In this class we will look at the significance of such little understood terms as headrights, tidewater, the indenture system, "Salutary Neglect," differing immigration groups, "Rule of the Harvest," different settlement methods, the impact of the Revolutionary War, the perception of hardwood trees as an indicator of good soil, the Land Ordinances of 1785 and 1787, the cotton gin, the Louisiana Purchase and a series of important laws up to the Homestead and the Pacific Railway Acts of 1862. We will leave some time at the end of the class to attempt to rationalize the actions of our ancestors that do not seem to be explained by any of the above.

Utilizing oral history techniques and technology, we will learn how to create and compile meaningful personal and family histories.