MCCCD Program Description

Economic History of the United States

Course: ECN160

First Term: 1994 Fall

Lecture 3 Credit(s) 3 Period(s) 3 Load
Course Type: Academic
Load Formula: S

Description: A description of the trends of American population, industry, and wealth through examination of major American institutions, historical events, and economic thought. Emphasis on the roles of technology and natural resources in agriculture and industry, the labor force, the monetary system, market structures, and the economic impact of government

MCCCD Official Course Competencies
1. Describe economic development in the colonial and early national period, including demographic changes, expansion of the agricultural sector, industrial development, and the distribution of income and wealth. (I) 2. Describe economic developments leading up to the Civil War and the economic transformations of the post-bellum period, including the reconstruction of the South and the expansion of the transportation system, financial institutions, urbanization, immigration, and the American System of manufacturing. (II) 3. Describe economic developments from 1890 to 1929, including demographic changes and industrial growth and diversification. (III) 4. Trace rising governmental intervention in the economy during the Progressive Era through antitrust legislation, creation of the Federal Reserve System, and imposition of the income tax. (III) 5. Describe trends in labor organization and unionization. (III) 6. Describe economic developments of the Great Depression and WWII eras, including crises in the financial, industrial, and foreign trade sectors, government policies undertaken to aid the economy, and changes required by U.S. involvement in WWII. (IV) 7. Trace the development of the American standard of living, industrial maturity, and distribution of income and wealth from the colonial period to the present, using various statistical measurement techniques. (I-IV) 8. Relate the roles that various specific individuals played in the economic development of the country. (I-IV)

MCCCD Official Course Outline
I. Economic growth in the colonial and early national period to 1790 A. The institutional framework 1. The early colonial settlements 2. The American colonies and the British Empire B. Demographic change 1. Sources of population change 2. Immigration 3. The slave trade C. Economic growth 1. Factors of production 2. Industries D. International trade 1. Expansion of trade 2. Trading partners E. Structural change 1. Spatial distribution of population and production 2. Transportation systems F. Monetary change and public finance 1. The money supply 2. Public finance in the colonial period G. Distribution of income and wealth and quality of life II. Stirrings of a modern economy: 1790-1890 A. Institutional change 1. The Civil War: redefinition of property rights 2. The populist era B. Demographic change 1. Sources of population growth 2. Immigration C. International trade and trade policy D. Structural change 1. Changes in industrial structure 2. Changes in transportation systems 3. Regional trends E. Distribution of income and wealth and quality of life III. The transition to a modern economy: 1890-1929 A. Institutional change 1. Supreme Court decisions 2. Progressive era B. Demographic change 1. Sources of population growth 2. Immigration 3. Natural increase of population C. Economic growth 1. Changes in industrial structure 2. Rise of big business 3. Urbanization and suburbanization D. International trade and trade policy E. Public finance and monetary change 1. Public finance from the progressive era to the great depression 2. Monetary change in the progressive era 3. Establishing the Federal Reserve System F. Distribution of income and wealth and quality of life IV. The mature economy 1930 to present A. Institutional change 1. Fiscal policy 2. Monetary policy 3. The breakdown of the Bretton Woods Agreement B. Demographic change 1. Population growth 2. Immigration 3. Natural increase in population - the Depression generation and the baby boom C. Changes in industrial structure 1. The transition to a service economy 2. Oil price shocks D. International trade and trade policy 1. Lend/lease 2. The Marshall Plan 3. International trade institutions 4. Free trade agreements E. Public policy and monetary policy - activist/non-activist F. Distribution of income and wealth and quality of life

MCCCD Governing Board Approval Date: 12/14/1993

All information published is subject to change without notice. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information presented, but based on the dynamic nature of the curricular process, course and program information is subject to change in order to reflect the most current information available.