(Please Note: This is a partial syllabus. A complete syllabus will be available on the first day of class, September 24, 2025)
HSTAA 301 – Colonial North America
Meets Mondays and Wednesdays, 12:30 – 2:20 | GUG 218 | Fall 2025
Dr. Debbie McNally | dcm9@uw.edu | Office: Smith Hall 104C
Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays, 2:30 – 3:30 and by appointment
Course Description
Welcome! HSTAA 301 surveys the history of the land and peoples that became the United States of America from the time of the first human settlement to the ratification of the Federal Constitution of 1787. As we explore this diverse and formative period of American history, some of the more important themes and events we will discuss are: the interactions between Europeans, Africans, and Indigenous peoples in a “New World” environment; the legacy of New England’s puritans; the forces that shaped economic growth in the colonies; the development and institutionalization of race-based slavery; the growth of religion in colonial life; the War of Independence and its aftermath; and the ideological and constitutional transition from American colonies to nationhood.
Learning Goals
- To gain a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the history of colonial North America
- To develop the habit of historical thinking by identifying and evaluating an argument for its persuasiveness and validity in both primary and secondary sources
- To develop an awareness of the complexity, contingency, ambiguity, and foreignness of events and people in the past
- To practice historical thinking through reading, writing, and speaking in class about primary source materials
- To formulate your own arguments about events in the past
- To improve writing skills through in class writing exercises, through three short analytical papers, and through a mid-term and final exam
- To apply historical knowledge and thinking to contemporary issues
W Credit
Successful completion of this course automatically earns a W (writing) credit. No additional work is necessary
How Will We Spend Our Time?
HSTAA 301 is an in-person, lecture-based class, however, I will pause at least once during every lecture so that we can write about and/or discuss, the day’s assigned reading(s).
Assignments and Grading
Grading in this class will be based on four elements: Class participation (15%), a Mid-term (20%), a Final (20%) and three short Analytical Papers (45%).
Required Readings
Mary Rowlandson, The Sovereignty and Goodness of God, ed. Neal Salisbury (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1997, 2017). (Note: Either edition of this text is fine.)
HSTAA 301 Course Pack (CP) – Will be Available on Canvas >> Files >> Course Pack >> Readings
Optional, but Recommended
Carol Berkin, First Generations: Women in Colonial America (New York: Hill and Wang, 1996).