Is a U.S History class before the year 1865 better than after 1865?
Favorite Answer
If you are taking the course just to get it out of the way, then I’d have to ask which period of history you know the most about or that you are most interested in.
The early period will cover the early colonization of the continent by Spain, England and France; the break with England and the Revolutionary War; early westward expansion through the Louisiana Purchase, etc; the slavery debate and other issues that led up to the civil war. This period is also characterized by the rise of industry and the decline of agrarian society; the Oregon, California and Mormon migrations; the war with Mexico; and the California gold rush;
The later period begins with the asserted dominance of the Federal government over the individual states; reconstruction following the civil war; rapid industrial development; radical advances in transportation and communication; two world wars fought with advanced weapons; the advent of keynesian economic philosophy; the US response to the rise and fall of communism and the cold war; the the emergence of the United States as a hegemon.
Because the civil war represents a significant break from the prior period in terms of political stuctures, industrial capacity; communication; and other significant issues, a knowledge of the major issues from the prior period is less important that it might otherwise be, but the earlier period still sets the stage for the later. That said, there are still earlier periods that set the stage for the colonization of the Americas and birth of the nation.
Personally, I like the later history class because the culture and everything is more current, and it is easier to relate to. You might even remember some of the stuff towards the end of the class personally, or at least your parents do, so it will be more real.