The United States of America has been described as the first nation in the world founded on a creed––a set of beliefs and ideas––rather than the more customary national origins of ethnicity and territory (or “blood and soil”) prevalent in the eighteenth century. It is this unique national nativity that is sometimes regarded as a foundation of the concept of “American exceptionalism.” This sense of creedalism continues to be a defining feature of the American identity, even if its particular features and meanings remain much debated––as they always have been. Thus the animating question for this course: what are the primary beliefs and ideas that shaped the United States at its birth, throughout its history, and into the twenty-first century? Ideas are also inseparable from the people who hold them and advance them. Who are some of the most notable and influential Americans who have developed, even in some cases personified, these ideas? How do they relate, if at all, to the American character and identity over time, and now in our contemporary moment? Using a combination of primary documents, core texts, and secondary readings, this multidisciplinary course will profile a series of ideas and the people who embodied them to trace the development of the United States itself. The primary documents will be drawn from the full spectrum of human expression, including filmed speeches, political tracts and essays, book chapters, articles, sermons, and literary excerpts from novels and poetry. The secondary sources will be drawn from a variety of disciplines, including writings of premier scholars in American history, literature, and political theory. The course will consist of a combination of lectures, discussions, and student presentations. We will place particular emphasis on civil discourse – as both a foundational principle of healthy democracy and an important value and skill to cultivate in our own lives. Indeed, at its best, civil discourse itself is a part of “the American Idea.”
