A survey of the history of the United States, from pre-colonial North America to the end of Reconstruction, that addresses important political, economic, social, and cultural developments. Themes may include but are not limited to aspects of class, race, and gender; systems of labor; intellectual, technological, social, and cultural history; the role of geography; and foreign relations. The course also introduces students to the historical reasoning skills necessary to form their own understanding of the past, and of contemporary society.