Warrenton, VA, November 1862 / Alex. Gardner, photographer. (Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division [reproduction number, LC-USZ62-98249 (b&w film copy neg.)])
Instructor(s)
Prof. Merritt Roe Smith
MIT Course Number
21H.116J / STS.029J
As Taught In
Fall 2005
Level
Undergraduate
Course Description
Course Features
Course Highlights
This course features archived syllabi from various semesters.
Course Description
Although attention will be devoted to the causes and long-term consequences of the Civil War, this class will focus primarily on the war years (1861-1865) with special emphasis on the military and technological aspects of the conflict. Four questions, long debated by historians, will receive close scrutiny:
- What caused the war?
- Why did the North win the war?
- Could the South have won?
- To what extent is the Civil War America's "defining moment"?