HST 597-701 (1 hr.): Early History of Springfield, Missouri  

Prof. F. Thornton Miller

Email: ftm922f@smsu.edu
Office: Strong 417
Phone: 417-836-5917

Office Hours for Winter Intersession 2005: Monday-Thursday: 2:00-3:15
Class time: Monday-Thursday 5:30-9:15 PM

Course Objective
To study the historical background to settlement in Missouri and the Ozarks, colonial and early national relations with native Americans in the Missouri area, the founding of Greene County and the city of Springfield, and the economic, political, social, and cultural development of early Springfield.

Required Reading
No textbook is required.
We will go over several documents in class. These will include: speeches from Native Americans and selections from Henry Schoolcraft’s journal of his exploration in Missouri, essays by the prominent Missouri statesman, Senator Thomas Hart Benton, and histories of Greene County and Springfield. 
The documents are available on this website. See the Documents page.

Course Policies
Students are required to have their own email account.
Students using English as a second language should see me to discuss accommodations.
The course is too short to have a makeup exam.
For the course grade, you must have at least a 90% average for an A, 80% for a B, 70% for a C, and 60% for a D.
Academic Dishonesty. Any student participating in any form of academic dishonesty will be subject to sanctions as described in the Student Academic Integrity Policies and Procedures, which can be found at http://www.smsu.edu/acadaff/AcademicIntegrity.html (also available at the Reserves Desk in Meyer Library).
Disability accommodation. To request accommodations for disability, students must contact Disability Services (http://www.smsu.edu/disability), Plaster Student Union Suite 405, (417) 836-4192; TTY (417) 836-6792.  Students must provide documentation of disability to Disability Services prior to receiving accommodations.
SMSU Office of Academic Affairs Policy on Use of Cell Phones in Classes: As a member of the learning community, each student has a responsibility to other students who are members of the community. When cell phones or pagers ring and students respond in class or leave class to respond, it disrupts the class. Therefore, the Office of Academic Affairs prohibits the use by students of cell phones, pagers, or similar communication devices during scheduled classes. All such devices must be turned off or put in a silent mode and cannot be taken out during class. At the discretion of the instructor, exception to this policy is possible in special circumstances. Sanctions for violation of this policy are determined by the instructor and may include dismissal from the class – see Class Disruption (http://www.smsu.edu/recreg/classdis.html). In testing situations, use of cell phones or similar communication devices may lead also to a charge of academic dishonesty and additional sanctions under the Student Academic Integrity Policies and Procedures (http://www.smsu.edu/acadaff/AcademicIntegrity.html). There are two appeal processes available to students. A sanction for class disruption may be appealed using the appeal process stated in the Class Disruption policy; however, a violation that involves a charge of academic dishonesty must be appealed using the process described in the Student Academic Integrity Policies and Procedures. Students have the right to continue attending class while an appeal is in progress.
Nondiscrimination. SMSU policy on nondiscrimination: http://www.smsu.edu/eoaa.htm.
Class drop policy. If you stop attending this class but do not follow proper procedure for dropping the class, you will receive a failing grade and will also be financially obligated.  To drop a class anytime after the first week, you must turn in a drop slip at an authorized registration center (see 2002/2003 SMSU Undergraduate Catalog, pp. 51-52; http://www.smsu.edu/recreg/chnsched.html).  You do not need to obtain any signatures on the drop slip.

Lecture Topics

I:  Native Americans and Colonial and American Historical Background

A:  Native Americans

B:  Colonial Louisiana   

C:  Louisiana Purchase/ Lewis & Clark

II:  Early Missouri

A:  Missouri Territory

B:  Migration into Missouri

C:  Missouri Crisis & Compromise

D:  Development during the Benton Era

E:  Slavery

F:  Indian Removal

III:  Ozarks

A:  Geography

B:  Migration into the Ozarks—the Scotch-Irish  

C:  Frontier Society

D:  Benefits of Settlement at Campbell’s Springs/Founding Greene County and Springfield

E:  Slavery in Springfield

F:  Indians/Indian Removal in the Springfield area

IV:  Early Springfield

A:  Farms and Mills

B:  Building the Town

C:  Butterfield Stagecoach

D:  C. 1860, Springfield still a frontier town 

E:  Civil War/Battle of Springfield

F: The Desperados

V: Development of the City

A:  Steam Mills

B:  North Springfield and “The Frisco”

C:  Irish and German Migration

D:  Segregated Society

E:  Springfield and North Springfield Unite/Continued Division and Compromise

F:  “Queen City of the Ozarks”  

% Breakdown of the Course

Undergraduate:
Map Assignment: 10%
Essay: 30%
Exam: 60%

Graduate:
Map Assignment: 5%
Essay: 40%
Exam: 55%

Map Assignment
You will label maps of America and Missouri. The maps are available on this website. You can do the assignment with a draw or paint program and turn it in by email.

