HIST - 207
American Economic History
Who Are You?
• Name
• Major
•
•
•
Hometown
Favorite band
Favorite historical
book or movie
?
Syllabus
Typical Class Format
• Two lectures, 60-75 minutes
• One group assignment, 30 minutes
• One quiz, 20 minutes
• Writing workshop, 15 minutes
• Two-15 minute breaks
• Video presentation, 30-60 minutes
How to Succeed in this Class
• Read the assigned
readings
• Attend class faithfully
• Ask questions
• Take notes
• Participate in
discussions
How to Struggle in this Class
• Do not read the
assigned readings
• Skip class
• Leave class early
• Ask no questions
• Sleep in class
• Fail to take notes
• Do not complete
assignments
Why Study History?
• I need it to graduate
• My advisor would not take a bribe
• Everything else was filled
• To learn lessons from the past
• To understand how we got to where we
are
What, Exactly, Is History?
• A bunch of dates and dead people
• A class for catching up on my sleep
• All that is remembered of the past and
written down
• The branch of knowledge that records and
researches past events
• An agreed-upon set of lies
Political History
•Concerned with
political events and
rulers
•Focuses on nation-
states and empires
•Views political
leaders as primary
agents of change
Military History
• Studies wars and
conflicts
• Focuses on war as an
agent of historical
change
• Can examine small
details (such as
battles) or larger
issues (such as entire
wars)
Social History
• Examines social
trends in history
• Sometimes known as
“history from below,”
as it focuses on
everyday people
Material History
• Examines the history
of a particular item or
product
• Uses this knowledge
to expand
understanding of in a
historical era
Epidemiological History
• Studies epidemics
and their effect on
society
• Combines history and
medicine to interpret
historical epidemics
and how history is
shaped by disease
Economic History
• Studying the role of
economics in history
• Examines the
relationship between
economic systems
and social/political life
• Concerned with
money, business,
labor, and the role of
government in the
economy
INTERMISSION
Writing Workshop
The Importance of Outlining
• The outline as a road map
• Helps you stay organized
• A logical description of your paper
• A way to visualize your paper
• Shows relationships between ideas
• Lets you think about the essay before you
actually begin writing
There – Their – They’re
• There – direction: “My car is over there.”
• Their – possession: “Their dog is eating
my cat.”
• They’re – contraction (they are): “They’re
grilling steaks on the barbecue tonight.”
It’s - Its
• It’s – (“it is”) – “It’s hot outside today.”
• Its - (possessive pronoun) – “The dog is
chewing on its bone.”
Date Notation
• AD, BC – “Anno Domini,” “Before Christ”
• CE, BCE – “Common Era,” “Before
Common Era”
Your Writing Environment
• Quiet place (music – yes or no?)
• Free from distractions
• No interruptions (phone, email, text
messages)
• Comfortable, upright chair
• Proper lighting
• Tell family/roommates when you are
writing
• Dedicated writing area as a work space
Quiz 1
Group Assignment
• Assemble in groups
• Designate a writer/presenter
• Read the primary source document
• Discuss in the group the questions on the
prompt
• Share with the class your group’s findings
INTERMISSION
Money
• Medium of
exchange
• Standard of value
• Store of wealth
• Use of money-like
objects has been a
feature of human
interaction for at
least 100,000 years
Barter
• The exchange of goods or
services for other goods
and services
• No medium of exchange
used
• Oldest form of economic
activity
• Still used when currency is
unavailable, or when
consumers wish to trade
excess goods without
using up valuable capital
Feudalism
• Socioeconomic
system based on
mutual obligations
• The term was coined
in the modern era
• Based on lord-vassal
relationships
Mutual feudal obligations
• Vassals pledge fealty
to lords
• Lords allow vassals
use of land (fief)
• Vassals owe lords
tribute and service
• Lords owe vassals
protection
Manorialism
• Also known as
Seignurialism
• Lord controlled land as
monarch saw fit
• Peasants generally not
free to leave land
• Peasants paid lords with
service (corvée ), a
portion of the crops, or
cash
• Lords provided
protection from invading
armies and roaming
criminal gangs
Serfdom
• Peasants tied to land
• Needed lord’s
permission to travel or
relocate
• Sometimes needed
lord’s permission to
marry
• A sort of modified
slavery
• Serf worked lands for
lord as well as himself
Mercantilism
• Belief that a nation’s
wealth is best measured
by its supply of capital
• Also believing that global
trade is finite, therefore
“get a bigger slice of pie”
to increase national
wealth
• Government policies that
encourage exports and
inhibit imports
Bullionism
• Related to
mercantilism
• Wealth of a nation is
best measured by the
amount of gold and
silver bullion it holds
• Proponents believed
gold and silver were of
such rarity and in such
demand that the value
would remain
relatively unchanged
Iraq For Sale – The War Profiteers
