Multicultural History of Colonial and Revolutionary America

How did British, Spanish, French, African, Indigenous people and others incorporate their cultural roots in the creation of a new society in the lands that became the United States? The 4-week asynchronous online course revisits key moments, movements and developments in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries to trace a more diverse story of the nation’s beginnings.

Learn about topics such as African, Asian and European cultural influences, America’s Revolution through a global and multicultural lens, the global influences of the Declaration of Independence. Developed with support from the Library of Congress’s “Teaching with Primary Sources” program, the course familiarizes you with LoC resources and other best digital history materials. Access to this course and resources will give you the knowledge, tools and resources to teach early American history with global and multicultural perspectives. There are also opportunities for elementary and secondary students to participate through instructional support and differentiated instruction.

Topics include:

• Early explorers and continental mapping
• Imperial competitors (New Spain, New France, New Netherlands) and the British colonies
• The histories of Native American nations
• Settler and Native interactions
• Global trade and colonial economies
• The transatlantic slave trade and African people in the Americas
• The rise of multicultural cities in early America
• African, Asian and European cultural influences
• America’s Revolution through a global and multicultural lens
• The global influences of the Declaration of Independence