Empire, Emancipation and Migration: The U.S. in the 19th Century World

After the stormy Age of Revolutions, the nineteenth century is often thought of as an inward-looking century. But in fact it was engaged with the wider world in a myriad ways, from whaling voyages to territorial annexations, from cultural imports to forced and willing migrations, from missionaries and reformers to travelers and adventurers. As participants investigate U.S. connections to every settled continent, four key themes will structure the learning: culture and commodities, expansionism (westward and beyond) and national identity, slavery and freedom, and immigration/migration and travel. In other words, the course addresses core U.S. history content standards of the pre- and post-Civil War eras, viewed through a global lens. As new identities were forged in this period, we will consider how Americans of different backgrounds felt about internationalism and international connections, and how different cultural groups expressed what it meant to be American. The course offers several opportunities to choose differentiated pathways depending upon interests.

Course Objective #1

Consider how Americans of different identities and backgrounds felt about internationalism and international connections, and how different cultural groups expressed what it meant to be American.

Course Objective #2

Examine case studies related to the movement of people, ideas and cultural objects into and out of the United States, and how these flows influenced American culture.

Course Objective #3

Discuss how international connections contributed to social justice reforms and resistance of the nineteenth century.

Course Logistics

Dates Winter 2027: Wednesday, January 13 to Tuesday, February 9, 2027 Grade Levels Supported: Especially for grades 6-12 Course Format: Online, asynchronous Professional Development Points (PDPs): 22.5 PDPs Graduate Credit: 1 optional graduate credit available ($180) with credit accreditation through Southern New Hampshire University Fee: $750 (contact us at [email protected] to enroll in the course using a Purchase Order)

Massachusetts Standards & Professional Alignment

[USI.T4] Describe important religious and social trends that shaped America in the 18th and 19th centuries; [USI.T4] Social, political, and religious change; [WHII.T3.3] Analyze the impact of Western imperialism in Asia, Africa, and Latin America; [USI.T3] Economic growth in the North, South, and West

Course Overview

5 Chapters · 49 Lessons

1. (Included in full purchase)
  Course Overview
2. (Included in full purchase)
  Image Credits
3. (Included in full purchase)
  Empire, Emancipation and Migration: The US in the 19th Century World Course Syllabus
4. (Included in full purchase)
  Course Guidelines
5. (Included in full purchase)
  Discussion Forum Guidelines
6. (Included in full purchase)
  Final Course Assignment Guidelines
7. (Included in full purchase)
  Example of Final Course Assignment
8. (Included in full purchase)
  Graduate Credit Assignment & Registration Information
9. (Included in full purchase)
  Example of Graduate Credit Project
1. (Included in full purchase)
  Session One Readings & Activities
2. (Included in full purchase)
  Prologue: What is "Globalized" U.S. History?
3. (Included in full purchase)
  Scholar Presentation: Dane Morrison, "The New People on the World Stage"
4. (Included in full purchase)
  Activity: Voyages - Science, Diplomacy, and Trade
5. (Included in full purchase)
  A Closer Look: New England, Opium, & China
6. (Included in full purchase)
  Teacher Feature: Music, Religion, and Environment
7. (Included in full purchase)
  Music: Musical Culture in Institutional Slavery
8. (Included in full purchase)
  Religion: Hawaii and the 2nd Great Awakening
9. (Included in full purchase)
  Environment: The American Whaling Industry of the 19th Century
10. (Included in full purchase)
  OPTIONAL Extension: Circuses, Menageries, and Curiosity Shows
11. (Included in full purchase)
  Discussion Forum: Session One
1. (Included in full purchase)
  Session Two Readings & Activities
2. (Included in full purchase)
  Scholar Presentation: Between Two Nations: The US-Mexico Borderlands 1821-1865
3. (Included in full purchase)
  Teacher Feature: Settler Colonialism
4. (Included in full purchase)
  Closer Look: California Gold Rush
5. (Included in full purchase)
  Reading/Viewing: Expanding Definitions of 'American Identity' in a Growing Nation
6. (Included in full purchase)
  Activity: Focus on Biography and Place
7. (Included in full purchase)
  Discussion Forum: Session Two
1. (Included in full purchase)
  Session Three Readings & Activities
2. (Included in full purchase)
  Prologue: Slavery and Freedom in the Western Hemisphere
3. (Included in full purchase)
  Slavery and Freedom in the Western Hemisphere
4. (Included in full purchase)
  Viewing & Reading: Abolishing the Atlantic Slave Trade
5. (Included in full purchase)
  Shifting the Narrative: Considering Geography, Trade, Migration and Impact
6. (Included in full purchase)
  A Closer Look: The Gullah Geechee
7. (Included in full purchase)
  Teacher Feature: Using Biography to Internationalize United States History
8. (Included in full purchase)
  Activity: Three Case Studies of Slavery and Freedom
9. (Included in full purchase)
  Slavery and Freedom: United States
10. (Included in full purchase)
  Slavery and Freedom: Haiti
11. (Included in full purchase)
  Slavery and Freedom: British West Indies
12. (Included in full purchase)
  Course Assignment: Lesson Proposal
13. (Included in full purchase)
  Discussion Forum: Session Three
1. (Included in full purchase)
  Session Four Readings & Activities
2. (Included in full purchase)
  Prologue: Migration, Travel, and Missions in a Global Context
3. (Included in full purchase)
  Activity: Case Studies in Migration
4. (Included in full purchase)
  Listening/Reading: The World Through Memoir
5. (Included in full purchase)
  Teacher Feature: American Foreign Missions
6. (Included in full purchase)
  Discussion Forum: Session Four
7. (Included in full purchase)
  Post-Course Survey
8. (Included in full purchase)
  Final Course Assignment Submission
9. (Included in full purchase)
  Graduate Credit Project Submission

What our Educators are Saying

Join hundreds of educators across Greater Boston (and beyond!) who trust Primary Source for engaging, high quality professional development.

”

I have brought in so many resources, projects, and knowledge to the classroom because of these classes. My students have a richer, more intentional outlook on what we study.

”

I have brought in so many resources, projects, and knowledge to the classroom because of these classes. My students have a richer, more intentional outlook on what we study.

About Primary Source

Primary Source educates global citizens by working with teachers to foster students’ knowledge, skills, and dispositions for thoughtful and engaged citizenship. With our guidance and resources, teachers cultivate students’ civic-mindedness, cultural awareness, and global competence, preparing them for our increasingly diverse and interconnected world. We collaborate with teachers, schools, and educational organizations to offer professional development programs and resources that help make global, civics, and cultural education an integral part of every student’s classroom experience. Our engaging face-to-face and online programs, curriculum resources, and international study tours enhance global understanding, civic engagement, and cultural understanding, and help thousands of teachers every year bring the wider world to their students. To learn more, visit our homepage at primarysource.org!

Empire, Emancipation and Migration: The U.S. in the 19th Century World