HIS 215: African American History to 1877

Cleveland State University

Fall 2023 Web Course

Professor: Mitch Lieberth, PhD

Email: m.lieberth@csuohio.edu

Office: SC 319

Office Hours: By appointment. I am available in person or via zoom. Please email to

make an appointment

Course Objective: The main purpose of this course is to gain a deeper understanding of
the meaning of American freedom by analyzing the making of the United States through
the eyes of captive Africans and enslaved Americans. As such, this course centers
slavery in the making of America and places enslaved Americans and their descendants
as the most significant arbiters of and innovators of American freedom. We will study
chronologically such themes as the transatlantic trade in African peoples, the evolution
of slavery in the British colonies of North America, the paradox of American slavery
and American freedom in the era of revolution, the rise of abolitionism, black
nationalism, the coming of the Civil War and the meaning of Emancipation.

On top of these themes, food as a cultural artifact will be studied. Food brings
nourishment and it is often created through different forms of resilience. Food is also
important in establishing support and kinship networks. You will learn in this class that
African American food traditions are an important variable when studying African
American history especially when considering the impact it has had on Western cuisine
and culture.

Content Warning:
Some of the things you will read or watch in this class may be graphic in nature. The
history of African Americans cannot fully be shared without some of the brutal
narratives from the people who experienced this period of history. If at any time you feel
like you cannot read what is assigned I will gladly assign you something else so please
let me know if that is the case.

Web Courses
This course is 100% on-line. You will need to be self-motivated to be successful. Please
remember to check Blackboard at the beginning of each week. There will be
assignments due each week during the semester so you should make sure to stay on top
of the readings and videos.

Required Text
You can get the hard copy or the e-book for this text or you can get the e-book:
Lois Horton and James Oliver-Horton, (2021) Hard Road to Freedom, Vol. 1.
 Hard Road to Freedom E-Book: https://www.vitalsource.com/products/hard-road-to-freedom-
volume-one-lois-e-horton-james-oliver-v9780197564837

There will be some additional readings and resources posted each week in Blackboard so make
sure you check each module carefully.

Reading can get tiresome, so I am going to alternate between readings and videos
each week.

Assignments and Grading

Weekly Assignments (70% of final grade): The weeks that you have readings you will
have to answer two of the three questions I give you about the readings. YOUR
RESPONSES MUST COME FROM THE ASSIGNED READINGS. Each response
should be three to five sentences long. The weeks when videos will be shown, you will
need to answer an open discussion question that will be posted on Blackboard. You will
also have to comment on another student’s discussion post. These are worth ten total
points each week: five points for each reading question answered, and then during the
video weeks it will be five points for answering the discussion question and five points
for commenting on another student’s post. Your comments should be in the form of a
sentence. I will not accept one-word responses on the discussion posts. I want it to be a
way for us to engage with one another. All responses will be due on Sunday at 11:59
pm.

Midterm Assignment (5%): You will need to have the topic for your final paper to me
during the week of midterms. You will be glad that you started thinking about this in
October when it comes time to write the paper in December.

Final Paper (25% of final grade): Throughout the semester you will learn about
different people and events. I want you to choose one of those people or events and
write a research paper on it. The paper should be 5-7 pages in length (1500-2000 words).

You must use at least 3 scholarly references for this paper. If you are unsure where to
find these I can help you. If you are unsure what a scholarly reference is, use this link:
https://libanswers.libraries.wsu.edu/faq/345490

Paper format and citation style

Please use standard margins (left and right = 1.25", top and bottom = 1"), twelve-point
font, and double spacing. You may use any citation style you like (MLA, APA,
Chicago, etc.), however, you must cite your sources. Two good rules for citing sources:
1) If in doubt, cite your source! 2) If you have questions about citing sources, ask me
for assistance.

This syllabus is a living document. It can change during the semester if we need extra
time or to change direction with course materials. I will always alert you via
Blackboard if changes have been made.

Due Dates and Late Work Policy:

All assignments (unless otherwise noted) are due on Sunday evenings at 11:59 PM on
Blackboard.
Extensions:
If you are unable to submit an assignment due to unforeseen circumstances, please
notify me by email. I will use my discretion on whether to grant you an extension.

If you have not negotiated an extension for an assignment, but submit an assignment
after the due date/ time, you will lose points on the assignment.

Accommodations
Any student who feels they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a
disability should contact the Office of Disability Services at (216)687-2015. The Office
is located in Rhodes West 210. Accommodations need to be requested in advance and
will not be granted retroactively. If you are registered with the office of disability
services, please notify me at the beginning of the semester to make sure that I received a
copy of your plan from the Office of Disability Services.

Institutional Equity
Discrimination, harassment and sexual violence: Federal law, including Title IX, and
University policy require that CSU address discrimination, harassment and sexual
violence and enable students affected by these issues to have the same opportunity to
succeed as other students.

To do this, the CSU Office for Institutional Equity (OIE) provides information,
identifies resources (counseling, medical, advocacy, safety planning), issues academic
accommodations (excused absences, extended deadlines, late withdrawals, alternative
assignments) and other accommodations (No Contact Directives, changing living
arrangements).

Any student affected by discrimination, harassment and/or sexual violence and seeking
assistance, should contact the Office for Institutional Equity by calling 216-687-2223 or
sending an email to OIE@csuohio.edu.

As a CSU faculty member, I am a Responsible Employee who has a duty to report to the
Office for Institutional Equity when students disclose experiences with discrimination,
harassment and/or sexual violence. Even though I have this duty, I will continue to
support you. If you want to speak to someone who won’t share what you’ve told them
except in an emergency, I will help you connect to a Confidential Resource.

