In particular, we will explore changes in American national identity and citizenship from the late nineteenth century to the present.

In particular, we will explore changes in American national identity and citizenship from the late nineteenth century to the present. From its very inception, ideologies and laws related to citizenship have framed who could and could not be considered an American. As the United States expanded its territory, grappled with the legacies of slavery, incorporated some immigrants while excluding and restricting others, and sought to insure civil rights to all of its citizens, notions of American citizenship changed and adapted. This course will help students think about such questions as: Who is an American? And how did that definition change over time? How did the debates over citizenship reflect Americans ideas of race, class, ethnicity, and gender? How were racial and ethnic minorities, women, and immigrants defined at various times in opposition to Americanness?