HIST212

212): Americans continue to de-
bate the origins and significance of their revolutionary beginnings. They have often

done this without learning about the revolutions in Haiti and Spanish America, which
happened shortly after, often with different results. This class will study these events
and consider their meaning and legacy. Students will explore, through close readings
of both primary and secondary sources, how and why men and women did, or did not,
join revolutionary struggles. Topics include: the unraveling of Spanish, French, and
British empires in America; how fighting European monarchies challenged participants
to rethink their positions on political participation, slavery, liberty, and race; the role of
women in revolutionary societies; the effects of social inequality, religion, and ideology
on political mobilization and nation building; African American and Native American
perspectives of the conflicts, and post-war social unrest.