HISTORY OF KANSAS
HIST 558

 

Fall Semester, 2008

Professor James E. Sherow

HEADING
 

History of Kansas, HIST 558

Professor James E. Sherow

Eisenhower Hall, Rm 226

Office: Eisenhower Hall 216a

MWF, 1:30 – 2:20 p.m.

Office Phone: 532-0375

Office Hours: MW, 10 – 11 a.m.,
      or by appointment

Home Phone: 565-0086

email: jsherow@ksu.edu

 

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REQUIRED READING:

TEXTS:

Thomas Averill, ed., What Kansas Means to Me: Twentieth-Century Writers on the Sunflower State, (1991).

Craig Miner, Kansas: A History of the Sunflower State, 1854-2000, (2002).

Virgil Dean, ed., John Brown to Bob Dole: Movers and Shakers in Kansas History, (2006).

*All textbooks are available only at Claflin Bookstore located at the corner of Claflin and Denison Street.*

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COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course will feature the history of the land, people, and cultures of Kansas, from when Indian peoples' occupied the region to the present. This is the simple undergraduate catalog description of this course. However, I intend to do more than this. As a class, we will explore the changing nature of how Kansans have perceived themselves, and explore the ways in which history aids a person in becoming native to this place.

For some time Kansas historians have recognized the apparently low self esteem many contemporary Kansans have about themselves. Kansans are plagued by Oz jokes wherever they go; they are constantly informed about how flat and monotonous their landscape is; they are often ridiculed for living in an oppressively Puritanical state; and they are often portrayed as "hayseeds" or "wheatheads" who are hopelessly behind the times.

An unattractive portrait of Kansas and Kansans was not always so. Before 1920 Kansans were often viewed in the forefront of national humanitarian reform. The state was seen as a land of opportunity where people paved a path for others in the nation to follow. Which is more factual -- Kansas, the backwaters of the nation, or Kansas, a trendsetter for Americans? We will explore these contrasting visions of the state and analyze just how accurate these descriptions of Kansas have been.

The other realm we will investigate is how one might become "native to a place." Wes Jackson, the director of the Land Institute in Salina, Kansas, has addressed this issue in several of his writings, and I have long held his sympathies even before reading his works. In a university, Jackson notes, students are only taught "upward mobility. Little attention is paid to educating the young to return home, or to go some other place, and dig in." Said in another way, universities and professors give far too much attention to training people in careers, and little in how to appreciate, to live in, and contribute to the well being of, a place. The question is how might we relate to our place in such a way that we feel and become a part of it? And related to the question about Kansans' sense of self esteem, is becoming native to Kansas worth the effort? In what way can the study of Kansas history provide one with some of these answers?

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DISCUSSION TIME:

You are expected to keep current with your readings from Miner's textbook, Dean's reader, and Averill's collection of essay. During discussion times you will be evaluated on how conversant your are with the readings.

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CLASS PROJECT:

Your class project is to research four historical newspaper articles on a selected topic relating to Kansas history.  A good source for articles relating to Kansas from its earliest period is the Niles National Register, which can be found and used in the Special Collections Department of Hale Library.  The New York Times covered events in Kansas, and the early editions of Harper's Magazine covered aspects of the settlement of Kansas, too.  The Manhattan Public and Hale Libraries have complete runs of the Manhattan Nationalist , and the Mercury, and the Kansas State Historical Society has complete runs of newspapers throughout the state.  These can be borrowed through inter-library loan.

In later decades the sources remain the same as above.  You might also consider exploring the newsletters of various organizations such as the Sierre Club, Adubon, or the Farm Bureau just for example.  Some of these can be found in Hale Library in Special Collections.  There is also runs of the Industrialist and Collegian in the library should you be interested in university history.

You don't have to limit yourself to these sources; these are simply first case suggestions.  Your articles need to be at least 500 words, preferably a 1000 or more. You are to attach copies of your articles to your essay.

