HIST 416A Junior Seminar: An Example for All the Land--DC History as US History
An example for all the land' is what Charles Sumner famously called Washington, DC, highlighting its symbolic importance to the country and the extent of federal influence here. For more than two centuries, the nation's capital has been a place where people work and worship, where they play and protest, in the shadow of the US government.
We begin the semester with common readings about how DC has provided a local stage for all the issues affecting Americans elsewhere: questions about slavery and race, about citizenship and democracy, about national identity and belonging. Students then research and write a 15-20 page paper on any issue and period of their choosing from Washington's past.