Classes

Economics Department

EC 409

Course Title: Economic History of the U.S.
Date of Preparation: March 1999
Prepared by: Robert T. Bray

COURSE OUTLINE

I. Catalog Description

EC 409 Economic History of the U.S. (4)

Analysis of growth and economic well-being of the U.S. economy in historical perspective. Interplay of economic forces and historical conditions. 4 lecture-presentations. Prerequisite: EC 201 and EC 202.

II. Required Background or Experience

EC 201 and EC 202.

III. Expected Outcomes

Students in EC 409 will:

a) apply the tools of economic analysis to the events which lead to the economic growth and development of the United States,

b) examine the rise of, and changes in, those institutions which are most closely associated with the function of making a living,

c) identify and summarize key historical economic events, and

d) apply historical lessons toward understanding present and future economic circumstances.

IV. Text and Readings

Texts:

Huges, J. and L. Cain American Economic History, 5th Edition (New York: Addison Wesley, 1998).

Readings:

Atack, J. and P. Passell A New Economic View of American History, 2nd Edition W.W. Norton and Company, 1994).

Berlin, I. The Hedgehog and the Fox (New York: Mentor Books, 1957).

Heilbroner, R. and A. Singer The Economic Transformation of America: 1600 to the Present, 2nd Edition (New York: Harcourt, Brace, and Jovanovich, 1984).

Hicks, J. A Theory of Economic History (London: Oxford University Press, 1969).

Lebergott, S. The Americans: An Economic Record (New York: W.W. Norton, 1984).

North, D. The Economic Growth of the United States 1790-1860 (New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1966).

Puth, R. American Economic History, 2nd Edition (New York: Dryden Press, 1988).

Ratner, S., J. Soltow, and R. Sylla The Evolution of the American Economy, 2nd Edition (New York: Macmillan, 1993).

Walton, G. and H. Rockoff History of the American Economy, 8th Edition (New York: Dryden, 1998).

V. Minimum Student Materials

Text, notebook, and access to reference materials.

VI. Minimum College Facilities

Classroom with audio visual facilities.

VII. Course Outline

A. Introduction to the Study of History and Economic History.

B. Colonial Period

1. Early Economic Enterprise

2. Land Acquisition and Tenure

3. Origins of Colonial Population

4. Locational Determinants

5. Colonial Trading Patterns

6. End of the Colonial Era

C. National Period

1. Articles of Confederation

2. The Constitution

3. Land

4. Population and Labor Force

5. Law and Economic Development

6. Industrial Development

7. Pre-Civil War Tariff Legislation

8. Transportation

9. Agricultural Growth

10. Financial Institutions and Financial Intermediation

11. Slavery

D. Civil War to World War I

1. Economic Effects of the Civil War

2. Railroads and Economic Development

3. Public Polices toward Business

4. Agriculture

5. Western Land Development

6. Population and Immigration

7. Industrialization and Urban Growth

8. Development of the Financial Sector and the Coming of the Federal Reserve System

9. International Trade and Post-Civil War Tariff Legislation

10. The Labor Movement

E. World War I to the Present

1. Agriculture

2. The 1920's and the "Great Depression"

3. The New Deal

4. World War II, Composition of the Labor Force, and Employment Act of 1946

5. Industrial Growth, Development and Change

6. Labor Movement and Labor Law

7. Growth and Development of the Financial Sector and the Federal Reserve System

8. Keynesian Economics and Stagflation

VIII. Instructional Methods

Lecture-discussion and lecture-problem solving.

IX. Evaluation of Outcomes

Periodic essay examinations and a comprehensive final examination.