DUSP Courses 1998

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11.015J Riots, Strikes and Conspiracies in American History

11.015J/21H104J. Riots, Strikes, and Conspiracies in American History Fall 1999

Prof. Robert M. Fogelson Prof. Pauline Maier

MIT 3-405 MIT E51-279

(25)3-1671 (25)3-2646

foge@mit.edu pmaier@mit.edu

Requirements:

(1) Attendance and participation in class discussions. This subject is taught entirely through discussions. As a result, it is essential that students come to class having read the assigned readings and participate in discussions. Class performance will be a significant consideration in assigning grades.

(2) Preparation of a research paper on a riot, strike, or conspiracy NOT discussed in regular class meetings, but which applies the analytic techniques developed there. As the schedule below indicates, special classes will be devoted to choosing an appropriate paper topic, conducting research, and preparing final papers. Students will be asked to turn in a brief statement of topics on which they might write their papers on or before the class on September 28, and those proposed topics will be discussed in class on September 30. Thereafter written assignments will fall due as follows:

October 14. First paper, circa 5 pages. Provides a narrative of the entire event to be studied, with a bibliography of the best sources on the event.

November 4. Second paper, circa 3-5 pages. Lists a set of questions that cover the entire event being examined, from its beginning to end; chooses one of those questions for closer study in the final paper; explains why that question was chosen, and identifies the relevant secondary and primary sources on that question, indicating where--- particularly with regard to primary sources--- those sources are available.

December 2. Final paper, circa 15-18 pages. Answers the question chosen in the previous paper. All papers must be based on both primary and secondary sources--- that is, on documents of the time as well as subsequent studies. Papers that simply distill information from other secondary studies will be unacceptable since the point of this exercise is to give students experience in doing first-hand historical research. All papers must also include footnotes and a bibliography or bibliographical essay presented in a full, clear, and consistent form.

(3) A final examination scheduled during the examination period.

Readings:

Many of the readings for 11.015J/21H104J are in special readers, one for each topic, available in the Rotch and Humanities Libraries, where students are free to make their own copies. In addition, a handful of paperback books are assigned, which students can purchase or read in the library:

Peter Charles Hoffer, The Salem Witchcraft Trials: A Legal History. University Press of Kansas pb. Lawrence, Kansas, 1997. ISBN 0-7006-0859-1.

Richard B. Trask, ed., "The Devil hath been raised": A Documentary History of the Salem Witchcraft Outbreak of March 1692. Yeoman Press pb. Danvers, Massachusetts, 1992 and 1997. ISBN 0-914659-58-8.

Arthur Miller, The Crucible. Penguin pb.

David Demarest, Jr., ed., "The River Ran Red": Homestead, 1892. University of Pittsburgh Press pb. Pittsburgh, 1992.

Class Schedule:

September 9. Introduction.

September 14-28. The Salem Witchcraft Crisis, 1692.

Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum, Salem Possessed, pp. xvii-xviii, 1-21, 110-32, in "Readings."

Hoffer, Salem Witchcraft Trials.

Trask, ed., "The Devil hath been raised."

Miller, The Crucible.

NOTE: Hoffer's Salem Witchcraft tells the basic story of Salem in an introduction and text of 146 pages; it also has a chronological summary of the event on pages 147-51. The first 21 pages of Boyer and Nissenbaum also include a summary of the event. Complete those readings by Tuesday, September 14, and be prepared to define the basic narrative of the witchcraft crisis.

The Trask book, which is a collection of documents, focuses particularly upon the outbreak of the event in March of 1692. It consists largely of witnesses' testimony, although a good hunk of the book (pp. 64-106) consists of a single sermon. Of the "Newly Located and Gathered Witchcraft Documents: on pp. 152-64, the testimony of Giles Cory is particularly interesting. The book also includes some "Post-March Narratives" on pp. 136-51. These are useful for the information they give on events while the witchcraft crisis was still going on and for showing how observers looked back on the event.

Miller's The Crucible will be discussed in the final class of this unit, September 28.

September 30: First Discussion of Papers: What Makes for a Good Topic?

October 5-19. The "Boston [Anti-] Slave Riot" and the Case of Anthony Burns, Boston, 1854.

From the "Readings":

Jane H. and William H. Pease, The Fugitive Slave Law and Anthony Burns: A Problem in Law Enforcement (Philadelphia, New York, and Toronto, 1975), pp. v-viii, 3-54, 71-98.

Harold Schwartz, "Fugitive Slave Days in Boston," New England Quarterly, XXVII (1854), 191-212.

Samuel Shapiro, "The Rendition of Anthony Burns," Journal of Negro History, XLIV (1959), 34-51.

