NEW
Tutor: Quentin Beresford
The American Civil War (1861-65) was a pivotal event in American history and left a lasting, bitter legacy. This course traces the origins of the civil war to three major developments of the 17th/18th centuries: the rise of the transatlantic slave trade, the racist ideas that underpinned it and the rise of capitalism. The production of cotton, sugar and tobacco were the first globally traded products which fuelled the industrial revolution and created fortunes for slave owners. The operation of slave plantations and the culture of the South in upholding them are examined and are set against the rising opposition to slavery.
Venue: 232 Adelaide St
Thursday 12.45pm - 2.15pm. Classes start 23 April, finish 25 June.
Cost: $50 (prepaid), 10 weeks
The slow drift to civil war will take us through the omission of slavery in the creation of the American constitution; the debates over limiting the spread of slavery across the US; the impact of the 1804 slave-initiated Haitian revolution; and the abolition of slavery in the northern states of America and later in Great Britain. Slavery became the American South's 'peculiar institution'.
The intensification of the debate over slavery in the US during the 1840s and 50s bought Abraham Lincoln to the fore and the course will examine the strengths of his leadership in campaigning to end slavery. His election in 1860 convinced the South's planter class to secede. The focus then shifts to the conduct of the war and its underlying violence and destructiveness, especially in the South. The course will conclude with an examination of why the North won and the long-term impacts on American society: segregation, civil rights, the campaign to remove Confederate statues and the symbolic attachment to the civil war by the far right.
Course Outline:
One: The Transatlantic Slave Trade
Two: Plantation Culture
Three: Plantation Estates: George Washington and his Slaves
Four: Plantation Estates: Thomas Jefferson and his Slaves
Five: The Drift to War: The Slow Abolition of Slavery
Six: Abraham Lincoln and the campaign against slavery
Seven: 'A Rich Man's War': Ordinary People Versus Patriots
Eight: The Policy of Total War and its Destructiveness
Nine: Victory and Defeat: Why the North Won/South Lost
Ten: Aftermath and Legacy
Course Outline:
One: The Transatlantic Slave Trade
Two: Plantation Culture
Three: Plantation Estates: George Washington and his Slaves
Four: Plantation Estates: Thomas Jefferson and his Slaves
Five: The Drift to War: The Slow Abolition of Slavery
Six: Abraham Lincoln and the campaign against slavery
Seven: 'A Rich Man's War': Ordinary People Versus Patriots
Eight: The Policy of Total War and its Destructiveness
Nine: Victory and Defeat: Why the North Won/South Lost
Ten: Aftermath and Legacy
Key books used in the course:
Edward Baptist (2014) The Half has Never Been Told Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism
Eugene Genovese (1973) Roll Jordon Roll. The World the Slaves Made.
Peter Kolchin (1995) American Slavery
Bruce Levine (2012) The Fall of the House of Dixie
James McPherson (1997) For Cause and Comrades Why Men Fought in the Civil War
David Reynolds, (2021) Abe. Abraham Lincoln in his Times
Henry Wiencek (2003) An Imperfect God. George Washington, His Slaves and the Creation of America
Henry Wiencek (2012) Master of the Mountain Thomas Jefferson and his Slaves
Williams, D. (2005) A People's History of the Civil War
Website
1619 Project New York Times
Movies
There are numerous movies about the American Civil War. The classic is Gone With the Wind but it is now widely criticised for having mythologised and sanitised slavery. Some notable others include:
Lincoln, 12 Years a Slave, Free State of Jones, Gettysburg, Cold Mountain and Glory
Podcasts
There are a wide range of podcasts. Here's a few:
The American Civil War: 1861-65 (Wars of the World)
American Civil War: The Causes (The Rest is History)
Everything You Wanted to Know about the American Civil War but were too Afraid to Ask (History Extra)
The Haitian Revolution (Dan Snow's History Hit)
The Transatlantic Slave Trade (The Insightful Thinkers)
About the Tutor:
Quentin Beresford had a 30 career as Professor at Edith Cowan University in Perth teaching a wide variety of politics and history courses, including American politics. He's lived for several extended periods of time in the US. He retired in 2019 and taught at u3a at Noosa before moving to Brisbane. Quentin is also an author. His last two books were Wounded Country The Murray-Darling Basin A Contested History (2021) and Rogue Corporations Inside Australia's Biggest Business Scandals (2023). He's an Adjunct Professor of Politics at the University of the Sunshine Coast.Unfortunately this class is over-subscribed and no further enrolments can be accepted at this time. You may contact the tutor to express your interest should a vacancy arise.
If you wish to obtain further information about this class before enrolling, you may send a message to the tutor using the Send Enquiry Message button below.