In the first half of the course, we will trace the decline of the Old Dominion, from the height of its national and international prominence at the time of the American Revolution to its devastation at the conclusion of the American Civil War.  After examining the passing of the generation that defined the goals of the new nation by declaring all men created equal, we will look at the decision of the next generation to abandon those goals in defense of human slavery.  The slave system, the political background and the social and economic impact of the Civil War on Virginia (rather than the military strategies employed) will then be emphasized.

In the second half of the course, we will consider Virginius Dabney's claim that "the bitter agony of the Civil War" has gradually given way to "imaginative young leaders [who] are building today a dynamic New Dominion, the worthy heir to the state which showed the way to the nation in the early years."  Through readings, discussions, field trips, guest speakers, and individual projects, we will seek to determine the degree to which this statement is valid as well as ways in which we might contribute to its validity.