSE DESCRIPTION

III. COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

V. FORMAT & PROCEDURES

VI. COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Not Included in GPA Calculation:

VIII. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY (PLAGIARISM AND CHEATING)

X. ADDITIONAL RESOURCE READINGS

XI. TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE

Dates Subject Assignment

Textbook Chapter 6; FTR, Chap. 5 (Paine, Mass. Bill of Rights,

Textbook Chapter 14; FTR, Chap. 9 (Walker’s Appeal), Chap. 10

11/16, Textbook Chapter 15; FTR, Chap. 14 (Emerson, Dred Scott v.

Final Exam Week

XII. STUDENT COMPUTER USE IN THE CLASSROOM

XIV. FURTHER EXPLANATION OF THE CLASS ATTENDANCE

XV. CLASSROOM DECORUM AND ETIQUETTE

THE POTENTIAL EXAM ESSAY QUESTIONS

***potential essay questions for Examination #1

***Examination #2 consists of multiple-choice questions only; no essay questions

***potential essay questions for Examination #3

XVII. THE TWO ASSIGNED BOOKS AND ASSOCIATED ESSAY

Your essay must conform to Turabian parameters.

XVIII. GUIDELINES FOR WRITING THE ESSAYS

XX. DISCUSSING YOUR GRADED ESSAY OR EXAM, WANTING AN

XXI. GIVING AND RECEIVING HELP ON THE FORMAL ESSAYS,

XXIII. STUDENTS SAY THIS EXPLANATION HELPS THEM

It will help if I define some terms:

XXIV. SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS FOR LEARNING

XXV. THE EXTRA-CREDIT SKEMP/FRANKLIN OPPORTUNITY

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