History and Culture

The First War on Terror: Jefferson and Barbary Pirates, 1801-1806
We will begin by gaining a brief history of the Barbary states of Northern Africa and why they resorted to state-sponsored piracy against European and United States commerce.  We will discuss why the United States and the city-state of Tripoli engaged in open warfare.  We will cover the naval siege of Tripoli; the loss of the Philadelphia and her burning by Stephen Decatur; and the fate of her crew.  We will also follow the campaign of "America's" Lawrence of Arabia, William Eaton, across 400 miles of desert.
Fee: $86  Senior Adult Fee: $51
DIS 347 L   Mon   9am-12pm   June 4-25   R Swartz   Valley Mall 8

Liberty Line: Myths and Realities of the Underground Railroad
This program will explore the history of the 1800s underground railroad, which helped fugitive slaves escape northward.  Major topics include: the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, Northern resistance, the Abolitionist movement characteristics and major advocates, as well as the  scope, structure, and operation of the underground railroad. Relive stories and events, myth and reality and the impact of the system in the sectional conflict between the North and the South.
Fee: $60  Reg Fee: $6  Total: $66
Senior Adult Fee: $40  Reg Fee: $6  Total: $46
DIS 354 A   Thurs   9am-12pm   July 19 - Aug 2   R Swartz   Valley Mall 4

1862: All Hell Breaks Loose
Join Joe Mieczkowski for this multi-media Civil War series, exploring the campaigns on Eastern and Western front.  Topics for this course will focus on the following:
War in the East: Following defeat at Bull Run, Gen. George McClellan was given command of the Union Army of the Potomac which he shifted the army south to attack Richmond. He was  forced to retreat after the Seven Days Battles.The Union army was defeated by Robert E. Lee at the Second Battle of Bull Run. In September, McClellan met Lee at Antietam on the 17th and failed to achieve victory. The win at Antietam permitted Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed slaves. Lincoln replaced McClellan with Burnside who was beaten at Fredericksburg.
War in the West: In February 1862, Gen. U. S. Grant's forces captured Forts Henry & Donelson. Two months later he defeated a Confederate army at Shiloh, TN. Union naval forces captured New Orleans. Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg attempted to invade Kentucky, but was repelled at Perryville and beaten at Stones River, TN. Grant now focused his attention on capturing Vicksburg.
Fee: $43  Reg Fee: $6  Total: $49
Senior Adult Fee: $35  Reg Fee: $6  Total: $41
DIS 353 A   Wed   6:30pm-8:30pm   July 18 - Aug 1   J Mieczkowski   Valley Mall 3

Previously offered courses

The Middle Ages in Western Europe - A Brilliant Civilization Rises From Rubble
Join Dr. William Bassin for this fascinating program focusing on the Middle Ages in Western Europe. Far from simply being a "dark age," the medieval centuries were a time of growth and development that ultimately allowed modern European civilization to flourish. The discussions focus on a variety of intriguing questions including: 1) Why did the Western Roman Empire fall? 2) How did Europeans develop, after some false starts, creative political, social and religious institutions that got Western civilization moving again? 3) When did the nation states arise? and 4) What was medieval life like for ordinary people, and what were the relative contributions of individuals and impersonal forces?
Fee: $73 Senior Adult Fee: $41

John Adams and the Quasi War with France 1796-1800
In this program, we will investigate the background causes for the Quasi War, cover the major events, and analyze the results.  We will detail Adams' diplomatic efforts to avoid war, from the "XYZ Affair" through the Convention of 1800; and describe how both Adams' cabinet and political party, the Federalists, were divided and undercutting his efforts.  We will also follow the buildup of the US Navy, particularly the class of frigates, and follow their exploits in the Caribbean.
Fee: $66  Senior Adult Fee: $46

