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Course Description

Too many U.S. founders have vanished from our history. We owe it to ourselves to restore them to understand today. Our Dutch heritage set the stage along with different colonial charters to produce the founding generation. What were the British thinking about the Revolution and its aftermath?

Week 1: Our Dutch Heritage: Fur, Farming, and a Famous Flub: Peter Minuit thought he “bought” New York from the Lenape. They believed they were sharing land. The Dutch focused on fur trading, farming, and commerce. Conflict with Natives and weak administration led to surrender to Britain in 40 years, leaving an indelible mark on New York.

Week 2: Albert Gallatin: Financier, diplomat, and politician: This Swiss immigrant was Treasury Secretary under Jefferson and Madison. He tried to negotiate a Whiskey Rebellion settlement. He did negotiate the end of the War of 1812. He was Ambassador to France and Britain. He balanced the national budget, reduced the debt, facilitated the Louisiana Purchas, and founded the House Ways and Means Committee.

Week 3: Roger Sherman: The “Great Compromise” saved the Constitutional Convention: Sherman signed all four founding U.S. documents; Articles of Association, Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and Constitution. He and Oliver Ellsworth prevented the breakup of the Constitution Convention when they proposed proportional representation in the House and equal state representation in the Senate.

Week 4: James Monroe: His famous “Doctrine” and the “Era of Good Feelings”: Monroe fought in the Revolution, served in the Senate, was Governor of Virginia, and was both Secretary of State and War during the War of 1812. He oversaw national expansion, acquiring Florida from Spain and fostering the Missouri Compromise. Learn what the Monroe Doctrine was and what it accomplished.

Week 5: Colonial Charters: How British Charters for each Colony shaped history: As each British Colony was formed, the Crown drew up a Charter for establishment, governance, and boundaries. The elected assemblies varied in structure and allowed a degree of self-governance. Colonists interpreted being English citizens differently from the Crown leading to increased conflict over taxes and rights.

Week 6: The British View: Profit, Protection, and Insurrection: Britain saw their loyal subsects as providing economic benefits. Their unruly subjects were ungrateful when they started the illegitimate insurrectionary civil war called the Revolution. They looked for ways to recoup their losses and believed the War of 1812 was opportunistic but saw the pragmatic resolution of Maritime Rights as useful. How did these view progress?

 

Instructor: Dr. Rebecca Staton-Reinstein

 

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Section Title
250 Years Later: Remembering the Republic's Remarkable Legacy
Type
Discussion
Days
M
Time
10:00AM to 11:45AM
Dates
Jun 29, 2026 to Aug 03, 2026
Schedule and Location
Contact Hours
10.5
Delivery Options
Course Fee(s)
Tuition credit $80.00 Click here to get more information
Section Title
250 Years Later: Remembering the Republic's Remarkable Legacy
Type
Discussion
Days
M
Time
10:00AM to 11:45AM
Dates
Jun 29, 2026 to Aug 03, 2026
Schedule and Location
Contact Hours
10.5
Delivery Options
Course Fee(s)
Tuition credit $80.00 Click here to get more information
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