Once you have located your articles, next compose a comparative essay, the nature of which follows. First, describe the main theme or subject of your articles, and the evidence the authors used to depict their subjects. Next, compare and contrast the subjects and contents of your articles to the readings and lectures presented in class. In what ways are your articles similar to, or different from the material presented in class? Be specific with your analysis, and be sure to illustrate your contentions with relevant evidence taken from BOTH the lectures and readings.

Your essay must be greater than four double-spaced pages or 1000 words, and less than, or equal to, six double-space typed pages, or 1500 words in length. Marius discusses the elements of composing an argumentative essay on pages pp. 66-7, and the elements for any essay on pages 13-28. I will grade the organization, writing, and content of your essay according the guidelines found in Marius.

Fourteen Standards of a Good Historical Essay:

[Taken from Richard Marius, A Short Guide to Writing About History , 3rd edition (1999), 13-28.]

1.  The essay has an argument.

2.  The essay has a sharply focused, limited topic.

3.  The essay is based upon primary sources.

4.  You write in the same spirit that you would tell a good story.

5.  Get to the point quickly.

6.  Write a good title for your essay.

7.  Build your essay step by step on evidence.

8.  Document your sources!

9.  Historical essays are written dispassionately.

10.  Your essay should include your original thinking; it should not be a rehash of the thoughts of others.

11.  Always consider your audience.

12.  An honest essay takes contrary evidence into consideration.

13.  The essay uses standard English and observes the common conventions of writing.

14.  Let your first and last paragraphs mirror each other.

 

Your Class Project Is Due on December 5.

 

PARTICIPATION and ATTENDANCE

Your participation in class discussions, your attendance, and staying current with the reading schedule are all important components of your participation grade. Understand that two unexcused absences will automatically reduce your participation grade to 10% of your course grade; and three or more will reduce your participation score to zero.

During discussion times I will be keep track of those who can and do participate and of those who don't. This information will be factored into your participation grade. Also, I keep note of who does an extraordinary job of participation.

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GRADING SYSTEM:
 
 

Discussion and Participation

20%

Four Examinations (15% each)

60%

Class Project

20%

____________________________________________
Total                                   100%
 

In computing your grades the following scale will be used:
 

A  =  28

C  =  21

A- =  26

C- =  20

B+ = 25

D+ = 19

B  =  24

D  =  18

B- = 23

D- = 17

C+ = 22

F  =  14

Only substantiated, or documented, absences will excuse you from missing any scheduled assignment or test. Be prepared to have your reason for missing verified by the Dean of Students.

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IMPORTANT NOTES:

Any student caught plagiarizing his/her work is subject to the KSU Plagiarism Statement: Plagiarism and cheating are serious offenses and may be punished by failure on the examination, paper or project; failure in the course, and/or expulsion from the University. For more information refer to "Academic Dishonesty" policy in Inside KSU.

Any student with a disability who needs an accommodation or other assistance   in this course should make an appointment to speak with me as soon as possible.

The KSU Honor Pledge applies to all assignments, examinations, or other course work undertaken by undergraduate students.  The Honor Pledge is implied, whether or not it is stated."ON MY HONOR, AS A  STUDENT, I HAVE NEITHER GIVEN NOR RECEIVED UNAUTHORIZED AID ON   THIS  ACADEMIC WORK." For more information:  The Undergraduate Honor System

 

COURSE CALENDAR

 

AUG 25

Introduction

AUG 27

Doing Your Class Project

From, Richard Marius, A Short Guide to Writing about History

“Modes of Historical Writing”

“Conventions”

“Style”

AUG 29

Lecture: Homecoming, 101; and
Discussion: Averill, pp. 97-100; and Thomas Frank,  "Lie Down for America: How the Republican Party Sows Ruin on the Great Plains," Harper's Magazine (April 2004), 33-46.

 

What’s the Matter with Kansas?