William H. Siebert, "The Vigilance Committee of Boston," Proceedings of the Bostonian Society, 1953, pp. 23-45.

Pauline Maier, "Popular Uprisings and Civil Authority in Eighteenth-Century America," William and Mary Quarterly, 3d Series, XXVII (1970), 3-35.

Boston Slave Riot, and Trial of Anthony Burns. Containing the Report of the Faneuil Hall Meeting; The Murder of Batchelder; Theodore Parker's Lesson for the Day; Speeches of Counsel on Both Sides. Corrected by Themselves; A Verbatim Report of Judge Loring's Decision; and Detailed Account of the Embarkation (Boston, 1854).

Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Cheerful Yesterdays (Cambridge, 1900), 147-65.

Henry David Thoreau, "Anti-Slavery in Massachusetts," in Thoreau, Anti-Slavery and Reform Papers (Montreal, 1963), 26-41.

First paper due on October 14.

October 21. Second Discussion of Papers: Doing Research.

October 26-November 9. The "Strike" at Homestead, Pennsylvania, 1892.

David Demarest, Jr., ed., "The River Ran Red," vii-xi, 1-9, 13-30, 42-105, 112-16, 119-36, 140-46, 148-49, 155-73, 178-80, 185-87, 189, 190-94, 199-203, 225-28.

From the "Readings":

Samuel Yellen, American Labor Struggles, 1877-1934 (New York, 1970), 72-100. NOTE: read this by the first class on the topic, October 26.

Robert Reinders, "Militia and Public Order in Nineteenth-Century America," Journal of American Studies, April 1977, pp. 81-101.

Robert M. Fogelson, America's Armories: Architecture, Society, and Public Order (Cambridge, 1989), pp. 20-44.

William C. Oates, "The Homestead Strike. I. A Congressional View"; George Ticknor Curtis, "II. A Constitutional View"; T. V. Powderly, "III. A Knights of Labor View," North American Review, September 1892, pp. 355-75.

Second paper due on November 4.

November 11: Veteran's Day; holiday.

November 16. Third Discussion of Papers: The Preparation of Final Drafts.

November 18-December 7. The Student Uprising at Columbia University, 1968.

(Readings to be assigned during the term.)

November 25, Thanksgiving; holiday.

The final paper is formally due on December 2, but papers will be accepted without penalty through the end of class on December 9.

December 9: Conclusion. (Examination Period December 13-17.)

