HIST-129 American Violence
American history is steeped in heroic imagery of armed struggle, from the American Revolution to the Civil War and World War II. American life is filled with celebrations, holidays, and folk songs marking these moments. But what distinguishes the heroic and barbaric when it comes to political violence? This class examines several historical periods of political and racial violence in U.S. history, from the Fort Pillow massacre during the Civil War, to the Hamburg, SC riots during Reconstruction, and the political assassinations of the 1960s to answer questions of who gets to use political violence as tool and who doesn’t, and how violence is remembered and memorialized, and, ultimately, what kind of a nation is able to survive on such foundations?
Writing-Intensive (18)
Credits
1