Thomas Frank's Web Page

 

Is a cottonwood tree a fitting symbol for Kansans? Yes or no, and why? How does Greene see the tree? Has Greene hit upon the subtle beauty of the prairie, or has she understated it? Has the prairie affected your sense of beauty in any way, and how might it have affected historical Kansans?

 

 

Sep 1

LABOR DAY, NO CLASS

Sep 3

Discussion: Averill, pp. 1-50

Reading: Miner, pp. xi-48.

What does Thomas Averill mean by "afflicted with this affectionate identification?" What might be the "underlying assumptions" that are powerful, significant, and noteworthy about Kansas?

SEP 5

Lecture: Cultural Crossroads

 

 

SEP 8

Lecture: Memes of Trade

Class Project Topic Due

SEP 10

Discussion; Averill, pp. 65-82; Dean, 1-15


How does Clugston see the destiny of the Republic tied to the destiny of Kansas?  What were the social and political contributions of Southern "poor whites" to the early development of Kansas?  How does Clugston view Kansas puritanism?  How does Clugston answer his question, "Has cultural development kept pace with the opportunities afforded by the fertility of the soil and development of natural resources?"  In terms of education, literature?  Is Clugston correct; if so, why?

SEP 12

Lecture: Emigrant Tribes

 

 

SEP 15

Lecture: Bleeding Kansas, Part One

Reading: Miner, pp. 47-93

SEP 17

Discussion, Dean, 17-32; Averill, pp. 87-96

How does Menninger see Kansas exhibiting a sense of self-deprecation? How does he view the results of prohibition? What, according to Menninger, sets Kansas City off as a large metropolis? What does Menninger mean by "our intelligence and our vision do not seem to have prevented us from developing a vast inferiority, not a real inferiority but a feeling of inferiority."

SEP 19

Lecture: Bleeding Kansas, Part Two

 

 

SEP 22

Lecture: End of Indian Kansas

SEP 24

Discussion, Dean, 33-55; Averill, pp. 123-50

What examples does Nevins give to justify his belief that Kansans have not maintained liberalism in its classic sense, and are his examples good ones? In what light does Nevins view Kansas Populism? What's the significance of Nevins's statement: "the special character of Kansas, a wheat sheaf and not a sunflower her true emblem, remains." How was Kansas dominated by the "New England mind?" What is the significance, according to Nevins, of the Kansas Civil-War record? What does Pomeroy's career reflect about Kansas? According to Nevins, what prompted Kansans toward radicalism? Why, according to Nevins, did Populism achieve so little? How did William Allen White exemplify immaturity? Is Nevins correct in separating place and home from power? Has Kansas truly lacked in the arts as Nevins asserts?

SEP 26

Lecture: Kansans and the Civil War

 

 

SEP 29

FIRST EXAMINATION

OCT 1

Lecture: Campaigns of 1867 & 1868

Alexander Gardner Photographs, 1867

OCT 3

Discussion, Averill, pp. 51-64; Dean, 56-67

How does White define Kansas Puritanism? What were the early gains wrought by the Puritan ethos in Kansas? How, according to White, did Progressive reform relate to Puritanism? What does White see as the drawbacks to Puritanism? Does he make a convincing case for his viewpoints?

 

 

OCT 6

FALL BREAK, NO CLASS

OCT 8

Lecture: Euro-Americans and the Transformation of the Flint Hills

Reading: Miner, pp. 94-142

OCT 10

Discussion, Averill, pp. 153-60; Dean, 69-90

Inge claims that "Nowhere can we find a closer correlation of landscape and character than in the Plains States." How does he make his case, and does he use believable examples? What are the affects of the sky on Kansans' sensibilities? What are the differences between a flat and level land? Which does Inge prefer to use in depicting Kansas, and why?