The Whiskey Rebellion
Veterans of the American Revolution, including George Washington as President and commander-in-chief taking the field, suppressed other Revolutionary War veterans in an uprising in the Mid-Atlantic Appalachians.  Like the Revolution, issues of taxation were a contributing cause.  We will examine all the primary causes and follow the important events.  (The Maryland towns of Hagerstown and Frederick were caught up in the struggle.)  Finally, we will discuss the consequences, including how this uprising contributed to the growth of political parties in this country.
Fee: $56  Senior Adult Fee: $41

Shay's Rebellion
Can a country winning a revolution calling for Republican values use authoritarian methods against its own people to maintain that revolution?  This was the situation of the newly-created "United States" following the American Revolution as it encountered armed rebellion from farmers in New England, many of whom were veterans of that war.  In this program, we will cover the economic condition of the country in the 1780s, and discover the inherent weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation in addressing those weaknesses.  We will discuss the immediate causes of the rebellion, and follow the major events, including the rebels' attack upon the arsenal at Springfield, MA.  We will learn how the rebellion was put down by General Benjamin Lincoln, who accepted Cornwallis' sword at Yorktown and by Massachusetts governor, John Hancock.  Finally, we will discuss how this revolt impacted the call for a constitutional convention, and influenced the constitution's ratification debates in the states.
Fee: $56  Senior Adult Fee: $41

The Era of Sectionalism 1850-1860
The Compromise of 1850 was to have settled the emerging disputes over land acquisition from the Mexican War, the need for a more strictive fugitive slave law, and the issue of the slave trade in the nation's capital.  Instead, the settlement led to a further division of the country.  Program topics include:  the Kansas-Nebraska Act and ensuing civil war in Kansas; the Dredd Scot decision; the rise of the Republican party; the Lincoln-Douglas debates; the impact of John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry; Lincoln's 1860 election over a divided Democratic party; and secession by southern states.  We will also address why President James Buchanan was ineffective in efforts to unify the country.
Fee: $86  Senior Adult Fee: $51

How to Build Your Classical Music and Early Jazz Library
Have fun learning with Roger Keller in this great new lunch and learn class featuring music and history.  Class topics will include: The Stripes and Stars, the history of the National flag; the South Pacific action of the magnificent World War II ship, the USS Ringgold; and building a basic Classical music library. This class will meet in the HCC Valley Mall Training Center with easy access parking.  Please bring a bag lunch and a curious mind!
Fee: $51  Senior Adult Fee: $41

Back Roads, Dirt Roads and Byways of Braddock's March
Colonial on the road experience-following British General Edward Braddock's march, with George Washington through West Virginia and Virgina and back into West Virginia!  Any history book relating to Braddock will tell you that Braddock built a road from Cumberland, MD, then called Wills Creek, which became our national highway followed by US 40 today.  But how did he get to Wills Creek?  We will experience the terrible road conditions the army and camp followers endured as they built a road over the Allegheny Mountains and sloshed their way to Wills Creek; and ultimately to military disaster at the Forks (Pittsburgh, PA) on July 9, 1755.  We will hear journal excerpts from soldiers and one of the women accompanying the army.  We will be at sites where Daniel Boone, George Washington, Braddock and 7 generals of the American Revolution encamped.  Among these sites, (many with still natural terrian) are: Widow Berrigner's; Forks of Cacapon, Braddock Hollow, Spring Gap and Ferry Fields. We will begin our trip with a class session at the HCC Valley Mall Training Center from 8:00-9:00am. Bring your spirit of adventure, your curious minds and sensible shoes along for this great historical field trip. Transportation provided by HCC College Vans. Please bring a brown bag lunch.  Moderate activity with uneven terrain.  Fee includes: transportation and en-route interpretation & class by historian Roger Swartz. A complete itinerary will be sent to you one week prior to the departure date.
Fee: $51  Senior Adult Fee: $41

Beaver Wars
In this program, we will examine the economic and cultural causes for the conflicts originated by the Iroquoian League of Nations against other Native American nations in the Northeast as well as against New France.  We will cover the events invloved in the four basic theaters of war: the Hudson River, Lake George, Lake Champlain, Richlieu River corridor; the upper Great Lakes region; the lower Susquehanna River, including conflict with Maryland; and the Illinois region. We will discover the wars' impact in each region; and learn how the last of these conflcits became involved in King William's War - the first of four French & Indian Wars.
Fee: $86   Senior Adult Fee: $51

