POLITICAL SCIENCE 451/651: ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Fall, 2008

Larry Arnhart

Office: Zulauf 404

Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 2:00-4:00, other times by appointment

larnhart@niu.edu

TEXTS

Abraham Lincoln, Speeches and Writings, 1832-1858 (Library of America, 1989)

Abraham Lincoln, Seeches and Writings, 1859-1865 (Library of America, 1989)

Frederick Douglass, Selected Speeches and Writings (Lawrence Hill Books, 1999)

Orville Vernon Burton, The Age of Lincoln (New York: Hill and Wang, 2007)

Doris Kearns Goodwin, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

(Simon and Schuster, 2005)

Thomas DiLorenzo, The Real Lincoln (Three Rivers Press, 2003)

Paul Finkelman, Defending Slavery: Proslavery Thought in the Old South, A Brief

History with Documents (Bedford/St. Martin's, 2003)

GRADING

The final grade will be based on the grades for the journal writing (30% for journal entries #1-6 and journal responses #1-5, 30% for journal entries #7-13 and journal responses #6-12), class participation (15% for the first half of the semester and 15% for the second half), and a final paper (10%). Grades for the first half of the semester will be handed out in class on October 20.

For the journal writing, you will be put into a journal group with two other students. The journal group assignments will be changed at the middle of the semester. You must bring to class three copies of your journal entries and journal responses—one for the professor and two for the other two members of your group.

The journal entry should be at least two double-spaced typed pages on the reading for the week. The point of the journal entry is for you to set down your thoughts about anything in the reading. This will be your attempt to struggle with any issue that comes up in the reading. Usually it is best to take up one issue that you can develop a little in two pages.

You will write journal responses for each of the two journal entries you have received. Each journal response should be at least one double-spaced typed page. The point of the journal response is for you to respond in some fruitful way to the thoughts of your journal group members.

The final paper should be at least ten double-spaced typed pages. The point of the final paper is for you to elaborate your thinking about some topic related to the readings and discussions in the course. You might build upon something that has come up in your journal writing. The final paper will be due on May 8th, no later than 12 noon at the professor's office.

ASSIGNMENTS

Aug 25: Introduction

Sep 1: No class (Labor Day)

Sep 8: LINCOLN (vol. 1, 1832-1858), 1-6, 18, 28-36, 64-65, 81-90, 106-108, 111-12, 139-40, 158-59, 161-71, 222-24, 227-29, 245-46, 255-56; BURTON, 11-49; GOODWIN, 28-29, 46-59, 90-108; DOUGLASS, 3-4, 11-14, 127-33; FINKELMAN, 47-60, 129-32; DiLORENZO, 1-9

Entry #1

Sep 15: LINCOLN, 259-72, 301-303, 305-48, 357-63; BURTON, 50-76; GOODWIN, 140-53, 163-69; DOUGLASS, 153-56, 188-206, 282-97; FINKELMAN, 61-76, 201-11

Response #1

Entry #2

Sep 22: LINCOLN, 364, 370-74, 376-82, 385-86, 388-403, 412-18, 421-22, 423-24, 426-34, 437-38; BURTON, 77-92; GOODWIN, 188-200; DOUGLASS, 344-58; FINKELMAN, 133-42

Response #2

Entry #3

Sep 29: LINCOLN, 439-58, 460-79, 484, 495-536; BURTON, 104-16; GOODWIN, 200-10; FINKELMAN, 143-56; DiLORENZO, 10-32

Response #3

Entry #4

Oct 6: LINCOLN, 537-80, 598-99, 636-37, 685-86, 702-704, 721-23, 730-35, 747-55, 758-60, 763-64, 796-97, 807-11, 826-27, 831-33; DOUGLASS, 311-23; FINKELMAN, 96-128

Response #4

Entry #5

Oct 13: LINCOLN (vol. 2, 1858-1865), 18-19, 90-101, 111-30, 156-57, 160-67, 175-76, 180-82, 194, 199, 201-202, 209-10, 213-24; BURTON, 117-33; GOODWIN, 5-27, 211-293, 312-19, 324-26; DOUGLASS, 380-90; FINKELMAN, 80-95

Response #5

Entry #6

Oct 20: LINCOLN, 229-34, 236-37, 246-61; GOODWIN, 334-57, 366-70; DOUGLASS, 463-67; DiLORENZO, 85-153

Response #6

Entry #7

Oct 27: LINCOLN, 266-70, 279-97, 340-42, 344-46, 353-58, 359, 361-67, 368-71, 393-415, 424-25, 427-28, 431-33; GOODWIN, 459-504; DOUGLASS, 470-73, 494-508, 510-13, 517-25; DiLORENZO, 33-53

Response #7

Entry #8

Nov 3: LINCOLN, 441-42, 444-45, 454-63, 465-70, 475-76, 484-85, 486-87, 495-99, 504-509, 511-13, 516-17, 520-21, 533-34; GOODWIN, 522-39; DOUGLASS, 526-40; DiLORENZO, 154-70

Response #8

Entry #9

Nov 10: LINCOLN, 536-58, 579, 585-86, 589-91; BURTON, 3-9; GOODWIN, 548-53, 583-90; DOUGLASS, 546-54

Response #9

Entry #10

Nov 17: LINCOLN, 605-606, 610-11, 620-28, 635-38, 641-42, 644, 646-61, 663; GOODWIN, 645-69; DiLORENZO, 233-56

Response #10

Entry #11

Nov 24: LINCOLN, 686-87, 689, 697-701; GOODWIN, 684-749; DOUGLASS, 577-79, 590-97, 615-24; DiLORENZO, 257-79

Response #11

Entry #12

Dec 1: BURTON 234-322; DOUGLASS, 656-68, 750-76; DiLORENZO, 200-32

Response #12

Entry #13

Dec 8: final essay due no later than 12 noon in the professor's office