 

 

OCT 13

RESEACH DAY: NO CLASS

OCT 15

Lecture: Railroads in Kansas

Reading: Miner, pp. 143-171

OCT 17

Discussion: Averill, pp. 193-206; and Dean, 91-102

If Heat-Moon sees Kansas and Kansans as a reflection of the past rather than the future, then how does he make his point? What examples does he use? Do you believe him, and if so, why? In what manner was Kansas a difficult passage, both for Heat-Moon's family and for people before? Were any of these people correct in their views? Why is seeing Kansas longitudinally so different from seeing it latitudinally? What is the truth of Kansas according to Heat-Moon?

SOURCES for YOUR CLASS PROJECT DUE

Citation Example

OCT 18

FIELD TRIP

 

 

OCT 20

Kansas Art and Artists: Beach Art Museum Tour and Presentation

Reading: Dean, 241-252

OCT 22

Discussion; Averill, pp. 105-21

Milton Eisenhower sees the character of Kansas as somehow formed from a Puritan and southern bent of mind; both agricultural and urban at the same time. Does he make valid points, and if so, why? What accounts for the lack of idealism in the post-1920 period? How does he use John Steuart Curry as an example? How is, according to Eisenhower, that Kansans have lost their sense of direction? Is he on to a good point?

RESEARCH DAY FOR CLASS PROJECT

OCT 24

RESEARCH DAY FOR CLASS PROJECT

 

 

OCT 27

Lecture: Formation of Racial and Ethnic Communities

OCT 29

Averill, pp. 161-74; Dean, 103-126

Davis asks "what is this hold which Kansas has over Kansans? How did it develop? What, and why, have been the variations in its nature, its quality, over the years?" What are the main variations between the eastern, central and western portions of the state? What is Davis talking about when he discusses "integration of perspectives?" What are some of the contradictions in Kansans psychology depicted by Davis?

OCT 31

Lecture: Development of the Extractive Economy in Kansas

 

 

NOV 3

SECOND EXAMINATION

NOV 5

Lecture: Gilded Age Politics

NOV 7

Lecture: Populism

Reading: Miner, pp. 171-189

 

 

NOV 10

Discussion: Averill, pp. 207-20; Dean, 127-139

What is Day implying in his phrase, "Kansas is real, sort of." What are Banger's concerns with "façadism?" Why is Banger worried about Day having his "bone in his head" rearranged?

NOV 12

Lecture: Progressive Social Reform

Reading: Miner, pp. 190-235

NOV 14

Lecture: Kansans and World War I

 

 

NOV 17

Lecture: Fallout in the 1920s

Reading: Miner, pp. 236-274; and Dean, 140-165

NOV 19

Discussion: Averill, pp. 221-34; 179-92; and Dean, 166-203

What are Denise Low's views about the Flint Hills, and do you find them compelling? Does she evoke a sense or understanding of place?

What are the assumptions people make about straight roads? What is the significance about the way in which Kansas wave to each along straight roads? Why is the sunflower an appropriate symbol for the Kansan? How does the sky affect the way in which Kansans think about themselves? How are straight roads related to lack of restraint?

NOV 21

THIRD EXAMINATION

 

 

NOV 24

Lecture: The Great Depression Kansas

Reading: Miner, pp. 275-306

Outline Due

Outline Example

NOV 26

THANKSGIVING VACATION -- NO CLASS

NOV 28

THANKSGIVING VACATION -- NO CLASS

 

 

DEC 1

Lecture: Kansans and World War II

Readings: Miner, pp. 307-319; Dean, 204-240

DEC 3

Discussion: Dean, 253-292

DEC 5

Lecture: Cold War Economic, Social and Demographic Changes

Reading: Miner, pp. 320-352

 

 

DEC 8

CLASS PROJECT DUE

Discussion: Dean, 293-316; Miner, pp. 353-399

DEC 10

Lecture: Kansans and Their Environment; Reading: Miner, 400-416

Reading: Dean, pp. 317-327

DEC 12

Lecture: Contemporary Kansas

Reading: Dean, pp. 328-341

 

 

DEC 17

FINAL EXAMINATION, 11:50 a.m. to 1:40 p.m.