History 4984 - Advanced Seminar: The Problem of Freedom: The Age of Democratic Revolution in the Americas

Institution:

Washington University in St Louis

Subject:

Description:

Ever since the improbable alliance of the English pirate and slave trader Sir Francis Drake and the fugitive slave Cimarrons on the Atlantic coast of Panama many centuries ago, the history of freedom in the New World has unfolded in unlikely fits and starts. The course explores two related conjectures: first, that maroon politics (the often short-lived alliances between slaves, quasi-free blacks, and white allies), slave rebellion, provincial secession and civil war were the widespread and normative conditions of post-colonial regimes throughout the New World; and second, that the problem of freedom was especially challenging in a New World environment in which freedom was fleeting and tended to decompose. Special attention is given to antislavery insurgencies, interracial politics, and alliances in the United States and the perspectives on freedom they produced, but the readings also include materials on debates over freedom in the Caribbean and South America over the course of the long age of democratic revolution, 1760-1888.

Credits:

4.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.wustl.edu

Phone Number:

(314) 935-5000

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

The Course Profile information is provided and updated by third parties including the respective institutions. While the institutions are able to update their information at any time, the information is not independently validated, and no party associated with this website can accept responsibility for its accuracy.