When European settlers committed themselves to staying in North America, they gradually created a culture that came to be called "American." A hybrid of deliberately revived European archaisms, selective transfers of contemporary culture, and conscious and inadvertent innovations, this culture encompassed political organization, economic practices, family life, and religious expression. Historians have long debated whether this gumbo brought about an inevitable movement for American national independence, how the different aspects of social life influenced each other, and whether the very self-conscious "Americanism" of the era of the early republic was itself innovative and liberating or ultimately profoundly conservative of racial and gender privilege. We shall enter these debates by discussing such topics as the invention of a (limited) democratic polity, the escape of religion from state control, the construction of a new national self-identity in politics and the arts, and the renovation of ideologies of gender and race as the "era of the common man" came to fruition. We will also investigate the process by which English culture came to dominate the culture called "American." Students will read primary documents and selections from historians' arguments and choose one aspect of American cultural nationalism on which to focus for a final essay. The purpose of this course is to introduce students to a multi-factored investigation of culture, to the kinds of resources that historians use, and to the standard practices of writing an analytical essay. Since the only way to learn to write effectively, with an efficient use of time, is to practice (and practice and practice), there will be short written exercises (interpretive essays or reports on research processes-due once a week (which will count for 30% of the term grade). Students will be expected to contribute substantially to class discussion (30% of final grade) with an attitude of helping each other learn. The final interpretive essay (40% of final grade) will be broken down into stages to give students training in designing a research project, organizing appropriate source materials, constructing a logical argument, and polishing a persuasive piece of writing. Enrollment limit: 19. Preference to first-year students and then to sophomores. Group A