Use these blank maps:

Big Blank Map or Big Blank Map (b&w)

Little Blank Map

On the maps, locate and label Missouri, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, and the Indian Territory/Oklahoma.

Place a dot for and label Philadelphia, Mobile, New Orleans, Memphis, Chicago, Santa Fe, San Francisco, Ft. Scott, Kansas, Ft. Smith, Arkansas, and, in Missouri, Springfield, St. Louis, Kansas City, Jefferson City, Boonville, Lexington, and Rolla. 

Place a mark for and label the battles of Wilson's Creek and Pea Ridge.

Show and label the Appalachian Mountains and the Ozarks.

Label the following rivers: Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, James (VA), Roanoke, Cumberland, Tennessee, Arkansas, White, Black, Osage, Gasconade, Meramec, and James (MO).

Show and label the area of the Louisiana Purchase.

Draw and label the Great Wagon Road, the Wilderness Road, the Springfield Road/railroad line from St. Louis to Springfield, and the Butterfield Route.

Show and label the original homeland area of the Osage, Delaware, Shawnee, Kickapoo, Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Chickasaw, and Seminole.

Label and draw the Missouri Compromise line.

Draw and label the original area of Greene County.

Show and label the migration routes of the Scotch-Irish (who arrived in Philadelphia).

Show and label the Roanoke River gap, the Boone Gap, and the Cumberland Gap.

Email the assignment to ftm922f@smsu.edu
Map assignment due: January 12

Essay

Write an essay on Henry R. Schoolcraft, Journal of a Tour into the Interior of Missouri and Arkansaw ... in the Years 1818 and 1819. The source is available on this website. See the Documents page.
The essay will be graded on formal style and language. Do not use abbreviations or contractions. Do not use slang. Avoid writing in the first person. Be sure to proofread the paper for misspelling. 
Give specific examples. Quotations are optional.
Email the assignment to ftm922f@smsu.edu
Essay assignment due: January 12

Undergraduate:

The essay should be about 3-5 pages in length.

In the essay, write on one of the following topics:

1) For Schoolcraft, what value was there in the Ozarks? Did he think the Springfield/Greene County area could be developed?
2) What was Schoolcraft's impression of frontier society? Did his description of those he encountered reveal an Eastern bias?

Graduate:

The essay should be about 5-7 pages in length.

Evaluate Henry R. Schoolcraft's Journal of a Tour into the Interior of Missouri and Arkansaw ... in the Years 1818 and 1819 as a historical primary source.
Include each of the following in your essay on the document:

1) Briefly summarize the Journal.
2) Criticism. Questions to consider in your critical assessment:
How detailed is his description? Is his description clear or vague?
Was he trying to be objective and scientific? If so, did he succeed? 
Is he too narrow or selective? Did he oversimplify or overgeneralize?
Bias. On his description of the frontiersmen he encountered, did he reveal an Eastern bias? Did he see himself as more civilized and superior to those who lived on the frontier?
3) Assess the worth of the document as a historical primary source. Is it of value to historians today?
4) Can we distinguish between what Schoolcraft observed and the stories he heard from the frontiersmen? As a historical primary source, how valuable are stories from frontiersmen the accuracy of which Schoolcraft could not verify? 

Exam
There will be an exam on the lectures and the in-class readings on the final evening of the course. The exam will consist of terms to identify, multiple choice or matching questions, and one or two essays. You will have two hours to take the exam. Bring an examination or blue book. There will be a review before the exam.

Attendance and Discussion 
This is a short class over four evenings. Perfect attendance is expected and will be essential to get the information for the exam. We will have a class discussion on several documents that we will be reading in class. They are available on this website. See the Documents page. Good attendance and discussion will give you bonus credit.

Dates

Exam: January 6

Map assignment due: January 12

Essay assignment due: January 12

Documents | Terms  | Local History | Timeline | Maps