Names and gender pronouns:

I want you to feel that my course is safe and inviting for you. I will gladly honor your
request to address you by a chosen/preferred name or gender pronoun. Please advise me
of this preference early in the semester so that I may make appropriate changes to my
records. If you would like additional assistance regarding wider use of your
chosen/preferred name on campus, please contact the Office for Institutional Equity at
OIE@csuohio.edu or 216-687-2223.

Mental Health and Wellbeing

If you are experiencing mental health challenges, you are not alone and it is of the
utmost importance that you seek professional support. There is no shame or stigma in
 getting the support you need. As a student, I benefited from the support of mental health
professionals.

Fortunately, Cleveland State University offers robust support for the mental health of
graduate students. To find out more about the services offered by the Counseling Center
at CSU, you can stop by Union 220, call 216.687.2277, or visit the following website for
more information: https://www.csuohio.edu/counselingcenter/counselingcenter

Technical Help:
If you have a question about course content, assignments, or other course activities, you
should direct those questions to your instructor.
If you have questions about course technology, please contact CSU’s Center for
eLearning via phone (216-687-3960) or email (elearning@csuohio.edu).
For email submissions, please provide your CSU ID number for the fastest response.
The Center for eLearning operates Monday-Friday from 8 AM until 5 PM.

Plagiarism
Plagiarism in any form will not be tolerated and will lead to the failure of the assignment
and possibly be elevated to academic misconduct.

From CSU Michael Schwartz Library Research Guide, “Citing Sources and Avoiding
Plagiarism”

Plagiarism is using someone else's work without giving them credit, leading your
readers to think those words are yours. While this might seem easy to avoid, many
people who plagiarize do so unintentionally. Although most people think of plagiarism
as recording someone's exact words without crediting him or her, it also includes re-
arranging someone else's words (paraphrasing) or using his or her ideas. These forms of
plagiarism are far more common and require careful attention to avoid. See:
http://researchguides.csuohio.edu/c.php?g=223926&p=1484133\\

The History Resource Center provides help to students seeking assistance in

note taking, critical reading skills, exam preparation, research skills, and writing
assignments. This office is located in RT 1331. Stop in, call 216-687-3921, or
email history.tutoring@csuohio.edu for more information.

COURSE SCHEDULE:
Module 1: Week of August 28: Africa and the Atlantic Slave Trade
INTRODUCE YOURSELF IN THE BLACKBOARD DISCUSSION POST
Hard Road to Freedom, Chapter One, p. 2-25
Answer reading questions

Module 2: Week of September 4: Africa and the Atlantic Slave Trade

Video One: Terrible Transformation C
Video Two: Terrible Transformation D
Discussion board posts due

Module 3: Week of September 11: The Evolution of Slavery in North America

Hard Road to Freedom, Chapter Two, p. 26-55
Read the PDF attached "Africanisms and Adaptation in the Era of Slavery" taken from Getting
What We Need: How food has shaped African American Life (Wallach, 2019), p. 29-53.
Answer reading questions

Module 4: Week of September 18: The Evolution of Slavery in North American

Video One: African Food in the Americas
Video Two: Terrible Transformation A
Video Three: Terrible Transformation B
Discussion board posts due

Module 5: Week of September 25: Slavery and The Revolution

Hard Road to Freedom, Chapter Three, p. 56-83
Answer reading questions

Module 6: Week of October 2: Slavery and the Revolution

Film: Liberty in the Air
Discussion board posts due

Module 7: Week of October 9: The Early Republic and the Rise of Cotton
Hard Road to Freedom, Chapter Four, p. 84-115
PDF from High on the Hog by Jessica Harris Harris, High on the Hog, The Tightening Vice,
Pages 72-82.pdf
Answer reading questions

Module 8: Week of October 16:

No videos this week
Turn in your Final Paper topic by October 20th

Module 9: Week of October 23: Slavery and the Slave Community

Hard Road to Freedom, Chapter Five, p. 116-141
Two PDFs below from
Bound to Fire: How Virginia's Enslaved Cooks Helped Invent American Cuisine (Deetz), p.
middle of 92-98
Dethroning the Deceitful Pork Chop: Rethinking African American Foodways from Slavery to
Obama (Wallach), p. 159-163
Answer reading questions

Module 10: Week of October 30: Slavery and the Slave Community
Film: Video: Nat Turner and Slave Rebellions
Discussion board posts due

Module 11: Week of November 6: Fight Against Slavery: Resistance and Abolition
Hard Road to Freedom, Chapter Six, p. 142-169
Answer reading questions

Module 12: Week of November 13: Fight Against Slavery: Resistance and
Abolition
Video: The Underground Railroad
Discussion board posts due

Module 13: Week of November 20: The Civil War

Hard Road to Freedom, Chapter Seven, p. 172-197
PDF High on the Hog Entitled "City Food South and North" (starting in the middle of page 115
up to 130
Answer reading questions

Module 14: Week of November 27: Reconstruction

Hard Road to Freedom, Chapter Eight, p. 198-212
Readings on Juneteenth
Answer reading questions

Week of December 3rd: Final paper due Sunday December 11th at 11:59 pm
You will need to run your paper through Turnitin.com

Grading Scale:
A 93-100
A- 90-92
B+ 87-89
B 83-86
B- 80-82
C+ 77-79
C 73-76
C- 70-72
D 69-60