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This syllabus may have been updated. To ensure that you're looking at the most recent version, please hit "Reload."
11.015J Riots, Strikes and Conspiracies in American History
11.015J/21H104J. Riots, Strikes, and Conspiracies in American History Fall 1999 Prof. Robert M. Fogelson Prof. Pauline Maier MIT 3-405 MIT E51-279 (25)3-1671 (25)3-2646 foge@mit.edu pmaier@mit.edu Requirements: (1) Attendance and participation in class discussions. This subject is taught entirely through discussions. As a result, it is essential that students come to class having read the assigned readings and participate in discussions. Class performance will be a significant consideration in assigning grades. (2) Preparation of a research paper on a riot, strike, or conspiracy NOT discussed in regular class meetings, but which applies the analytic techniques developed there. As the schedule below indicates, special classes will be devoted to choosing an appropriate paper topic, conducting research, and preparing final papers. Students will be asked to turn in a brief statement of topics on which they might write their papers on or before the class on September 28, and those proposed topics will be discussed in class on September 30. Thereafter written assignments will fall due as follows: October 14. First paper, circa 5 pages. Provides a narrative of the entire event to be studied, with a bibliography of the best sources on the event. November 4. Second paper, circa 3-5 pages. Lists a set of questions that cover the entire event being examined, from its beginning to end; chooses one of those questions for closer study in the final paper; explains why that question was chosen, and identifies the relevant secondary and primary sources on that question, indicating where--- particularly with regard to primary sources--- those sources are available. December 2. Final paper, circa 15-18 pages. Answers the question chosen in the previous paper. All papers must be based on both primary and secondary sources--- that is, on documents of the time as well as subsequent studies. Papers that simply distill information from other secondary studies will be unacceptable since the point of this exercise is to give students experience in doing first-hand historical research. All papers must also include footnotes and a bibliography or bibliographical essay presented in a full, clear, and consistent form. (3) A final examination scheduled during the examination period. Readings: Many of the readings for 11.015J/21H104J are in special readers, one for each topic, available in the Rotch and Humanities Libraries, where students are free to make their own copies. In addition, a handful of paperback books are assigned, which students can purchase or read in the library: Peter Charles Hoffer, The Salem Witchcraft Trials: A Legal History. University Press of Kansas pb. Lawrence, Kansas, 1997. ISBN 0-7006-0859-1. Richard B. Trask, ed., "The Devil hath been raised": A Documentary History of the Salem Witchcraft Outbreak of March 1692. Yeoman Press pb. Danvers, Massachusetts, 1992 and 1997. ISBN 0-914659-58-8. Arthur Miller, The Crucible. Penguin pb. David Demarest, Jr., ed., "The River Ran Red": Homestead, 1892. University of Pittsburgh Press pb. Pittsburgh, 1992. Class Schedule: September 9. Introduction. September 14-28. The Salem Witchcraft Crisis, 1692. Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum, Salem Possessed, pp. xvii-xviii, 1-21, 110-32, in "Readings." Hoffer, Salem Witchcraft Trials. Trask, ed., "The Devil hath been raised." Miller, The Crucible. NOTE: Hoffer's Salem Witchcraft tells the basic story of Salem in an introduction and text of 146 pages; it also has a chronological summary of the event on pages 147-51. The first 21 pages of Boyer and Nissenbaum also include a summary of the event. Complete those readings by Tuesday, September 14, and be prepared to define the basic narrative of the witchcraft crisis. The Trask book, which is a collection of documents, focuses particularly upon the outbreak of the event in March of 1692. It consists largely of witnesses' testimony, although a good hunk of the book (pp. 64-106) consists of a single sermon. Of the "Newly Located and Gathered Witchcraft Documents: on pp. 152-64, the testimony of Giles Cory is particularly interesting. The book also includes some "Post-March Narratives" on pp. 136-51. These are useful for the information they give on events while the witchcraft crisis was still going on and for showing how observers looked back on the event. Miller's The Crucible will be discussed in the final class of this unit, September 28. September 30: First Discussion of Papers: What Makes for a Good Topic? October 5-19. The "Boston [Anti-] Slave Riot" and the Case of Anthony Burns, Boston, 1854. From the "Readings": Jane H. and William H. Pease, The Fugitive Slave Law and Anthony Burns: A Problem in Law Enforcement (Philadelphia, New York, and Toronto, 1975), pp. v-viii, 3-54, 71-98. Harold Schwartz, "Fugitive Slave Days in Boston," New England Quarterly, XXVII (1854), 191-212. Samuel Shapiro, "The Rendition of Anthony Burns," Journal of Negro History, XLIV (1959), 34-51. William H. Siebert, "The Vigilance Committee of Boston," Proceedings of the Bostonian Society, 1953, pp. 23-45. Pauline Maier, "Popular Uprisings and Civil Authority in Eighteenth-Century America," William and Mary Quarterly, 3d Series, XXVII (1970), 3-35. Boston Slave Riot, and Trial of Anthony Burns. Containing the Report of the Faneuil Hall Meeting; The Murder of Batchelder; Theodore Parker's Lesson for the Day; Speeches of Counsel on Both Sides. Corrected by Themselves; A Verbatim Report of Judge Loring's Decision; and Detailed Account of the Embarkation (Boston, 1854). Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Cheerful Yesterdays (Cambridge, 1900), 147-65. Henry David Thoreau, "Anti-Slavery in Massachusetts," in Thoreau, Anti-Slavery and Reform Papers (Montreal, 1963), 26-41. First paper due on October 14. October 21. Second Discussion of Papers: Doing Research. October 26-November 9. The "Strike" at Homestead, Pennsylvania, 1892. David Demarest, Jr., ed., "The River Ran Red," vii-xi, 1-9, 13-30, 42-105, 112-16, 119-36, 140-46, 148-49, 155-73, 178-80, 185-87, 189, 190-94, 199-203, 225-28. From the "Readings": Samuel Yellen, American Labor Struggles, 1877-1934 (New York, 1970), 72-100. NOTE: read this by the first class on the topic, October 26. Robert Reinders, "Militia and Public Order in Nineteenth-Century America," Journal of American Studies, April 1977, pp. 81-101. Robert M. Fogelson, America's Armories: Architecture, Society, and Public Order (Cambridge, 1989), pp. 20-44. William C. Oates, "The Homestead Strike. I. A Congressional View"; George Ticknor Curtis, "II. A Constitutional View"; T. V. Powderly, "III. A Knights of Labor View," North American Review, September 1892, pp. 355-75. Second paper due on November 4. November 11: Veteran's Day; holiday. November 16. Third Discussion of Papers: The Preparation of Final Drafts. November 18-December 7. The Student Uprising at Columbia University, 1968. (Readings to be assigned during the term.) November 25, Thanksgiving; holiday. The final paper is formally due on December 2, but papers will be accepted without penalty through the end of class on December 9. December 9: Conclusion. (Examination Period December 13-17.)