The American Revolution and its Legacies
HIST 1976
Subject & Catalog Number
Course Information
Description
This course will explore the causes of the American Revolution, focusing on the constitutional, legal, economic, social, and political issues that prompted the imperial crisis and resulted in the American colonies’ decision to break with Great Britain. The Revolution affected people at all levels of society—the elite who occupied leadership roles, regular citizens who mobilized in favor of Revolution, African Americans (enslaved and free), Loyalists, women, and immigrants. We will consider the conflict from the perspectives of all these groups. What did the Revolution suggest about the nature of the newly constituted United States of America? We will consider the changes in the historiography of the Revolution over the years and how those changes were affected by and, sometimes, shaped the common understandings about what happened during the Revolutionary period.
Course Notes
Offered jointly with the Law School as HLS 3415. This course will meet at the Harvard Law School. The enrollment limit for FAS students is 8.
Available for Harvard Cross Registration