Franklin: Warrior and Diplomat
In this program, we will first discuss an overview of his life, as well as personal and physical attributes. The bulk of the program will then be devoted to covering his exploits in both the French & Indian War and the American Revolution. Major topics in the French & Indian War include: The 1754 Albany Plan of Union; Franklin and the Braddock campaign; Pennsylvania defense: the militia acts of 1755 and fort-building on the frontier; Franklin and the Penns.  Topics related to the American Revolution include:  Franklin as a colonial agent; his mission to Canada; diplomat in Paris; and negotiations for peace with the British.
Fee: $56  Senior Adult Fee: $41

The WAG Wars: The First Three French and Indian Wars
The first three French & Indian Wars established the causes of the last major French & Indian War, 1754 - 1760.  In this program, we will discover the background causes of each war, explore the major events of each, and the results of each. These wars are known in US history as:  King William's War, 1689 -1697; Queen Anne's War, 1701 - 1713; and King George's War, 1744 - 1748.  The first two mostly involved the colonies of New England and New York. The latter war involved Pennsylvania, particularly Benjamin Franklin, and Virginia, with George Washington's stepbrother, Lawrence, playing a vital role.
Fee: $86  Senior Adult Fee: $51

Philadelphia: Cradle of Liberty Trip
The United States is still questioning the meaning of the American Revolution.  On this field trip, we will walk in the footsteps of the founding fathers in Philadelphia. We will first visit National Constitution Center to experience the award-winning multimedia presentation, "Freedom Rising".  Next, in Signer's Hall, we will stand among the 42 delegates present in September 1787 at the constitutional convention.  These are life-size, historically accurate statues of the 39 signers of the constitution - and the three who declined to sign the document.  After lunch, we will join a docent-led tour of Independence Hall, where both the Declaration of Independence was adopted, as well as where the issues of the constitutional convention were debated.  En route, we will hear a lecture on the meaning of the American Revolution.  Was the Revolution for individual liberty, as exemplified in the Declaration of Independence?  Or, was it for limits on liberty, as depicted by the constitutional convention?
Fee: $96

Civil War
This course focuses on the political, social, cultural, and economic climate of the Civil War period and how the North and South came to the war.  The military aspects of the war, and the political and moral decisions tied to them are the major emphases. Textbook required - "This Terrible War, the Civil War and its Aftermath" by Fellman, Gordon & Sutherland, published by Longman 2002. Text available in the HCC Bookstore, ext 271.
Fee: $306  Senior Adult Fee: $96

1861 Civil War Tour with Tom Clemens and Dennis Frye
Join Civil War historians Tom Clemens and Dennis Frye on this interesting 1861 Civil War sites tour featuring the following events Maryland and West Virginia:
The occupation of Maryland Heights by Stonewall Jackson and the events in Harpers Ferry in April and May of 1861; the skirmish at Falling Waters; Shepherdstown, Ferry Hill and Williamsport focusing on the defenses, Ford and Patterson's occupation; Stonewall Jacksons' attempt to destroy the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and Dam #5.
Tour fee will include: motor coach transportation/gratuity, lunch at an area restaurant, en-route historical interpretation by historians Tom Clemens and Dennis Frye.
Fee: $96

Music and History
Have fun learning with Roger Keller in this great new lunch and learn class featuring music and history.  Class topics will include: The Stripes and Stars, the history of the National flag; the South Pacific action of the magnificent World War II ship, the USS Ringgold; and building a basic Classical music library. This class will meet in the HCC Valley Mall Training Center with easy access parking.  Please bring a bag lunch and a curious mind!
Fee: $61

For more information, contact Anne Myers at 240-500-2582, or e-mail acmyers@hagerstowncc.edu.